#ALIAAccess 2010 Brisbane

say hello to the future. it was good.
#ALIAAccess group on flickr

highlights:

1. meeting tweeps @jobeaz, @rachelwray, @newgradlib, and catching up with Jo and Robyn (fraser coast)
2. Dr Neil Carrington's leadership workshop
3. Helen Partridge's LIS education project
4. the massive twitter interaction during the conference (33%+ delegates tweeting) - realtime responses to discussion
5. north brisbane library visits - checking out design, spaces, information service models, community engagement, staffing, collection development and customer service
6. the interaction and community atmosphere of many sessions, especially #camp
7. the walk from Ibis, across the Victoria Bridge to the convention centre - Brisbane turned on beautiful weather

suggestion:

1. brilliant to have iPads on the perch to play with, but next time - perhaps loan out a few iPads and other devices to delegates in each stream, particularly to newbies so they can tweet intensively in sessions; get a real feel for it.
2. loan out flipcams so short films can be uploaded to the website (#camp, dinners, the lunch buzz, exhibits)

If delegates haven't used these devices preconference, then actually putting them out there will do more to encourage their use and the influence will spread. 

congratulations:

committees did a fabulous job :) thnx

goodbye culture portal, hello pandora

The Culture Portal was a valuable Australian information resource. Was, I say, because it was closed on 1st July. I used it as a resource in my information service work and I was proud that the editor accepted wordbox for inclusion on Culture.gov.au from 2008.

But things change. The interesting moment for me, on finding the CP closed, was that it was then being archived by the National Library of Australia, and therefore available as a 'permanent static resource through PANDORA'.

PANDORA, Australia's Web Archive, is a  collection of Australian online publications, established initially by the National Library of Australia in 1996, and now built in collaboration with nine other Australian libraries and cultural collecting organisations. The name, PANDORA, is an acronym that encapsulates our mission: Preserving and Accessing Networked Documentary Resources of Australia.
So, a search on PANDORA through Trove, throws up a list of websites that have also been archived and that included wordbox in their list of information resources. Oh what a tangled and pretty web.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/website/result?q=wordbox4writers
http://trove.nla.gov.au/website/result?q=wordbox

When I started wordbox four years ago it was like a garage band playing to its mates in the suburbs. I was between jobs, tinkering with code and web management, and keen to support young writers. I wanted it online for maximum market penetration; a one-stop information resource for teachers, parents and young people. Authors, librarians and organisations thought the 'box was okay too. So I now have a job, work in the webs, and wordbox is hanging out in all the cool places.

Lovely to see them grow up isn't it :)

frantic wet wednesday - librarydayinthelife 3

I got to work dry, but then mid-morning it started bucketing down and didn't let up until dark. I had left my umbrella in the car. Hmm.
I was on an Information Services shift until 1pm. Talked with a wonderful 90 year-old lady about her war service in Scotland where she worked on Spitfires! She was keen to book for a beginner's computer class as her son had recently given her his old model.
Another lady wanted to borrow any Janet Evanovich novels we had because she'd read her first and it made her 'laugh out loud in bed'. We had a couple on the shelf, and I reserved others because she's a popular author and the rest were out.
Another lady rang to find further information on edelweiss flowers. They are an alpine flower, quite rare, growing in Italy (among other European countries). I gathered this information from a number of authoritive websites, and the response delighted her because it fitted in with what she remembered of stories her Italian mother had told her when she was small. She is now writing a chapbook of poems, in Italian, and wanted to feature the edelweiss.

I fielded a couple of enquiries from circ staff who noted that renewals were being dated at 6 weeks instead of four, something I corrected in our Spydus loan policies area.

I discussed the coming roster with Robin, and really have to get it out tomorrow.

Tried to access our new intranet site but am locked out - emails flying back and forth now.

James made me envious when he showed off his new Kindle DX (??) complete with ancient dictionary which values precision in word use. We discussed LibraryThing over lunch, and discovered a mutual admiration for Wodehouse.

More information service tomorrow, and ....

librarydayinthelife 1

I'm no. 61 on the list of librarians from various countries participating in round 4 of Librarydayinthelife - where a collection of librarians shout out about their day/week in the library.

I'm Alison and I'm an Information Services Librarian at a public library service in north Queensland. I graduated from Charles Sturt University in April '09 and started my professional job search.

I started out as an assistant in a primary school library in central Queensland, created wordbox4writers, while on the Fraser Coast, and am now in my element as ISL in NQ.

If Librarydayinthelife had been on last week I would have written about the mammoth job of weeding stack NF and stack REF. The week ahead promises a lot of information service with our fabulous public. Welcome to a week in the life of a librarian. Check out the wiki for links to other librarians' days and weeks.

reviews

CMIS Fiction Focus (print and online)
Slice: Juicy Moments from my Impossible Life by Steven Herrick, 2010 at CMIS Resource Bank
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham, 2010 at CMIS Resource Bank
The Worst Thing She Ever Did by Alice Kuipers, 2010 at CMIS Resource Bank
Rebel by R.J. Anderson, 2010 at CMIS Resource Bank
The Black Book of Colours by Menena Cottin, 2010 at CMIS Resource Bank
After by Sue Lawson, 2010, available online at CMIS Resource Bank
End of the Alphabet by Fleur Beale, 2010, available online at CMIS Resource Bank

M/C Reviews: Words 
Australia Dances: Creating Australian Dance 1945-1965 by Allan Brissenden and Keith Glennon, 2010, available online at M/C Reviews

Allen and Unwin Teachers Reviews
The Winds of Heaven by Judith Clarke, 2009, available online
Mouse Noses on Toast by Daren King, 2007, available online

Writing Queensland, QWC
The Runes of Odin by Ben Julien, issue 164, July 2007, p20.

VATE Newsletter
The Peach Season by Debra Oswald, no. 4, September 2007.
The Tattooed Flower: A Memoir by Suzy Zail, no. 4, September 2007.
The Secrets of Eromanga by Sheryl Gwyther, no. 3, June 2007.
The Legacy of Odin by Ben Julien, no. 3, June 2007.

API Review of Books, Curtin University of Technology, W.A.
No Place Like Home: Australian stories by young writers aged 8-21 years, edited by Sonja Dechian, Jenni Devereaux, Heather Millar and Eva Sallis, issue 44, July 2006.
Available online

Aussie Reviews
Platypus Deep by Jill Morris, June 2006. Available online
Bertie and the Bear by Pamela Allen, April 2006. Available online

incite into townsville

my article published in InCite December 2009, page 34 - celebrating the people I've met along the way. Happy Christmas inspiring people - http://tinyurl.com/ye82lkw (pdf article).

I got the print copy in the mail today and found more townsville people had written for InCite also!

Mr Ron Store's article about our QPLA/PLA conference (that he organised so well) is on page 8 with the pretty origami twist fish we all folded (he's going to hate my favoured use of lowercase, but I'm an e.e. cummings fan, and he knows it :)

Bronia Renison from the Townsville Health Library writes with Margaret Larcombe about librarians working with nurses on a research project (page 17). I was at the hospital today and a doctor mentioned how good their library was.

article also from kellie ayre from tablelands - nearish to townsville - page 21.

and, not townsville, but someone I know from CSU and mentioned in my article - Sharon Uthmann, Shire Librarian at Bellingen Shire wrote 'going on a book hunt on the dorrigo plateau' with a colleague.

Jan Richards, ALIA president, made an interesting observation in this themed issue (rural and regional libraries): 'In small rural libraries you can work across a range of tasks and roles, and you have the authority to make decisions and try out new ideas at an early stage in your career'.* It's so true.

* Richards, J. 2009. Frontline. InCite. 30(12). p.4.

Another Townsville colleague, Keil Jones, had an article published in the October issue on Movember.

It all happens in Townsville.**

** although for me it began like this - I grew up in the little library on Toowoomba's Little Street where Robyn Sheahan was children's librarian, and where I read my way through an amazing collection of paper dreams

If you read my article, share in the blog comments your memories of the libraries/librarians in Toowoomba, Dalby, Fraser Coast or Townsville.

top writer blogs no. 122!

some days are diamond. the-storyspace is a runner up at no. 122 on Jonathan Crossfield's The Top 50 Australian Blogs for Writers.
http://www.jonathancrossfield.com/blog/top-50-aussie-writer-blogs
Angela Mayer and Justine Larbalestier's blogs came out on top, but the-storyspace is in there amongst some amazing Australian writers: Kirsty Murray, Catherine Bateson and Julia Lawrinson. Our first blog award! *Just a bit excited here*




I will have to invest a little more time here at the-storyspace so it can rise in the ranks. More reviews, guest bloggers, etc. Reaching out to young readers and those who work with them.

Thanks Jonathan !

summer reading club 2009/2010

NEWS! The Summer Reading Club 2009/2010 website will be live by the end of October - and activities will be all over public libraries in Queensland (but others also?).
I'm excited because this is the first year I've submitted activities for the booklets, and they're available now for librarians to print. My activities are available in levels 2 (Book Quest, p5), Know the Novel Quests and Adventures Level 3 (p4 & Wordsearch, p2), and Level 4 (Know the novel travelling tales, p4 & Wordsearch p8). Thank you to the marvellous Denise O'Connor and Sarah Keating for SRC, and thank you to my team of activity testers :)
Go, read!

Information from SLQ:

Children will be taken on a world-wide adventure through a range of exciting and interactive creative writing and arts activities and online games which encourage the love of books and reading as well as literacy and computer skills.

Participants can chat online to children’s authors Tristan Bancks and Christine Harris, write their own wacky fairy tales like Martin Chatterton, read Shaun Tan’s virtual book, follow Jonathan Powell’s comic blog, and write their own ending to a story started by James Roy.

Levels
The activities in each level are aimed at, but not restricted to, the following ages:

• Level 1 – targeted at birth - 4 years of age
• Level 2 – targeted at 5 -7 years of age
• Level 3 – targeted at 8 -11 years of age
• Level 4 – targeted at 12 -16 years of age

Dates of program
The Summer Reading Club is designed to run during the Queensland school holidays:
Saturday 12 December 2009 to Saturday 23 January 2010. These dates, like the rest of
the program, are completely flexible and can be adapted to suit your library.

D*P*C # 1,2

I'm working on two Learning 2.0 programs at the same time - OMG. I've covered blogging (1), so onto (2) twitter. I'm librarianalison over there and I'm following four twitterers so far. I love that you can only use 140 characters - I'm a fan of microfiction; the variations of which include writing a story in 150 or 100 words, or in 150 characters to send via SMS. It makes for snappy writing, and you can fit a few in a zine: Onefifty. Michael Gerard Bauer won an early 150 word comp. through BWF and it got printed on volunteers' t-shirts. I have a strange fascination for the Skin story too even though I haven't read the whole thing.
I'm supposed to be talking about twitter, right? I like it for short, sharp, immediate communication. And everyone's on it - the Qld Premier included. It's a great news dissemination service - what are you doing? says it all. People twitter at conferences, I twittered at my hotel - you can post on the run. It makes people feel included, and since it's interactive they can post back. I'm still figuring out how that works. Networking. Excellent tool. And it clarifies your thinking - what was important about today?
I want to use it in the library.

wordbox for writers takes off!

tonight is the eve of wordbox's third birthday and we are totally celebrating. the 'box had solid growth in its first two years thanks to some enthusiastic support from industry leaders who support young people's writing - 3000 hits each of those years.
I don't remember when we hit the 3000 this year, but it was early. On birthday eve we're up to 10 959 - by the end of the week that will mean 5000 hits over the year.
Thank you to all the librarians, teachers, TLs, authors, competition organisers, parents, industry members and most of all - young people - who use wordbox as their comprehensive reference guide for Australian writing competitions. You keep it strong.

Wordbox focuses on providing links to genuine literary opportunities for young Australians in the fields of reading and writing which result variously in publication, reward, recognition and the building blocks of a future career. These opportunities are offered by Australian government agencies, libraries, schools and writers’ organisations where young people’s interests are central. Information is provided about assessing the worth of a competition and about avoiding scam competitions. It's so selfish, really. I support young writers so they'll develop their work so we'll all have something fabulous to read at bedtime - tonight and every night to come.

Wordbox was inspired by Tim Cahill, a (then) young U.S. writer, who wrote in Teen Ink magazine that having a piece published is a wondrous experience, especially as a teenager, when it seems so often that your words are doomed to suffocate in the flood of relationships, activities and responsibilities…
[T. Cahill, 'Preface', in S H Meyer & J Meyer (eds) Teen Ink 2: More voices, more visions written by teens, Health Communications Inc, Deerfield Beach, Florida, 2001, p. xviii]

On Birthday Eve I'd like to send out virtual roses to wordbox supporters I know of. Thank you, and apologies to any I've missed.
Denise O'Connor (SLQ), St Mary's College Ipswich, The Source, Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School, WritingWA, Australian Writers Marketplace, Sydney Writers, Antonia Suthers, Nicole McPhee, edNa, James Roy, Hazel Edwards, Simon Higgins, Judith Ridge, Jenny Stubbs, Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards, State Library of Tasmania, The Glennie School, National Literacy and Numeracy Week, Mackay Libraries, Margaret Spillman, Gladstone City Library, Education Victoria, Darebin Libraries, Education Tasmania, Hillbrook Anglican College, Mackay Christian College, Stanton Library, Fraser Coast Libraries, Queensland Writers Centre, Mike Shuttleworth (CYL), Pat Flynn, Rockhampton Libraries, Australian Government Culture and Recreation Portal, Fremantle Children's Literature Centre, and most recently Sharon McGuinness.

Fremantle Children's Literature Centre!!! This is totally bigger than I ever imagined. Look at all these people who support young people's creative development. It's astounding. Exciting. Hopeful.

If you've used wordbox to check out the comps, let me know - comment on the blog! Happy birthday.

L2TD #2 and D*P*C #5 online photo sharing-flickr

I've signed up on flickr for test drive #2. My photostream here. Signup was easy, if labour-intensive - having to have another password, a screen name, etc. But posting was simple - and all my own photos, from trips to Brisbane and Surfers Paradise.
I was impressed with Mosman Library's guest list - Emily Rodda, Mem Fox, and a chocolate party! [Mary's suggested search from L2TD site].
I searched on the local area and found some beautiful images. Here are two of my favourites: soldier crabs and the banyan tree. Both images by the same photographer, walking around with his swish camera taking photos from surprising angles. The Banyan Tree is a local landmark, in the main park; the central meeting place a few years ago of the 'Back to the Banyan' reunion.

Flickr is fabulous for library service promotion. It's obvious. I like it. I'll have to get out with the camera more.
Late, late, late - just signed up for twitter (see sidebar). I'd like to use it for haiku and microfiction.
'night.

licence 2 test drive SLQ

Just surfing around today and I came across a new online program from Mary Kajewski at SLQ, so I signed up.
Licence 2 Test Drive is the State Library of Queensland's online program to learn more about emerging technologies on the web that are changing the way people, society and libraries access information and communicate with each other. It's open to all SLQ, Qld public library, Indigenous Knowledge Centre and Queensland government library staff - register before May 16. For school librarians and library staff, Syba Signs has The How 2 of Web 2.0: Online Learning Program commencing May 4.

Okay, so I started on blogs a few years ago and created one for my CSU subject Information Technology in Libraries last year. For L2TD, Mary invited us to respond to the questions in bold.

What do you think about lifelong learning?
Now I've finally got my degree is that the end of my professional learning? No way. It's another beginning. The process has to be continual and ... lifelong... because the world and the people in it are constantly changing, growing, developing and workers (particularly information professionals) must as well. There are many professions where CPD is compulsory. I have long participated in formal and informal CPD; this is one in a continuing list, and I know Mary K's programs to be useful and engaging (Emerging Technologies 2006). As an information professional I am committed to enabling others to participate in lifelong learning.

On Learning 2.0 - CPD programs where staff teams can work together or concurrently to explore new concepts and technologies. You get innovation, discussion, networking... it's all good. I celebrate Helene Blowers who started the 23 Things (which is what I was searching for earlier).
What do you hope to learn from the program?
By participating in licence 2 test drive I want to learn more about 2.0 applications that I don't generally use in my daily work - but WILL. I mean, my final CSU report The twenty-first century TAFE Library: Creating learning possibilities by bringing together people, information and technology was all about that.

What other blogs have you discovered? What do you like about them?
One of my favourite librarian blogs is Brian's Swiss Army Librarian on reference services. Favourite school librarian blog: Ruth's Skerricks. I have spent part of my CPD reading and contributing to industry blogs. Actual library blogs of note: SLQ's Exhibitions blog, and Wired 4 Teens. I'd like to find more Australian public libraries using blogs interactively. I like these blogs because they're inspirational, and provided for the purpose of information sharing. Love that.

Can you see a use for blogs inside the library? and How about a blog for a client audience?
I absolutely support libraries using 2.0 platforms to share information with clients and the wider community and to inject the library into other communities. It's a great platform to upload clients' reviews, photos from events to aid promotion, an interactive online bookclub or community space. As Andrew said recently, infiltrate other online communities, be the resident librarian and engage with others in that community. He suggests sites with local relevance like a local band's MySpace or a political site, and I would add - the CWA, Arts Council, Writers Centres, Authors' sites, local car clubs, sports clubs, school blogs, etc. Excellent point. Librarians need to be seen to be outside the physical boundaries of 'The Library'. Our expertise can be applied anywhere at anytime.

So I'll slap on my 'L' plates now and head on down the highway...

You will meet many fellow travellers along the way.

RAP and NSS

What better way to start the day than to share a book. I've signed up to work with a student on the Reading Assistance Program (RAP). Yes, I'm a RAPPER, along with about ten other volunteers. We're assigned a student between two volunteers and we each spend 45 minutes with them each week - so they get an hour and a half of one on one reading time. This week we were reading a story about Rosie who likes red things, so apart from reading a few chapters we also wrote red-related words on the chalkboard (roses, stop sign, fire engine, paint..) to extend L's vocabulary, and played snap with the M100words (the red set).

Make sure you're in your school or public library on Wednesday 27th May to participate in National Simultaneous Storytime with the whole of Australia. Everyone's reading Pete the Sheep at 11am -it's a funny book.
A bit like The Man from Ironbark with animal characters. I suggest / challenge a library partner with a woolshed or a hairdressing salon to take NSS to unusual places. Jondaryan Woolshed looks good.Where will you be for NSS?

i am a librarian

I'm doing the dance of happy - after six years and various ups and downs, I have completed all subjects for the degree in Library and Information Management through Charles Sturt University - with a second major in English Literature. Happy, so happy. Results are officially released next Friday, but with a distinction in my last subject Information Technology in Libraries, I finish with a respectable GPA.
My last report recommended introducing Web 2.0 applications to a TAFE library's service model to enable staff and students to engage with the library as both physical and virtual space with the aim of supporting teaching and learning in a twenty-first century educational environment.
Graduation will be in April next year, and then it's onward and upward and the collection of more university polo-shirts. A big thank you to Roy Sanders, our course coordinator, as well as Anne Lloyd (inf.lit. guru), Bob Pymm and other subject coordinators and of course the amazing people in the library. Highly recommend CSU.
Highlights? Earning a near perfect score and an HD for a very difficult subject on which I initially knew not a lot, and we had to do a report with two others using online communication.
I enjoyed getting to know CSU at the Res. School, including The Hill. And I totally enjoyed nailing the reference lists - it's the librarian in me. Seriously, many varied subjects with many challenges. Literature in Education, from the Masters' course, allowed me to explore postmodern picture storybooks and verse novels and their use in the classroom.
I have worked in primary and secondary libraries, a post-secondary library, in public libraries, and as a freelance cataloguer. I was a library technician but I wanted to give more. Now I am a librarian and information manager. I could work in libraries, records management, archives, or related industries. So what are my library philosophies?
Libraries are for everyone, and the library is everywhere. Libraries connect people to ideas. Libraries promote the free flow of information and enable all Australians to access recorded knowledge, information, and creative works. Libraries are vital community hubs in which, and from which, amazing things can happen.
As a librarian and information manager, my particular focuses are assisting clients to develop their information literacy, and to enable them to explore their relationship with literature. Double Lit. I also embrace the community hub aspect - both getting out in the community (with storytelling, wielding the portable barcode reader, educating clients/students on research skills or aspects of the physical collection) and bringing the community in (love the orchestra spaces in both SLQ and Brisbane Square Library).
So where to from here? If I was in the south-east corner I would be applying for the public librarian position in the Warwick library. Best wishes to all who do apply. May you do well for your community. More polo-shirts for me - opening up of employment prospects - a postgrad qualification in education in 2009. Wish me good fortune!

school tutor

I've recently completed 36 hours of tutoring for three fabulous middle-school students over a three month period. As an Evenstart tutor I worked on the Investigations into Components of Writing program tackling punctuation, spelling, vocabulary, sentence control and ideas. I enjoyed showing them their creative minds at work, and seeing them all improve in test results. A created a beautiful poem about October lillies, M did well in his wordgames, and I had such laughs with B over our bizarre collaborative four word story project. We had a combination of activities using the Internet, writing on paper and on the blackboard, using the Bananagrams tiles and playing word snap. That was so much fun I'll have to do it again.

TEN

TEN ways to share your writing, my PowerPoint presentation is now on Slideshare. Right click on the button in the sidebar.
Links are in the notes for you to explore.
A very special thank you to Joanna for the moresome zine images on 10 & 11.

After viewing, please comment on why and how you share your writing. Merci.

After loading, checking, reloading, etc etc, I have just discovered that Slideshare cut the .com off my footer. But the link is in the final notes anyway. Frustration.

mary popped in

Today 6pm-7pm, City Library, Mary Poppins Literary and Art Awards presentation, followed by photographs*, tea and creamy delicious treats proudly prepared by the Proud Marys Association (lovely ladies all).



The MP awards have been going for some years now, and I've judged in different categories over four years. I always feel excited to read the stories because you can feel the energy that's been put into entering by both the kids, and their enthusiastic teachers and parents. This year two sisters were awarded in the primary category, and a very creative young lady from my school was awarded second in the secondary category (I judged primary). Nancy Bates, editor of the local newspaper, read a precis of each writers' fantasy story which drew ooohs and aaahs from the audience. We heard tales of haunted houses and destroyed planets, military standoffs, vengeful dragons and happy endings in a fairyland.
The story with time capsules drew a few appreciative nods as our city's time capsule from long ago was buried but cannot be found. Curiouser and curiouser.

Winners were awarded lovely large sums of money each and certificates, and the winning drawing was also framed. The children of Mungar School had produced a vibrant illustrated book, and two participating students gave a wonderful thank you speech.
After photographs the party moved upstairs to partake in tea and creamy treats. Yum.
A special thank you to the Annes and the Proud Marys for their enthusiasm for young people's artistic pursuits, and for making me feel so welcome.
Ten points to the sponsors including the Cherry Tree Foundation and Anne Russell, and to the Councillors who attended, including Debbie, also leader of a great writing group.

And a big hurrah to Robyn, a wonderful child-friendly City Librarian (or whatever her title is after amalgamation).
And lest you think it was all chat, consider our own Mary Poppins was in attendance so what do you think we sang?
Yes, of course we did. Now let's see if I can spell it. Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious... spell check!
And Spoonful of Sugar.

Nothing like a song to loosen a crowd.


* update Saturday 18th: 'Creative students reap Poppins prizes' in the newspaper. Congratulations!



And earlier today... remember Kyle McDonald's One Red Paperclip (ORP) swap from 2006? Today a young girl came into the Library and offered me a swap - her little star notebook for whatever I had. She and three others were involved in a class project ala ORP which perhaps the teacher had read about but the girls had no idea. So I told my swapper anyway. 'cause it was a cool project. I was in the Library though, surrounded by expensive, gorgeous, resources and none of it mine to swap. I can't just give away the latest YA book or a laptop can I? No. No I can't. But, aha, I found something to swap. A freebie from two years ago so it was swappable - a paper Queensland flag on a stick. So I got a notebook and she got a flag to swap on (and she learned what the Queensland flag looked like - so not a bad day in the Library).



'night.

creative writing workshop

Today, 9:30-11:00am. Free. First floor, City Library. For young people aged 8-15. Sponsored by Zonta. Included launch of TEN zine. Morning tea kindly provided by the Annes. Stories with zing!

Seventeen young people filled the room with treasure today, using words with zing as they played in the writing gameshow. I had far too many activities planned for a 90 minute session, but we got through Open this way, What a character, Street Poet and a bit of wordplay and talked about entering competitions and sharing their work with family and friends. I launched my TEN zine there, with a free copy for each hard-working writer as well as a goodies bag with a few bits and pieces as well as pens (sorry about the pens, guys - we found out they're rubbish. If I'd got you all my favourite pen, the Pentel metal tip with liquid gel blue ink, then you'd have something to boast about).It was a heap of fun. Young writers came from all over the city, with many creative ideas and stories just waiting to be written and shared. The Annes have invited me back. I love them.And Cynthia Tait is cool too. It was her workshop I went to at QWC last year, Teaching writers to teach, that helped me plan a workshop.Gameshow players, and other young local writers will be invited to submit short stories, microfiction and poetry to me next year for a young writers' edition of the Jacaranda zine. Until then, keep those imaginations sparking, your senses sharp, your pens handy... y'know... keep writing, and look out for your photo in the paper next week. Love your work!