Taleblazers is encouraging the love of reading and writing in a unique way.
On Tuesday, Oct. 30, Edmonton-based author Marty Chan visited the Bonnyville Municipal Library as part of a literacy-based initiative.
“The Young Alberta Book Society (YABS) puts together a storytelling tour called Taleblazers every fall,” explained library programmer Kat Eliason. “They open it up to schools and libraries to bring in authors, storytellers, and illustrators to let people meet them and get interested in writing.”
The Taleblazers festival has artists visiting schools in rural Alberta to encourage them to explore things relating to the literary arts. This year, YABS artists stopped by schools and libraries in rural Alberta from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1.
Grade 2 Duclos School student Phoenix Baker said Chan’s presentation taught him to look “for a blank page and turn it into a nice picture.”
Local students were challenged by the library to create monsters based on some of Chan’s books, from the Barnabas Bigfoot series.
“It got the kids writing (and reading) even before they showed up. I thought it was really smart of the Bonnyville Library to go ‘okay, we’re not just going to give an author visit to kids who don’t know what this is about.’ Having it connected to some kind of literacy activity, I thought it was great,” Chan expressed.
Eliason said, “It was a nice tie-in to his work. (Each school) submitted a project and we had a look at them. We selected some winning classes to come and participate.”
Ardmore School Grade 2 student Madyson Mawson (right) portrays the nearsighted crane in the “Nuwa mends the sky” story.
Duclos School, Iron River School, Ardmore School, and Dr. Bernard Brosseau Middle School, were some of the ones that attended the local presentation.
During his presentations, Chan shared folklore stories and the inspiration and method behind some of his books.
“I talk about the real life inspiration behind a lot of the books I’ve written to show kids the behind-the-scenes look of how an author puts a story together. I share with them writing tips, and I try to get them excited about writing their own stories,” detailed Chan.
One of the ways Chan interested students in his presentations was by adding a magic component, which was prompted by his Ehrich Weisz Chronicles that are about Harry Houdini.
“I saw how excited the kids got about seeing the magic, especially when I connected it to some kind of writing lesson,” he noted, adding a trick makes it easier for students to recall what they learned when their teacher discusses it later in the year.
While the Taleblazers tour allows local authors, illustrators, and storytellers to visit schools all over Alberta, it also encourages schools and libraries to promote a love of reading and writing.
“The Bonnyville Library likes to use (the program) to inspire literacy in a more engaging way than most people think of,” Eliason expressed, adding they’ve participated in the program for the last couple of years, and see it as a good way to bring students to the library.
She continued, “It’s a really wonderful opportunity to bring in presenters... Sometimes, we don’t know that we’re a little out of the way. We don’t always get these opportunities, and I really enjoy that we can offer it to schools.”
Chan has been writing for over 25 years, starting as a playwright before writing children’s books.
