What are your thoughts about participating in the POW! Festival as a Poet In The School?

I am delighted to be a Poet in the School. I have several school poetry workshops to draw from and look forward to working with students.

Please tell us about your most recently published book and also a little about any other books you've had that "saw print."

I have twelve children's books published, the most recent, Jason and the Deadly Diamonds, 2004. The third book in this series, Jason and the Portrait Snatchers is currently being considered for publication by an Ontario publisher. My first novel for adults, That Summer in Franklin, will be published by Second Story Press, Toronto, 2011.

As a Poet In The School, do you plan to solely read pieces from your book? Do you plan to read other work as well?

Depending on the grades I work with, I will use my own work and/or draw on other poets work. I have been writing poems for the past year and so have a number of new poems to draw on.

How would you describe your poetry?

I think most of my poetry would be called narrative, that is there is a story or part of a story inherent in the writing.

When did you start writing poetry and what prompted it?

I began writing poetry in the 1990's while sending and resending novel and short story manuscripts to publishers and literary magazines. I felt my writing was in a slump and thought I would try poetry. I had been saving a number of ideas I thought might work as poems and while attending a February Saskatchewan Writers' Guild Winter writing retreat, wrote the first draft of a number of poems. Lorna Crozier, an award-winning poet was there and gave me much needed encouragement.

What inspires you to put pen to paper / fingers to keyboard?

For me, poetry is always a reaction to something - seen, written or said. It is usually a strong reaction that demands to be written.

Can you describe (a little) your writing process in creating a new poem?

The first draft of a poem always comes like a crashing wave, not always the entire poem but most of it. I am not always at my computer when this happens and so I always carry a pen and notebook wherever I go. Once the first draft is written, I try to leave the poem for a few days or weeks and then go back to it to begin rewriting. Sometimes, the beginning of the poem is not where I started it, but somewhere further on. Sometimes, the ending doesn't seem to fit or a certain line needs to be changed or taken out all together. This is always difficult but, in the end, it creates a better poem. Reading the poem to other poets and accepting constructive criticism is also helpful.

The POW! Festival is built on the notion that poetry should not be relegated to an existence as "a niche art form" that the average person doesn't care about.
How do you respond to that?

Poetry began as a voice of the people and for the people. It was memorized and then sung or spoken before it was written down. Sound poets today carry on that tradition. Many rock and folk singers are poets first. Poetry is everywhere. It is our job to let people know how accessible and exciting modern poetry can be.