On Wednesday, March 17, award-winning Canadian author Eric Walters visited YIS and presented to students in grades five through eight. Eric spoke about the process behind researching and creating his more than 60 novels and kept everyone entertained with anecdotes of his experiences and helpful strategies for aspiring writers. Eric writes across genres, but got started as a writer by creating stories for his students about their own experiences and communities. He has since collaborated with Canadian senator and retired general Romeo Dallaire, hip hop artist K'naan, professional basketball star Jerome "Junk Yard Dog" Williams, and the Terry Fox family.
Eric has been the recipient of some 80 writing awards, but stated that the only ones that matter to him are those that are selected by students, such as our very own Sakura Medal reading program, for which his book Alexandria of Africa has been nominated this year. To research Alexandria of Africa, Eric travelled to Kenya to meet with members of the Massai tribe, and Eric was able to share some of these experiences with students here at YIS.
Each year, the YIS Library is able to bring in a series of visiting authors thanks to the generous support of the PTSA. These experiences are incredibly valuable for our students in promoting literacy, a love of reading, and an understanding of the creative and writing process. We are already looking forward to our next visiting author, Holly Thompson, who will be here in early April to work with grade one.
