And the winner is… Celebrating Montreal Writers

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Day's Lee

2013 QWF Awards

Last night, the Montreal writing community gathered to celebrate the 15th annual Quebec Writers’ Federation Awards. It was a cold night, the kind where you can almost feel snowflakes forming even though it’s not snowing, but inside the Corona Virgin Mobile Theatre, wine flowed and appetizers floated around the room as past winners and nominees mingled with family, friends and fans. The host for this gala event was Ann-Marie MacDonald whose book Fall On Your Knees was an Oprah Book Club pick.

If books are on your Christmas list (as they should be), you might want to take a look at these winners.

Cole Foundation Prize for Translation (French to English): Donald Winkler for The Major Verbs

Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction: Adam Leith Gollner for The Book of Immortality

Concordia University First Book Prize: Andrew Szymanski for The Barista and I

A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry: Ken Howe for The Civic-Mindedness of Trees

Children’s and Young Adult Literature: Paul Blackwell for Undercurrent

Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction: Saleema Nawaz for Bone and Bread

Monique Polak reading from her new book "So Much It Hurts"

What to read after The Hunger Games

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Day's Lee

Maybe the title of this post should be “What to Read after Re-reading The Hunger Games in Preparation for the Second Movie,” but I thought it would be too long.

But seriously, there are some new books just out that are worth a look. Montreal’s Young Adult authors have had a lot to celebrate in the past few weeks. The TD Children’s Book Awards were at the end of October, and besides myself, a few other authors also held book launches in the past week.

Monique Polak (pictured above) launched So Much It Hurts, a novel about violence in teen relationships. It’s a story drawn from her experience as a teenager. The children’s bookstore, Babar en Ville, was crowded as the writing community, family and friends got together to congratulate Monique on her 14th novel. If you read my post about my book launch, you’ll remember that Monique encouraged me to turn a short story into a novel that became Guitar Hero. I’m a fan of this award-winning author and can’t wait to read her latest.

Montreal Young Adult and Children's writers

Paul Blackwell (left) Jennifer Lloyd (center) and me

YA author, Elise Moser

Authors Beverly Ackerman (right), Alan Silverberg (center) and Monique Polak (left)

So Much It Hurts

Becoming a statistic was never part of Iris’s plan. Iris is sorry. Sorry that she no longer hangs out with her BFF. Sorry that she’s not closer to her mother. But most of all, she’s sorry she makes Mick angry.

If all the world’s a stage, then Iris’s life has become a violent drama, starring a man whose fists are at odds with the eloquence of his words.

Karen Avivi and Alexa Nazzaro held a joint book launch for their respective books, Shredded and The Pool Theory at Chapters. The description on the back cover makes these books a must read for me.

Shredded

Josie Peters thinks she’ll do anything to qualify for the Ultimate BMX freestyle event the summer before her senior year. She can handle road trips and back flips, but when flashy rider R.T. Torres tempts her with an easy “in,” the sacrifices required threaten to send Josie spinning out of control.

The Pool Theory

The thing is, I’m still having trouble believing it’s mine. And when you can’t own something, it’s pretty hard to do anything else with it. That’s what Dr. Jacobi says, and she’s the only reason I even made it to grade ten, which I guess is where this “story” starts; with an honest-to-god real social life. Hell, I was even a tad less obsessed with avoiding Damian Schofield, who made me hate school to begin with.

Sometimes I can almost convince myself that I’m still there, at the beginning. But that’s before I remember that Annie Cooper is pregnant, and she claims it’s mine.

On November 19th, the Quebec Writers’ Federation is holding its annual QWF awards. Paul Blackwell (pictured above) is nominated for his YA book Undercurrent.

FYI, there is one notable book that won a QWF award long before it won the Man Booker Prize, and that’s Yan Martel’s Life of Pi.

Stayed tuned for the winners!

Celebrating Children’s Literature

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Day's Lee

2013 TD Canadian Children’s Book Centre Awards for French Books

Writers and illustrators of children’s books were feted last Tuesday night at the annual TD Children’s Book Awards. It’s always a fun and elegant evening. Waiters floated around the atrium at the Museum of Fine Arts with trays of cranberry vodka cocktails and delicious hors d’oeuvres. It’s also a great opportunity to meet and mingle with authors, illustrators, librarians, educators, booksellers and publishers. Even though I’m not nominated, the evening makes me feel special and proud to be a writer.

Winner of the 2013 TD Book Award for French children’s books

The winner for French books was Michel Noël for his book A la recherche du bout du monde. The prize for English books was given to Polly Horvath in Toronto the week before for her book One Year in Coal Harbour. Each author was awarded a $30,000 prize.

Marie-Louis Gay, author and illustrator of the popular Stella picture book series, was given the Claude Aubry Award by IBBY Canada for distinguished service within the field of children’s literature. Gay was also honoured earlier this year by Canada Post with a stamp which I wrote about in a post. After the ceremony, it was back to the atrium to celebrate with decadent desserts and champagne.

Suana Verelst, 2012 winner for illustration

Sushi

Constantina Kalimeris, illustrator (left), Maya Byers owner of Babar Books, and Carol Ann Hoyte, poet (right)

AAA beef with shallots and Pinot Noir

In the atrium at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Serving salmon wrapped in flaky pastry with butter cream sauce

Genevieve P.M. Roy and her nail polish art collection

Nail Polish Art: Inspiration in a Small Bottle

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Day's Lee

There was a gathering at Galerie V-Trimont in Westmount on Friday, October 18th for a unique art collection that might be the first of its kind in Canada or even in the world: paintings done entirely with nail polish.

Festival of Lanterns

This beautiful art collection was created by Genevieve P.M.Roy, a local Montreal artist of French and Chinese heritage who I met when I joined a Dragon Boat team a few years ago. Roy greeted guests who sipped wine and munched on appetizers as they viewed paintings inspired by her passion for music, acting, and singing. The evening was definitely a family affair. Her mother, Quee Ying Wong, helped organize the evening and her father, Michel Roy officially opened the evening with a speech while her aunt, Jennifer Wong, sold raffle tickets at the door.

The paintings began as gifts to friends. It was while she was working on one such painting when she realized her nail polish was just the color she was looking for. She experimented with products from different companies and created works featuring vibrant color and glitter.

The vernissage was also a fund raiser. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the paintings and a souvenir book will be donated to the Shriners Hospital for Children which plans to open a new facility in Montreal in the fall of 2015.

Roy is also a blogger and cultural reporter for Mountain Lake PBS. Visit her web site at http://genevievepmroy.weebly.com/index.html

How to Turn a Soda Can into a Wheelchair

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Day's Lee

Fundraising for Mount Sinai Hospital

On the first day of the school year my sister-in-law, Hilda, who works as a lunch monitor at an elementary school, gets unusual packages from some of the kids: they give her little bags filled with tabs from soda cans that they’ve collected over the summer.

When she has a boxful, she delivers them to the Mount Sinai Hospital in Montreal who sells them to a recycler. The money they receive goes to support the hospital. It’s a cause Hilda has been promoting for the past ten years. The children at the school and the teachers love the idea of helping out someone in need. Our entire family regularly snaps off the little tabs before dropping the empty soda can into a recycling bin. I decided to follow her on a recent delivery and find out more about the program.

Hilda’s collection jar

The Auxiliary of the Mount Sinai Hospital runs the Can-tab program. Lorraine Caplan, Co-president of the Auxiliary, explained that they receive bags of can-tabs from as far away as Florida. Every few months, several huge bags are sent to a recycler who pays them $500 to $600. Only tabs from soda cans are accepted as they are pure aluminium. When Hilda first started collecting can tabs, the money went towards buying wheelchairs. Now, the money is used to support music and art therapy at the hospital. The Auxiliary took on the responsibility of paying the therapists’ salaries ever since government cutbacks took effect.

So the next time you’re about to drop an empty soda can into the recycling bin, help The Mount Sinai Hospital by snapping off the tab. It’ll help take some of the guilt off the empty calories. 🙂

Feasting on First Friday

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Day's Lee

A Food Truck Extravaganza

One of the best things that happened to Montreal this summer was the food trucks. I didn’t mind lining up for a half hour on a sunny day in the park to place my order. The food was always fresh and a delicious change from the usual fare at the food court. So when my copy editor, Virginia Modugno, mentioned that the food trucks congregate at the Olympic Stadium on the evening of the first Friday of every month, I had to go. It would be a chance to try out some trucks that I hadn’t yet visited.

Pulled pork sandwich

It turned out that yesterday would be the last First Friday for the year. We got there around 5 p.m. Twenty-six trucks were already parked and serving early birds like us. We took our time to walk around and study the menus. Poutine with shitake and portobello mushrooms. Pulled pork sandwiches. Filet mignon sandwich made with artisan bread, cream cheese, onions, caramelized pepper, jalapeño and honey mustard. Braised duck wrap with green apples, Swiss cheese, mixed lettuce and Japanese vinaigrette. Lobster roll. Perogies with sour cream and blue cheese. Crab cake with Thousand Island dressing. Smoked meat sausage sandwich. Mac ‘n cheese tuna pie. Turnover style tourtière. Zucchini fries. Meatball taco, and much, much more.

Apple and Chantilly cream filled doughnut

While Virginia decided on a pulled pork sandwich, I decided to start with dessert. The chalkboard menu at Au pied de cochon listed an apple and Chantilly cream filled doughnut for $4. This was not going to be an evening to count calories. I have no regrets. 🙂

Virginia and the pork belly lollipop

Dessert was followed by a lobster roll for $10 from Lucille’s. Sorry, but I wolfed it down before I realized that I hadn’t taken a photo of it. The most interesting bite I had that evening was a pork belly lollipop soaked in maple syrup for $2 from Zoe’s. It sounds weird, but so good! Virginia decided on a Sloppy Mac which is a mac ‘n cheese with ground beef, chilli and bacon bits in a roll.

And hey, then it was time for dessert again! Deep fried cheesecake. Butternut pie. Peanut butter pie. Lots of stuff with maple syrup. I decided on the deep fried apple pie with caramel sauce and roasted pumpkin seeds for $6. I washed it all down with a Chai latte for $3 from a truck serving Indian cuisine.

Deep fried apple pie with roasted pumpkin seeds

Deep fried apple pie with caramel sauce and roasted pumpkin seeds

As the sun set, the plaza became crowded and the line-ups at the trucks longer. Reggae music took the chill out of the air. The family picnic atmosphere was enhanced by jugglers and clowns on stilts. Montreal has a lot of great festivals during the summer and I think First Friday is going to be one of my favourites.

We Love You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Day's Lee

There’s one thing that David Chang, the main character in my book, Guitar Hero, and I have in common: it’s a love of Beatles music. I twisted and shouted to their songs as I grew up. My Chinese immigrant parents shook their heads in wonder when my brother, sister and I spent our allowance buying Beatles albums at the local Woolworth store. With my friends, Kim (blogger Tranquil Dreams; read her post about the exhibit here) and Jennifer, I got a chance to relive those times at the exhibit The Beatles in Montreal at Pointe-à-Callière museum.

John Lennon’s Rolls Royce

Beatles hair products

Mini-dress

Guitars used by The Beatles

Starting from the beginning as The Quarrymen, the exhibit tells their story through photos, memorabilia, posters, newspaper clippings and video clips which of course include their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. The museum also recreated the famous rooftop session at Apple Studio in London. By hanging the screen from the ceiling, it feels as if you’re on the street with the crowd that day on January 30, 1969. You also have the chance to be the 5th Beatle, that is, if you have the courage to sing karaoke in a museum so quiet you can hear a pin drop. (We faked it.) Equally fascinating is the video on how the museum installed John Lennon’s Rolls-Royce.

History of The Beatles albums

Singalong with The Beatles

Drawing by John Lennon

John Lennon and Yoko Ono demonstrating for peace at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel

Kim and Jennifer watch the video of the session on the rooftop of Apple Studio

The details surrounding their performance at the Montreal Forum on September 8, 1964 are the stuff of entertainment talk shows, like how the fab four rested inside the Forum while a fake limousine with four police officers wearing wigs distracted two thousand screaming fans outside.

The exhibit is a real blast from the past and runs until March 30, 2014.

Recording the Voices of Chinese Immigrant Women in Canada

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Day's Lee

Dr. Vivienne Poy launched her book, Passage to Promise Land: Voices of Chinese Immigrant Women to Canada last night at McGill University. The book tells the stories of twenty-eight women who immigrated to Canada between 1950 and 1989. The title, Dr. Poy pointed out, is not a typo. “Promise Land” is the name immigrant women gave to their newly adopted country. The book is based on the research Dr. Poy used for her PhD thesis with follow-up interviews on the progress of these women. There are few books about women immigrants, Dr. Poy said, which is why she focused on them. She added that it’s time to recognize that women immigrants helped build Canada. The book also highlights the growth of Chinese-Canadian communities from the end of World War II to today.

Dr. Vivienne Poy

Dr. Poy was the first Canadian of Asian descent to be appointed to the Senate and was instrumental in having the month of May recognized as Asian Heritage Month.

The evening included a panel discussion during which Professor Grace Fong, Janet Lumb and Walter Tom, an immigration lawyer, discussed multicultural issues with moderators Rosel Kim and Katie Spillane.

Chinese lanterns at the Montreal Botanical Gardens

The Magic of Lanterns at the Montreal Botanical Gardens

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Day's Lee

The annual Magic of Lanterns show is on at the Montreal Botanical Gardens. I finally got a chance to see it on Saturday and the weather was perfect for a night time stroll. The line up to get into the section where the Chinese Garden is located was extremely long, but people were patient and smiling as everyone inched forward.

The annual exhibit has a new theme every year. Artisans in Shanghai create over 900 lanterns that are designed by a team from the Montreal Botanical Gardens. The results are beautiful. Ancient Chinese figures line the walkway to the main exhibit at the lake which comes alive with lanterns in the form of birds, insects, wild animals, trees and villagers.

It took us a couple of hours to see everything, not because of the size of the garden, but because of the size of the crowd! The stone pathways around the lake and the terrace surrounding the main pagoda were jam packed. If you’re a shutterbug like me, you may want to bring a tripod. The exhibit runs until November 3rd.