CreCommradery

The term CreCommradery, coined by the ever clever Chadd Cawson, is one I will never forget.

I want to thank all the members of the OG Class 3, for the awesome semester.

I love you guys! And am very sad that I will only get to spend the rest of the year with a third of you, but know that there will be many lunch hours together on the couches and after school escapades to the King's Head.

This isn't goodbye, it's see you later.

Anita Daher, Manitoba Author

Earlier this semester, author Anita Daher came to speak to us Creative Communications students during our thursday seminar slot. She's a well-known and established Manitoba children's author, and I was lucky enough to hear from her after her inspiring, and interesting speech about writing.

Daher's books for kids and teens have been recognized for their greatness by McNally Robinson and she's been a finalist for the Arthur Ellis, Hackmatack, and Diamond Willow awards. She was the 2007 recipient of the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer.

Some of her well known books are Spider's Song, Racing for Diamonds, Flight from Bear Canyon, Flight from Big Tangle and Two Foot Punch.


Daher is an active member in the writing community in Manitoba, she is holding an intensive fiction writing class tonight, called Through the Looking Glass, at Aqua Books. Fortunately for Daher, the class is full. She was also writer-in-residence at Aqua Books in 2008. She currently has work-in-progress.

Here's what she had to say about it writing.

Q: What did you do before becoming a writer?

AD: Before I turned my attention to writing (with the intent to be published) I was--for a time--a burger flipper, ice-cream maker, lunch-truck driver, grave plot seller and dog groomer. Primarily, however, I was a radio operator (flight service specialist) in the air traffic service division of Transport Canada. Clearly I am restless. Now, as a writer, I am able to try out any occupation I please.

Q: What inspired you to write books for young adults and children?

AD: I believe each of us has a emotional age we most naturally go to when we seek the creative space inside. It might change over time, but for me, when I imagine story it is most often through the eyes and perceptions of an adolescent or teen. Therefore, more than writing books for teens and middle grade readers, I am writing my way through their adventures and experiences.

Q: Who is your favourite author?

AD: Always a difficult question. There are several authors whose writing consistently takes my breath away, and I will always read: Tim Wynne Jones, Martha Brooks, David Bergen, Arthur Slade, Joseph Boyden. And for those days I feel a need to be so scared I might pee, Stephen King and his boy, Joe Hill. Hmm. Loss of breath and incontinence. Reading might not be as healthy a pastime as I thought.

Q: What is your favourite part about writing?

AD: When the story flows and I look up to see it is mid-afternoon, except that just a moment ago it was 8 a.m. and the kids were leaving for school...this is the drug that keeps me coming back.

Q: What advice would you give aspiring writers in Manitoba?

AD: Skill is developed through practice and persistence (and will always beat raw talent in a thumb wrestle). Write every day. Know that it might take time, but if you are determined, publication will come. The key is pig-headedness, and the reward is in the journey.

You can check Anita Daher's work out on her website, some of her works are available for purchase through PayPal. I highly recommend checking it out, she's a fascinating writer and person.