2019 Foothills Young Authors' Conference Saturday, April 6, 2019 Holy Trinity Academy 338072 - 32 St. E, Okotoks AB T1S 1A2 Cover art courtesy of Crystal Salamon Student Handbook Grade 6 - 9 Table of Contents Conference Schedule Page 3 Keynote Speaker — David Bouchard Page 4 Workshop Presenters Page 5 Mo Armfinnigan Page 5 Karon Argue Page 5 Lorna Bennett Page 5 Marty Chan Page 6 James Grasdal Page 6 Jacqueline Guest Page 6 Tim Huesken Page 7 Dawn Ius Page 7 Troy Kohol Page 7 Amelia Lionheart Page 7 Jan Markley Page 8 Lorna Schultz Nicholson Page 8 David A. Poulsen Page 8 Susan Raby-Dunne Page 9 Gerry Rasmussen Page 9 Crystal Salamon Page 9 Terry Siqueira Page 9 Shirlee Smith Matheson Page 9 Gail Sidonie Sobat Page 10 Jennifer Stables Page 11 Suzy Vadon Page 11 Michelle Warkentin Page 11 Writers' Workshop: Page 12 Sigmund Brouwer, Natasha Deen, Janet Gurtler French Immersion Presentation (David Bouchard) Page 13 Parent Information Page 14 Workshop Selection Forms Page 15 2 Conference Schedule Morning 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. Student Check-in (at your school’s registration table) 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Keynote Speaker David Bouchard — For All Students 10:00 - 10:15 a.m. Break 10:15 - 11:30 a.m. Workshop Session #1 11:30 - 12:15 p.m. Lunch Afternoon 12:15 - 1:30 p.m. Workshop Session #2 1:30 - 1:45 p.m. Break 1:45 - 3:00 p.m. Workshop Session #3 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. Bookstore Shopping & Presenter Autographs 4:00 p.m. Conference Concludes Foothills Young Authors’ Conference is made possible by the generous support of Foothills School Division, Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools, Rotary Club of Okotoks, and many other local businesses and community organizations. Thanks also to the entire volunteer organizing committee for making this opportunity available to budding writers and artists in their schools! Cover Artwork We wish to thank Crystal Salamon for designing the cover artwork for our 2019 student handbooks and bags! 3 Keynote Speaker David Bouchard-Author Our future lies in your hands... Syria. Venezuela. Haiti. The world seems to be in a state of turmoil. There is hope and it lies in your hands. Mental illness and global warning are challenges that you can overcome through your individual and group integrity... Read about it. Live it. Write about it. You matter and can change the world. Champion for Literacy/Advocate for children "An acclaimed author of children's books, David Bouchard is also a champion of literacy. This former teacher and school principal has written more than 70 books in English, in French and in several Indigenous languages. Many combine poetry, prose and visual arts, and explore topics such as the environment, history and the traditions and cultures of Canada's Indigenous communities. A storyteller and sought after public speaker, David has traveled across the country to promote the importance and joy of reading and writing. In his presentations to students, parents and educators, he addresses his own struggles with dyslexia. Proud of his Métis heritage, he is a former president of the Métis Nation of Greater Victoria and continues to serve as a community leader." ~ from the investiture ceremony of the Order of Canada, 2009. David Bouchard's books have won several awards including a Gold Medal in the 2008 Moonbeam Award for I am Raven, the 2004 Governor General's Award for The Song Within My Heart, the 1999 Red Cedar Award for The Great Race and the 1997 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for Voices from the Wild. An Aboriginal Carol was included in the 2008 White Ravens Catalogue. If You’re not from the Prairie was on McLean’s list of the top 20 Children’s books in the history of Canada. In April 2009, Bouchard was named as a Member of the Order of Canada "for his contributions as an author of children's books and an advocate who has championed the cause of reading and writing, and who has shared his pride as a member of the Métis community through his stories." In 2013, David was honoured when the David Bouchard Public School in Oshawa opened its doors. In 2017, David was again honoured by Queen’s University where he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law. David lives in Victoria, British Columbia, with his wife Vicki and their daughter Victoria. In December 2018, their family grew by one with the arrival of Izabell Bouchard. You can access his web page at www.davidbouchard.com 4 Workshop Presenters Diggin’ Up Bones — Mo Armfinnigan The love of a good story is a universal human trait. Assuming that creative power and imagination lives within each one of us, it is important that we find ways to express it. Join Mo as he shares various strategies regarding the preservation and growth of the imagination. Learn how to free yourself to write boldly and without fear. "Dig Up" the writer that lives within and discover the joy of a life lived creatively. Mo has called southern Alberta home for the past 40 years, and taught elementary school in Claresholm until his retirement in 2008. He and his brother began writing Adventures With Ploox (as the Brothers Armfinnigan)in 1981. The first book in the trilogy, Risks, Wrecks and Roughnecks, was published in 2011 and was awarded the Golden Eagle Children's Choice Book Award. The second book, The Way South, was published in the spring of 2013. In 2015 the trilogy was completed with the launch of the third book, When Ploox Was King. Visit Mo at: www.facebook.com/thebrothersarmfinnigan/ See Things Differently - Karon Argue Karon will be taking students through the process of creating characters and settings to bring your stories to life. We’ll do it with a twist. You’ll get to see what she sees! Sometimes seeing things a little differently can motive us to try something new. Karon Argue is a graphic designer and local area Author / Illustrator who lost most of her vision in 2010. With help of the CNIB and technology she continues to pursue her passion for art. Equipped with pencil crayons and ink pens Karon enjoys sharing her process of creating colorful, quirky characters. Her children’s book, The Smooch and paintings can be found at karonargue.com. Let’s Create Characters — Lorna Bennett Do you love to draw? Then come on out to Lorna's session and practice your creative drawing skills. Draw along with Lorna, learn some illustration pointers, and discover how to create your own new, one-of-a-kind characters! Lorna Bennett was born in Edmonton, AB and attended MacEwan College (now University)and the University of Alberta, studying the Arts and Fine Arts. She has been a ski instructor, writer, fine artist, animator, designer and illustrator. Currently, Lorna mainly illustrates picture books, book covers, greeting cards and educational materials. She also works as a staff artist on the wards at the University of Alberta Hospital two days per week, bringing art to the bedside of adult patients. Visit Lorna’s website at www.lornabennett.net 5 Thrill Your Readers — Marty Chan Keep your readers on the edge of their seats. Learn how to come up with a story designed to scare your friends. Marty will share his secret of writing a thriller. Marty Chan writes books for kids and plays for adults. His latest book is Shadow and Spell, the third in his Keepers of the Vault trilogy. You can visit Marty at his website www.martychan.com Cartoons, Comics and General Mayhem— James Grasdal James introduces students to several cartooning and writing strategies in a fast paced session full of hilarity. Where do we find our ideas? How can we develop those ideas through character design, pacing and humour? A session full of doodling, story telling and games, all leading to further developing student's abilities as story tellers. James has been drawing cartoons in one form or another as a full-time cartoonist for over 25 years. His editorial cartoons and illustrations have appeared in major daily newspapers and magazines across North America and Europe. He has illustrated everything from t-shirts, caricatures and children’s books to animation and comic strips. James also illustrated a 16 book series for the Alberta Canola Producers Commission (written by Dawn Ius). He has worked closely with educators to create picture prompts and many other resources for the classroom. Visit his website www.jamesgrasdal.com Write Where It Counts! - Jacqueline Guest This session will give you the secrets that every published author knows! Discover how to get started, create characters readers will cheer for, beat the 'show don't tell' trap, and make your story a high scoring winner! This class will jump start your creative talents and turn a good story into a great one! Jacqueline Guest, C.M., is the author of twenty novels and numerous short stories. She began writing professionally when she was in Grade five and her brother paid her twenty-five cents to write his Language Arts essay. While on the job as a writer, Jacqueline has stood on an iceberg, flown a kite in a hurricane, dodged killer African hornets and escaped hungry lions. She and her computer live in a log cabin in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Read more at www.jacquelineguest.com 6 Cartoons & Illustrations — Tim Huesken Learn some techniques that will help you create your own dynamic cartoon characters. Tim Huesken is a professional illustrator who works as a Lead Game Artist in Victoria, BC.