Students in Sunshine Coast elementary schools will meet two award-winning Canadian writers over the next two weeks. Mahtab Narsimhan will be visiting Langdale, Cedar Grove and Roberts Creek Elementary Schools and students from the SPIDER program on May 10 and 11. Narsimhan is the author of seven books for children that explore the themes of world cultures and diversity. She shares her own personal experiences and the challenges she faced as an immigrant to Canada. Narsimhan’s visit to the Sunshine Coast has been made possible by the TD Canadian Children’s Book Week (The Canadian Children’s Book Centre).
Margriet Ruurs will meet with students at Davis Bay, Kinnikinnick, West Sechelt, Halfmoon Bay and Madeira Park Elementary Schools the following week. Ruurs is also the author of several books for children. Her latest book, Stepping Stones, was inspired by the stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr. The author was immediately impressed by the strong narrative quality of his work, and using many of Badr’s already-created pieces, Ruurs created a story about the Syrian refugee crisis.
The Sechelt Public Library will present a public reading with Ruurs on Monday, May 15, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. All are welcome; please register in advance at 604-885-3260. Ruurs will also be running a workshop for aspiring writers of books for children on Wednesday, May 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. Contact Jane Davidson at 604-885-9631 or [email protected] for more information about the workshop.
These writers are presented through Celebration of Authors, Books and Community (CABC), a joint initiative of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts and School District No. 46 (Sunshine Coast). CABC is an ongoing program that brings Canadian writers into Sunshine Coast schools and classrooms to inspire and support student development as readers, writers and storytellers.
– Submitted
