Blog Entries for Monique Polak

Meet My Mum -- Who Inspired What World Is Left -- and Hear Me Read A Little from the Book

Monique Polak

Check out this link to view a short video made by the Gazette's Phil Carpenter. In it, you'll get to meet my mum, Celien Spier, whose story inspired my new book, What World Is Left. You'll also get to hear me read a little from the book. Let me know what you think of the video! http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/video+what+world+left/1011606/story.html?tab=VID

Good Morning, Morning Pages!

Monique Polak

So classes at Marianopolis are nearly over. Most of my correcting comes in today, and then the rest on Monday. Which means this writer isn't going to be doing much writing over the next few days. But I did start my day with writing -- like I do EVERY SINGLE DAY. Every morning, I write my "morning pages." I got the idea from a terrific book I read several years ago called The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. In my morning pages, I do all kinds of things -- sometimes I talk about t [...]

Today's Visit to Beaconsfield High School

Monique Polak

Am just back from a visit to Beaconsfield High School where I spoke to two groups of students about the writing life. I should really be at the grocery store buying ingredients for tonight's supper, but I wanted to sit right down at the computer and jot down some of the fun stuff that happened today during my school visit.

I had lunch in the school cafeteria and some of the grade sevengirls I met before lunch were kind enough to let me join them at their table. In my talk to their c [...]

Special Book Report

Monique Polak

Lately, I've been getting a lot of e-mail from students -- mostly in the U.S. -- who are doing assignments about some of my books. These e-mails are especially satisfying to me, I think, because I am a teacher as well as a writer.

Yesterday, at a family celebration, a couple who are friends of my sister's, told me their daughter Brittany is working on a book report about What WorldIs Left. As far as I know, this is the first assignment a student has done on the new book!! Prett [...]

Ashlee With Two E's

Monique Polak

Every once in a while, I get e-mail from readers I've never met... yesterday I got a message from a girl named Ashlee (she spells it with two e's). Ashlee lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and she wrote to me about my book Scarred. She's reading it for a school project and I told her to get back to me if she had any questions about the book. So, today, Ashlee wrote again, asking how I choosethe subjects I tackle in my books. In my e-mail reply, I told Ashlee I write about things I feel s [...]

American Library Association Weighs in on What World Is Left

Monique Polak

Well, I have exciting news to report -- Booklist, an American Library Association publication, has given What World Is Left a starred review. And if you'll permit me to quote what the reviewer, Hazel Rochman, had to say... she called the book "heartbreaking" and described it as "an important contribution to the Holocaust curriculum." YIPPEE!! Then last night, I learned frommy publisher that Booklink has added What World Is Left to their Editor's Picks for 2008. YIP [...]

Today's Visit to Lake of Two Mountains High School

Monique Polak

Today I met students at Lake of Two Mountains High School. Language arts teacher Lee Rother arranged the visit, which began with a yummy lunch from the school cafeteria! It turns out Lee is a specialist in mass media, a subject in which I'm also interested.

But the best part of the day was working with the students. They didn't even need my usual pep talk about body language -- theywere almost all sitting up straight, taking notes and resting their chins on their hands in classi [...]

Cleavage

Monique Polak

Just testing ... I bet that subject heading piqued your interest, no? Cleavage is the name of a wonderful book of short stories I've been reading. The book's full name is Cleavage: Breakaway Fiction for Real Girls. The collection is edited by two YA writers: Deb Loughead and Jocelyn Shipley. Every story in the book has something to do with girls, their bodies, and theirrelationships with their mums. Pretty cool, no?

In Valerie Hunter's short story, "Former Juice Girl Ea [...]

Elie Wiesel Interview in Today's National Post

Monique Polak

Good morning, good morning... I'm off to the Y, but here's the link to my interview with Elie Wiesel that appears in today's National Post: http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=944755

Time for a Cup of Tea -- and To Tell You A Little About Elie Wiesel

Monique Polak

This is the first time I've had time for a mid-day cup of tea all week. Soon, I have to shift gears and get ready for school, but I just wanted to tell you a little bit about my interview with Elie Wiesel on Tuesday night. In the end, I didn't get much one-on-one time with him, and because we were at a fundraising dinner, he had to shake hands with a lot of people who were as eager as me tomeet him. I did get to ask him a couple of questions, though. One of the questions was suggested by [...]

Check Out What Book Elie Wiesel Is Carrying!

Monique Polak

Okay, I confess -- I gave Elie Wiesel, the world's best known Holocaust survivor and author of over 40 books including Night -- a copy of What World Is Left. Wish I could tell you more about the things I learned from him last night, but alas, I am working on a story for The National Post about Wiesel and I'm on a tight deadline. But do check out the pic!

Big Interview Tonight!

Monique Polak

Today is a very exciting day for me because I am going to be interviewing ELIE WIESEL, Holocaust survivor and the world famous author of the memoir, Night. Wiesel is in Montreal for a fundraising dinner and the interview basically landed in my lap. I have taught the book Night many times, but I never dreamed that I'd be able to speak with its author. I may be too busy tomorrow to write a blog entry -- I've promised my story on Wiesel to the National Post by the end of the day tomorrow -- [...]

CTV Interview about What World Is Left

Monique Polak

In case you missed it, here's the interview that aired on CTV news on Thursday, October 23. Many many thanks to Debra Arbec, host of My Montreal, for her interest in What World Is Left, and for being such a kind, sensitive interviewer. Also thanks to my friendly computer wiz for helping me figure out how to post the interview. Let me know what you think of it. Here comes the link:

Interview on CTV News

Too Many Things to Tell You!!

Monique Polak

So I got back last night from a conference called Packaging Your Imagination. It's run by an amazing organization called CANSCAIP and is held every year in Toronto. I went to lectures by several well known Canadian children's writers, and I also got to meet up with children's writers who've become my friends over the years I've been involved with CANSCAIP. And I have afolder-full of interesting notes to share with you, dear blog readers.

One of the people I met [...]

Still Flying High!!

Monique Polak

Life seems to be going a little too quickly, even for me the speed-demon! Lots to do between writing, teaching and book promotion. And I'm off this evening to Toronto for a wonderful children's writing conference offered through CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers). If you're interested, google the organization; it's terrific and hasbeen a big help to me in my career. On Sunday, I'll be interviewing children's author Frieda [...]

Burst Water Main

Monique Polak

A burst water main is a serious thing, but when it happens at your school and it means YOU GET AN UNEXPECTED DAY OFF, well, let's be honest, it's kind of nice! My office partner at school, the very dear Mary Frauley, phoned me early this morning just as I was pulling on my leotards -- and told me the news. So here I am with a very rare commodity -- A LITTLE FREE TIME. My, it feels nice!!

Soon I head for Lower Canada College, a Montreal private school, where I'll be speaking [...]

CBC Interview with Me & My Mum

Monique Polak

So my mum -- whose story inspired my new book, What World Is Left, and I were interviewed for the CBC radio show, All In a Weekend. The interview aired yesterday morning and I cried when I heard it. I'm trying my best to figure out how to post the mp3 of the interview on this blog entry, but I'm having a wee bit of trouble... may need to get the help of someone more technically savvy thanme (that means just about anyone!!)

Before last week's book launch, I have to admit I wa [...]

What a Launch -- if I may say so myself!!

Monique Polak

It was a wonderful wonderful launch. No matter how many more books I write, I don't think there will ever be such a special launch. Everyone who was there -- and there were nearly 300 people -- was special. My mum, whose story inspired What World Is Left, spoke and I spoke, too, and read from the book. One of the special things about my mum is that despite how she suffered as a teenager in Theresienstadt, she is a very upbeat person -- and I think her story, and the fictional one that I w [...]

MORE EXCITED THAN ON MY WEDDING DAY(S)!!

Monique Polak

I say dayS because I had TWO wedding days!!

Tonight is launch night!! Here's the article that appeared in today's Gazette. Later, this morning, my mum and I are doing an interview at CBC, and CTV's Debra Arbec will be interviewing us before the launch. I have to admit I'm feeling like a bit of a celebrity. Here's the link to The Gazette story: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=9ee35595-3c47-4888-b905-cef7e75832c5

Marking, Marking... and Launching a Book!

Monique Polak

Only time for a super quick blog entry today. I've got a mountain of correcting! My cousin from Santa Few, New Mexico arrives tomorrow -- she'll be here for the launch of What World Is Left -- so I want to get as much work done as possible before she gets here.

Because I'm in the midst of all this busy-ness, I have a few reflections to share about being crazy-busy (I bet a lotof you readers are feeling the same way -- the whole world seems to be flying since our last long w [...]