Join us as we look back on 2007!
… From Larry Loyie and Constance Brissenden
Call us the “travelling children’s book authors.”
We travelled more than 70,000 km in 2007 with our three books, When the Spirits Dance (Theytus Books) As Long as the Rivers Flow (Groundwood Books) and The Gathering Tree (Theytus Books).
We hope to do a lot more in 2008 when Larry Loyie’s new book Goodbye Buffalo Bay comes out (Theytus Books, Fall 2008).
In the photo below, we’re in Toronto at the Canadian Aboriginal Festival on Education Day, Nov. 30, 2007, with our illustrator Heather D. Holmlund at the www.Goodminds.com bookstore, signing copies of our books.
The photo was taken after the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario presented As Long as the Rivers Flow as the featured book on Education Day.
The federation has created excellent study material for As Long as the Rivers Flow.
Do not miss the Junior, Primary and Intermediate Lessons on the federation’s website: www.efto.ca.
On Education Day, the teachers gave five theatrical presentations of As Long as the Rivers Flow and gave out study kits. Looking over the kits, Larry was impressed by the knowledgeable approach taken by the First Nations creators of the study materials.
Heather D. Holmlund, Larry Loyie and Constance Brissenden (standing) at the Canadian Aboriginal Festival.
Back to the start of 2007…
In the New Year, we were in northern Alberta, visiting schools and libraries. We gave presentations in Valleyview, McLennan, Grimshaw, Manning, Peace River, Fairview, Berwyn, Hines Creek, High Prairie, Slave Lake (Northern Lakes College) and Edmonton.
Alberta is a beautiful province decked in winter white. Our biggest adventure was driving through a blizzard to our first school in Grimshaw, especially the first two hours driving in the dark at 30 km an hour. Dawn was never so welcomed!
We introduced our new book, When the Spirits Dance (published by Theytus Books) to the schools.
The children were fascinated by the adventures facing Lawrence, age 9, while his Papa is overseas with the Armed Forces during the Second World War. Lawrence must help his Mama and protect his family from army deserters known as runaways.
The story highlights First Nations culture and lifestyle, making it a unique approach to history. After Lawrence dreams of a grizzly bear that saves him from a cougar attack, Kokum (grandmother) Bella tells him about spirit animals.
Kokum encourages him, saying, “The grizzly is your spirit animal. You are fortunate to have such a powerful animal to protect you. Dreams are good medicine. They will make you strong.”
We’d like to share a review of When the Spirits Dance from the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Centre Children’s Library (from “Some selected books for 5th – 8th Grade”). The museum and research centre is located in Conneticut, USA. Below is the review:
Larry Loyie (Cree) with Constance Brissenden. When the Spirits Dance, Theytus Books, 2006.
The second in the “Lawrence Story” series based on Larry (Lawrence) Loyie’s life, this book focuses on the years during World War II. Simple text illustrated with family photographs make this a quick read, but it tells an important story about the contributions of Native people to the security of Canada. His story continues in As Long as the Rivers Flow, Groundwood Books, 2002.
On Sunday, February 18, 2007, we gave a talk at the stunning Pit House at Xa:ytem in Mission, BC.
The site (also known as Hatzic Rock) is home to a spiritual rock that is revered by the local people. The long-house style museum overlooks a river where eagles perch in the trees. “Stories from the Pit House” is an annual winter storytelling series.
Accompanying us were Bill and Jackie Labonte, our dear friends from Ontario. Bill brought his drum and added his traditional hand drumming to the afternoon’s activities.
Bill made each of us a beautiful hand drum. Here is Larry Loyie showing how they look.
Larry Loyie with hand drums.
In June, we visited Ontario and gave a writers workshop at the Fort Erie Native Cultural Centre. Jackie Labonte, Healing and Wellness Coordinator, organized this wonderful workshop. We truly enjoy the writing that emerges when we give our writing workshops.
The rest of the summer passed with finishing the log house we have built north of High Prairie, Alberta. This “writers retreat” is where Larry will finish three new books in 2008.
Our log house in Alberta.
New book on its way…
At the start of 2008, Larry is completing his first chapter book, called Goodbye Buffalo Bay. Like When the Spirits Dance and As Long as the Rivers Flow, it starts with adventures in Larry’s real life, this time from age 13 to 16 years old.
Theytus Books, Canada’s leading aboriginal publisher, will bring out Goodbye Buffalo Bay this fall (2008).
Fall 2007 tours…
The fall brought two wonderful tours.
The first was to the Northwest Territory to celebrate NWT Literacy Week. The superb people of the Northwest Territory Literacy Centre organized the 10-day tour. For a look at our tour, check out:
http://www.nwt.literacy.ca/resource/newslet/winter07/page4.htm
The breathtaking view from the air en route from Inuvik to Aklavik.
We started in Yellowknife on Sept 27, followed by visits to Inuvik and Aklavik.
In Aklavik, Moose Kerr School students welcomed us enthusiastically. We met every student, from kindergarten to grade 9 and gave four presentations in one day.
Here’s a photo of some of the students from Moose Kerr School. We hope to return for another visit in 2009!
Larry Loyie and Constance Brissenden with students from Aklavik’s Moose Kerr School.
After NWT, we caught a plane to the Banff-Calgary International Writers Festivial. This was our second time at the festival. We (Larry Loyie and Constance Brissenden) gave seven readings in five days! We enjoyed every one of them, from Morley Community School to the Banff Public Library.
Very special to us was the afternoon we spent with the Calgary Red Cross, AIDS Calgary and a very receptive audience for an event honouring The Gathering Tree.
Heather D. Holmlund who illustrated The Gathering Tree in only three months time, is a great person, brilliant illustrator and excellent presenter. For more on Heather’s artistic talents, go to: www.hdholmlundarts.com
Heather D. Holmlund’s illustrations for Larry Loyie’s two children’s books The Gathering Tree and As Long as the Rivers Flow have received immense praise and appreciation.
To quote from Canadian Teacher Magazine, in a review of The Gathering Tree (Winter 2007):
“The Gathering Tree [by Larry Loyie] tells the story of Robert, a young First Nations man, who come home to his village to help people understand the truth about HIV. Robert’s young cousins don’t understand why their friends are not allowed to play with them while Robert is visiting, and can hardly believe that Robert is sick when he looks so well. This beautifully illustrated book was created to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS among young people, in the hope that it will help them avoid becoming infected with this preventable disease. Factual information about HIV/AIDS is presented in questions and answer format at the end of the story.”
We had a wonderful year with our books. The greatest highlights were seeing old friends and making new ones. Here is Larry Loyie at the Canadian Aboriginal Festival visiting with his dear friend and literacy supporter Jerry Lee Miller. Jerry Lee dropped by the www.GoodMinds.com bookstore. Great to see you Jerry Lee!
Larry Loyie with Jerry Lee Miller at the Canadian Aboriginal Festival, Dec. 1, 2007.
