Coastal Voices, a collection of writing from children and teenagers, goes far beyond the stereotypes of text messages and Facebook posts. One volume covers elementary school students from grades 1 to 7, and a similar slim volume covers grades 8 through 12. They contain clear, imaginative and heartfelt expressions in writing.
Coastal Voices originated in School District No. 46 (SD46) with the support of the Festival of the Written Arts (FOWA) and the Sunshine Coast Literacy Council, among others. SD46 has published a collection in the past, said Kinnikinnick Elementary School Grade 6 teacher John Lussier, and they had talked of having another one.
"When I taught up north, we published an anthology, and it was a great opportunity for the kids to submit and a chance for the teachers to see the quality of writing," Lussier said.
Lussier and Bev Craig of the Coast's Literacy Council got in touch with teachers and put the word out; they received 300 entries from youth. Selecting which pieces would make up the book was difficult. Lussier and Craig picked four adjudicators who were not teaching in the schools: a festival producer, a retired teacher, a librarian and a publisher, to sift through the entries, without knowing the names of the authors, and come up with selections. The final entries - 41 shorter pieces including poetry in the elementary school edition and 11 prose pieces in the secondary school book - were not edited. They were proofread for major errors and published as is.
One of the reasons for choosing to publish in two separate books was the discovery that much of the teenage writing was quite adult in nature. The subject matter in volume two, by secondary school students, is surprisingly gritty. There are no vampires and no rock star worship -instead, students show a great intensity of feeling, whether of love directed at a sweetheart or a new baby brother or anger towards a homophobic tormentor or at one's own mother. The stories are all about the people who surround kids in their homes and in their schools.
Stories from the elementary school students also show depth of emotion. Many of them are lively stories and poems about happy places or the sadness of pain and loss. Of course, monkeys, bears, cats and bunnies feature widely in these stories as well.
The cover art was also produced by students and the book was designed by Edmund Arceo. The books are not a commercial venture and so are not for sale in stores but are available through school libraries.
FOWA and SD46 have partnered on a number of literacy initiatives, said festival co-ordinator Jane Davidson, but FOWA's role in this anthology was facilitation - liaising with the designer and printer.
"It was a huge job, but so worthwhile," Davidson said. "We are doingit again this year."
As the organizers gear up to produce another collection, students who are interested in submitting should talk about the process with their teachers or get in touch with Lussier at 604-885-6666.
