Interviews
Librarian: Gayle Harris
Hello, CLASC folks! We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of warmth and good cheer.
Today we have a lovely post from Youth Librarian Gayle Harris, who sent us a happy list of things that she loves about her job. Thank you, Gayle!
What I Love About My Job
– Gayle Harris, Youth Services Librarian, City Centre Library, Surrey
It feels like the world is going to hell in a handbasket even more than usual, lately. So, in an effort to combat that, I got to thinking about some great stuff that I get to experience every day and I hope that you do, too.
– Seeing kids who once came to my storytimes as babies and toddlers come into the library now for chapter books, homework help, and to sign up for Summer Reading Club.
– Having kids say “You came to my school!!” when signing them up for Summer Reading Club. To promote SRC, I have presented to gyms full of hundreds of children while dressed as a princess, a crab, and a cockroach. This year I got off easy – I only had to wear some scarves and a comically oversized pair of star-shaped sunglasses.
– That I can adapt The Wheels on the Bus to fit any theme.
– Conversations with colleagues that start, “Do we have a jaguar?” or “Where’s the chicken?? I need it this morning!!!” –and we both know, without explanation, that we’re talking about puppets.
– Seeing a mom using a fingerpuppet board book to sing Bingo to her toddler.
– Having families come back to my If You Give a Kid a Muffin storytime as they grow from 1 to 2 or 3 or 4 children. This special storytime with a snack, for a broader age group of 0-5 years, started as a way to get families to come to the inner-city Whalley Library in 2003 and is still going strong, to my great delight.
– Seeing a new picture book come in and thinking, “That would be perfect for the x family – I’ll put it aside until I see them at storytime.”
– Getting to see the new books first, period. And getting first dibs on them for my son.
– Super readers! Seeing kids staggering to the checkout desk with an armload of books almost up to their heads. Having an 8-or-so-year-old boy who had read all of the funny books I pulled for him to fill in til the latest Ricky Ricotta was available. I couldn’t believe it, I started pulling random things and he’d still read them. We finally settled on a Jedi Academy he hadn’t read, but the real bonus was that Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot vs. the Unpleasant Penguins from Pluto had been mis-shelved and I was able to find it for him before he left the library.
– The sweetness!! I get so many hugs after storytime, and high fives and very quiet thank-yous. Recently a girl and her grandma visited our library from another Lower Mainland city because they’d checked online and we had 2 books the little girl wanted to read that they hadn’t been able to find at their home library. She was so excited to get them and as I led them back to the desk, she took my hand and walked with me.
Interview with Richard Van Camp
Hello, CLASC folks! Today we have an exciting first: Interview with Richard Van Camp!
Richard Van Camp is a versatile writer who writes for grownups and children; his Welcome Song for Baby and Little You are especially beautiful as board books celebrating newcomers to the world, while his novel and short story collections for adults are heartwrenching, honest and inspiring. He cheerfully provided us with this lovely interview via email.
Thank you so much, Richard, for being so obliging and putting so much thought into answering our questions.
Without further ado:
Morning!! Mahsi cho for these intriguing questions. Let’s get to them! 🙂
You write for adult, YA and children readers. Has writing across the genres had a noticeable influence on your writing? What are some challenges or benefits unique to this kind of broad scope? Should every writer try to write in this way(at least once), or should most limit themselves to their chosen audience?
I’m so lucky to work with 10 different publishers. Sometimes I’m given a grade to write for or sometimes I’m given a word count. Each book is different but the story is always the boss. I’m proud of my YA stories in my short story collections because they are as brutal as I remember being a teenager was. At the same time, I’m also proud of my novel, “Whistle”, because you can hint at pain and rage and violence and still get your message across.
I think every writer should risk stories that have them naked before an audience.
What’s the most bizarre fanmail you’ve received? How about the sweetest or most memorable?
I have a collection of 20 “Memory books.” I think they are meant for scrapbooking. I have them filled with cards, handwritten, or typed letters from readers who have been moved by my work. Sometimes, I’ll sit down and go through a few when I need strength and energy to keep honing my work. I am grateful to everyone who’s ever read my work.
Do you have a library story that you would like to share with us? As a library user or a visiting author?
I take our son, Edzazii, to the library every week. Each library is a garden of pure inspiration.
Do you have a favorite library? What do you like about it?
Our library as a family is the Edmonton Public Library Strathcona Branch. I love the fish tank, the puzzles for kids, the fountain for both Dad and Edzazii and the staff are so helpful. Also, there’s so much light. So many windows.
If you don’t mind sharing with us, what did you do for National Aboriginal Day this last June? Are there days or occasions that are especially important to you?
Every day is Indigenous Day for me. I am so proud to be Tlicho Dene and I am so proud to be from Fort Smith. We honour each full moon, so we had a family feast and gave thanks with all of us together. We are just so grateful for all we have. 🙂
Speaking of which, we remember you being at the Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable’s Author & Illustrator’s Breakfast in 2013, with Julie Morstad and Julie Flett. Are there any children’s literature-related conferences or events that you’ve been to and really enjoyed, or that you’ve always wanted to attend?
I’d love to go to the San Diego Comic Con. We were up for an Eisner Award this year for our graphic novel, “A Blanket of Butterflies” with Scott Henderson and Portage and Main Press. Kent Williams was there. 3A had a booth. I really should have gone but we found out about our nomination after all of the tickets were sold out. That would have fed my spirit to infinity! I think it’s important to keep that sacred, dancing child dancing inside of you always. That would have done it for me. 🙂
Who is your favorite children’s author or illustrator? Do they share similarities with your own style, or do you like them for being completely different from you?
Julie Flett. I adore her and wanted to work with her for years before we were able to collaborate on “Little You” and “We Sang You Home” with Orca Book Publishers. Her work is so innocent and precious. I. ADORE. HER!
Could you share some of your favorite titles, or some titles you are enjoying at the moment?
I’ve been following “The Walking Dead”, the comic series, for over 10 years. I’m a fanatic. “Indiscretion” by Robert Ludlow is one of my all time favourite novels. It’s a book that I never wanted to end. I read it monthly. “No Country for Old Men.” I can look at any page and swoon. Ready Player One blew my mind. I can’t wait to see the movie. Ted May comics make me giggle. “MegaHex”, the series, is ferociously funny. I laugh out loud every time I open the book. I’m so happy there are more books out in the series. I’m excited about Joseph Boyden’s new series. I wish Sophie Campbell would republish “Mountain Girl.” It’s out of print and I feel that the world is suffering because of it. Jason Aaron’s Southern Bastards is incredible. I can’t wait for book 4 in the series. I could go on and on but there are truly so many incredible books in the world and they make every day a joy when you can find your perfect one. 🙂
Do you have a favorite format for reading? i.e. on paper, by using e-readers, on multipurpose devices such as smartphones or tablets, or by listening to audiobooks?
Both. I read on my phone and I love hardcover. I love it all.
We’ve heard that Skinny Puppy [Canadian music group] was a source of inspiration for The Lesser Blessed; do you listen to them when writing or feel they also inspire any of your other works? Have you been to their concerts recently? Are there other Canadian musicians who inspire you?
Me at a concert? Ha ha ha. We’re asleep by 11 every night. I can’t stand how most venues now make the paying public wait until they’ve made their money by selling booze. Lame. The concerts I would love to see are the new Crystal Castles, Austra, Bon Iver, A-Ha (I hear a reunion is going on), Platinum Blonde, The Knife (please tell me they’re touring again), but it would have to start at 8pm and end at 10. Maybe one encore and free swag for everyone? I do crank The Ministry when I check mail or make an airport run to pick up family and friends, but I love Drake, A-ha, anything 80’s. I hear that the new Minecraft Soundtrack is cool. I’d check that out. Music inspires me daily.I have a portable speaker and I take it to Tubby Park every day with my son. I’ve been known to play some very cool tunes that gets everyone smiling and swaying. 🙂
Cheers and mahsi cho!
Richard
Richard Van Camp’s two new books are “We Sang You Home” with Julie Flett (Orca Book Publishers) and “Spirit”, a graphic novel on suicide prevention (Cascade Publishing).
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