Montreal has a terrific writing community and there is no doubt that its members have helped me grow as a writer. I met Suana Verelst, an award winning illustrator, several years ago at a get-together for writers and illustrators of children’s and young adult books. (She also makes great home-made soup which I tasted at our last Christmas pot luck.) Her latest, Razia’s Ray of Hope, is an award winning book based on the true story of a girl in Afghanistan who desperately wants an education Continue reading
Tag Archives: postaday
Copyright Advice for Photographers and Illustrators
If you are an artist or a creator, and intent on making a living with your work, then understanding copyright is very important to your career. Simply put, copyright is where the money is.
The basics are discussed in this video by Mr. Media who interviews Edward C. Greenberg and Jack Reznicki, the authors of The Copyright Zone: A Legal Guide for Photographers and Artists in the Digital Age. Greenberg is an intellectual property lawyer and Reznicki is a photographer. They explain, in simple to understand terms, how protecting your work can make a difference to your bottom line. Although they are discussing copyright in the United States, I think the logic can apply to other countries as well.
The video is almost an hour long, but totally worth watching.
Talking About Books from Knowlton to Westmount
It was a beautiful day to be in a bookstore yesterday. Sunny and blue skies outside and sunny smiles inside. Here are a few of my photos from the first Canadian edition of Authors for Indies Day. Continue reading
Writers Writing and Reading Really, Really Fast
This is me doing my two minute reading.
Thursday evening, I was invited to participate in a really fun event with the Quebec Writers’ Federation. Twenty-five writers were challenged to do a reading lasting no more than two minutes. Then each writer was to contribute a sentence or two to a short story which would be read out loud at the end of the evening. Welcome to “Rapid-Fire Readings, Ricochet Writing: 25 Montreal Writers Write Before Your Very Eyes”. Continue reading
Montreal Swings into Spring
If you happen to be near Place des Arts between now and May 31st, you may want to take a few minutes to play. The installation 21 Swings is back on De Maisonneuve Street.
The motion of each swings triggers the musical notes of one of four instruments: piano, guitar, harp and vibraphone. When multiple swings are in motion, they create a melody. The notes change the higher you go. At night, the swings are illuminated. Yes, that’s me in the photo above making music and feeling like a kid again.
The installation is removed for the summer festival season, but will be back from August 6th to October 18th.
Celebrating Independent Bookstores
When I was a teenager and working part-time, there was a Classics bookstore at a nearby shopping mall, and that was where I headed on payday. My meager paycheque wouldn’t have gone far in a travel agency, but in a bookstore, it took me anywhere I wanted to go. I checked out the bestsellers before heading to the mystery section. On the top of my list were books by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot was my favorite) and the Peanuts series by Charles Schultz. I still have those books, now slightly yellowed, packed in a box. Back then, I thought working in a bookstore would be a dream come true. Continue reading
Church Humour
This is a hilarious post from The Highland Shepherd that shows the importance of good writing and editing.
Church Ladies and Typewriters
Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:
- Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.
- Announcement in a church bulletin for a national PRAYER & FASTING Conference: “The cost for attending the Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.”
- The sermon this morning: “Jesus Walks on the Water.” The sermon tonight: “Searching for Jesus.”
- “Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don’t forget your husbands.
- The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.
- Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say “Hell” to someone who doesn’t care much about you.
- Don’t let worry kill you off – let the Church help.
Happy Birthday Dr Seuss!
Dr Seuss on Writing
It has often been said
there’s so much to be read,
you never can cram
all those words in your head.
So the writer who breeds
more words than he needs
is making a chore
for the reader who reads.
That’s why my belief is
the briefer the brief is,
the greater the sigh
of the reader’s relief is.
The Ice Hotel : Definitely a Winter Destination
In the photo above, I’m standing before one of the many amazing murals found in the Hotel de Glace (Ice Hotel). My friends and I made the three hour drive to Quebec City on Saturday to see it.
We were well dressed to spend hours wandering the cold, frigid corridors: long underwear, layers of sweaters, scarves, snow pants, and one of my friends even put an extra warm insole in her boots. It was a good thing too because it was colder inside the hotel than it was outside which was minus 11 Celsius. Continue reading
Day's Lee 