Kathryn Palmer and Vanessa Pendenza PHOTO: OWEN EGAN

The class of 2012?
Young scribes visit McGill

BRONWYN CHESTER | No sooner have the big kids emptied the Leacock Building than the little and medium-sized ones arrive. They come as they have every May for the past 11 years for the Young Authors' Conference. Equipped with their notepads, pens, a timetable and a good measure of enthusiasm, 1,200 young authors, ranging from grades four to 11, got to spend an entire day learning from their favourite authors. For Kathryn Palmer and Vanessa Pendenza, both nine years old and in grade four at Edinburgh Elementary School, it was an awesome experience on several counts. For one, they "got every single author's autographs -- at least, all the girls." Attracted to the event when their teacher, Debby Hochstein, read off the names of the dozen childrens' authors who would be there, Kathryn and Vanessa applied to attend YAC and were accepted. Not all children are. The event has become so popular that waiting lists have been established, ensuring that the following year those turned away get their chance to listen to and learn from the likes of Ted Staunton, of Puddleman fame, and Mitzi Dale, author of Bryna Means Courage. Both Vanessa and Kathryn are interested in becoming writers and illustrators so they attended the workshops of Ruth Ohi, the Toronto-based illustrator of 25 books, and C.J. Taylor, who has written and illustrated numerous books inspired by native mythology with titles like Bones in the Basket. What did they learn? "That it's important never to give up," said Kathryn. "And we got tips on drawing," added Vanessa. Another thing both girls learned was the difference between an elementary school and a university. Finding their way between the workshops, Vanessa and Kathryn "felt kind of weird because there were all these guys with moustaches." Furthermore, "the bathrooms are humongous," they giggled. Mary Maguire, associate dean (academic programs, graduate studies and research) in the Faculty of Education, is the founder of the YAC. Maguire believes the event "demystifies" children's authors for the kids who attend, while exposing the children to writers from across the country. Holding the conference at McGill also demystifies the University, says Maguire. "You see children at registration looking a little bewildered by the place and by midday they're giving instructions to others. "I've told [Principal] Bernard Shapiro that I'm doing my bit for recruitment," she laughs, adding that over the years at least 11,000 school children have attended the conference and it has grown from being a one-day to a three-day-long event. Maguire first got the notion for the conference 15 years ago during a sabbatical when she was visiting a university in Arizona. Maguire watched a group of kids pay rapt attention to an author of children's books at an event sponsored by the school. Working with the Quebec Reading Association and the Faculty of Education, Maguire took a chance on her idea: after notifying the various English-language school boards of the province, 400 children attended the first year. Now, Maguire barely needs to advertise. The schools are aware of the program and children are either selected by the school, or their parents sign them up, or they do the paperwork on their own. "The porter [of Leacock] even receives letters addressed simply: Young Authors' Conference, Leacock Building, Montreal and they get here," she says. For the authors, the YAC and similar events held across the country are an opportunity to meet their readers and publicize and sell their books. As Ted Staunton, from Port Hope, Ontario, points out, it's hard to reach young readers through adult book channels. "Kids don't read reviews, they don't go into bookstores and they don't listen to authors on the radio." For author-illustrator Marie-Louise Gay, who is a veteran of the childrens' literature speaking/workshop circuit, the Young Authors' Conference is in a class by itself. When Gay visits a grade school, not all the children are willing participants, she explains, but when they come to McGill it's because "they've chosen or been chosen to be there." Gay's books audience are nine- to 11-year-olds. She speaks of the interplay between words and illustrations in the picture book and shows her artwork. "It's interesting for kids to realize that pictures replace words. My technique with illustration is to describe an environment, so we talk about that and, together, we will invent a character and start writing about it." The children who come need not be accomplished writers or even avid readers in order to attend, says Maguire. In fact, some parents or teachers choose children who aren't so interested in reading, believing that meeting authors might change that -- and it does in some cases, she says. Kahnawake Survival School teacher Donna Bryce is one of the YAC's volunteer organizers. She says that hearing a tip or constructive criticism from an author often has more mileage with students than when it comes from their classroom teachers. "'Yes, but he's an author,' they'll tell me when they hear an author tell them something I have already said," recounts Bryce. One of the guiding principles of the YAC is to keep the presence of adults to a minimum. Teachers, for instance, are not allowed to attend the workshops. "Adults are always trying to crash the conference," notes Maguire, explaining that the only other adult in the classroom with the author is the "shadow," or author's helper -- just in case there are discipline problems, which rarely happens. Once a high school English teacher who would invite the likes of Louis Dudek and Hugh MacLennan to her classroom, Maguire is adamant that the conference be for children. "This is a conference for kids. I live by that philosophy," says Maguire. For information about registration, phone the Quebec Reading Association at 620-7680 or Mary Maguire at 7039.