On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, I did readings a four Toronto Public Libraries as part of the TPL’s Focus on Youth month.
The first library I went ot was Eatonville on Tuesday morning. I got there in good time and the students were all settled in and ready five minutes ahead of time, so I started early. The librarian held up a copy of Nobody’s Child and asked for the students to guess what year it was nominated for the Red Maple. The winning guess got to keep the book. It was pretty funny though, because none of the students was familiar with Nobody’s Child.
I began to do my presentation and then noticed that one of the girls in the front had a Cardinal Slipij shirt on. I asked her if she was from Cardinal Slipij school and she said yes, that all of the students were from there. That’s a Ukrainian school! No wonder they weren’t familiar with Nobody’s Child, one of my Armenian books. It turns out they were all familiar with Enough and Silver Threads and Hope’s War, so it was a great talk and the audience was very attentive. So attentive in fact, that I ended up talking for 70 minutes.
In the afternoon, I went to Riverdale Library in Chinatown. This is a beautiful old Carnegie library and the room that they had set up for me was a bright and airy circular room. These kids were also fantastic. Very attentive and asking great questions.
On Wednesday, my first library was Malvern in Scarborough. It was pouring rain when I left just after 8am. Why is it that people don’t know how to drive when it rains? The traffic jams started even before I got at far as the Lincoln Alexander Parkway and they didn’t let up til I was practically at the library. I didn’t get there until almost 11am for a 10:30 reading! I called to let the librarian know that I was stuck in traffic, and she said, “Don’t worry about it, we were all stuck in traffic today too!”
When I got there, the kids were waiting. They had been entertained with storytelling and chatting, but I felt really bad about making them wait so long for me. I started my presentation and about three minutes in, the fire alarm rang. A minute or so after that — just as I started presenting again — it rang again! Speak about a less than ideal presentation!
Yet the kids were fabulous. Very attentive and they asked great questions. I don’t think I would have been so patient in their situation.
In the afternoon, I went to Flemington Library. Instead of presenting to young adults, I did a storytelling session using Aram’s Choice with their ESL students. What an interesting group of people! There were new immigrants from China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine, Somalia and many other places. What they all had in common was the will to learn and an appreciation of Canada. I storytold Aram’s Choice and then we talked about what it meant to be a newcomer to Canada. I told them that the reason I write immigrant stories is because immigrants are heroes. It takes courage to up and leave everything familiar and to travel to a brand new country. The teacher asked me my opinion of how her students could assimilate more quickly. I said that the beauty of Canada is that we can all keep our cultural traditions and still be Canadian. When asked what one thing a new Canadian could do to feel more at home, I suggested trying something new once a week, whether it be food, or a free concert or going to some public event that has nothing to do with one’s homeland.
Thankfully, the drive home wasn’t nearly as bumper to bumper as it had been in the morning!
