OTTAWA – Ottawa Reads YA connects you with the authors you love and with fellow Young Adult literature fans and aspiring writers. Like its predecessor OPL`s ‘Teen Author Fest’, Ottawa Reads YA is a great chance to interact with authors and learn more about this innovative and exciting genre. Starting November 3, you canparticipate in workshops, learn about the mechanics of writing and ask authorsquestions about their works– all through livevirtual channels during this pandemic era. Here’s the full roster of events, presented in partnership with the Ottawa International Writers Festival.
Tuesday November3 at 7:30 pm – Sensory writing workshop with Simon Boulerice– IN FRENCH
Join Simon as he leads a class on how to be inspired by memories, fueled by the two senses we tend to ignore – hearing and smell. Simon Boulericewrites theatre, poetry and novels, both for adults and youth, and has about 50 titles under his belt, including Simon a toujoursaimédanser, Martine à la plage, Javotte, Edgar Paillettes, PIG, Les Garçons courentplus vite, Florence et Léon, Le Dernier qui sort éteintla lumièreand L’Enfant mascara.You can also catchhis work onthe radio and on TV.
Monday November 9 at 7:30pm– Writing workshop with Catherine Girard-Audet– IN FRENCH
Come discover thecareer path of Catherine Girard-Audet, author of the series La vie compliquéede LéaOlivier. You’ll discover how the idea for LéaOlivier came about, as well as what it is like to be anauthor and how to write during a pandemic! Catherine Girard-Audetis the author of the popular ABC des filles, which came out in 2008 and quickly became indispensable. She wrote the firstvolume ofLa vie compliquéede LéaOlivierin 2012 which has since become successful all over the world.
Monday November 16 at 7:30 pm - Masterclass: Connecting Plot and Character with Kenneth Oppel
Who better to lead us through the balancing act of storytelling that compels us to keep turning pages with characters that come vividly to life than Governor General’s Award-winner Kenneth Oppel? Kenneth sits down with Ottawa teacher Curtis Perry for a conversation on connecting plot and character using his critically acclaimed new Bloom Trilogy for inspiration.
Monday November 23 at 7:30 pm - Author Discussion with Christina Hammonds Reed
Join us as Christina Hammonds Reed discusses her first novel, The Black Kids.Perfect for fans of The Hate U Give, this unforgettable coming-of-age debut novel explores issues of race, class, and violence through the eyes of a wealthy black teenager whose family gets caught in the vortex of the 1992 Rodney King Riots.Christina Hammonds Reed holds an MFA from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. A native of the Los Angeles area, her work has previously appeared in the Santa Monica Reviewand One Teen Story.
Monday November 30 at 7:30 pm - Creative Writing for Teens: Workshop with Lindsay Wong
Ellen Chang-Richardson hosts a discussion and workshop with Lindsay Wong!We will talk about her first YA novel, My Summer of Love and Misfortune --ahilarious, quirky story about a Chinese-Americanteen who is thrust into the decadent world of Beijing high society when she is sent away to spend the summer in China. Through a variety of fun writing exercises and prompts, inspiration will be drawn from texts and social media accounts to create realistic dialogue and compelling narratives from our daily lives. You’ll learn how to potentially turn a 280-character Tweet into the basis for a short story and to transform an ongoing text conversation into vivid dialogue between two characters. The last 20-25 minutes of the workshop will be for sharing your writing and Q&As. Bring your questions!
These YA author and writing events are being presented by OPL in partnership with theOttawa International Writers Festival's “Republic OfChildhood”stream. For more information or to register for programs, please visit https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/ottawa-reads-ya