Blog entries

Meet My Friend Constantina Kalimeris

Monique Polak — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 02:49:02 +0100

My friend Constantina Kalimeris happens to be the illustrator of a lovely fable for all ages called The Apple in the Orchard.

I phoned Constantina (she lets me call her "Tina" and I let her call me "Mo"!) to ask her a little about the work she did to produce the illustrations for the book. To be honest, I was hoping that what she'd tell me about illustrating would have some overlap with the writing process -- and it did!

So here's what Constantina told me.

Like auth...

Guess Who's Been Sleeping On Our Futon!

Monique Polak — Mon, 27 May 2013 02:14:20 +0100

No, it isn't Goldilocks who came to Montreal and slept on our futon (not too hard, not too soft... just right!).

It's Christie Harkin, publisher and children's editor at Fitzhenry & Whiteside, a Toronto-based publishing house.

Like me, Christie was speaking yesterday at the Imagine A Story conference, organized by YesouiCanscaip, and held at Dawso...

"Just Kidding" -- Report from Kuujjuaq

Monique Polak — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:45:55 +0100

Hello dear blog readers!

Today, I am writing to you again from Kuujjuaq in Nunavik, a region in Quebec's far north.

I'm here with my friend, Thomas Kneubuhler, an artist who works with photography. We are spending the week with Cyril's Sec. V students at Jaanimmarik School, helping them put together a chapter for the next edition of Quebec Roots: The Place Where I Live, a book that will be published thanks to the Blue Metropolis Literary Foundation.

The reason why I...

"Ai" from Kuujjuaq!

Monique Polak — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:22:14 +0100

I'm in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, where people say "Ai" instead of "Hi".

I'm here with my friend photographer Thomas Kneubuhler (that's him in the black T-shirt). We'll be here until Friday, working with Cyril's Sec. V students at Jaanimmarik School. We're helping the students use words and images to produce a chapter in the next edition of a book called Quebec Roots: The Place Where We Live. The project is part of ...

In the Mood for a Book? Need the Perfect Recommendation?

Monique Polak — Sun, 12 May 2013 03:33:53 +0100

If you're in the mood for a book, but you need the perfect recommendation... I have just the solution to your dilemma.

Check out The Book Dumpling. It's a website "curated" by my friend and kindred spirit, Andrea Borod. Andrea has been teaching English at Lower Canada College here in Montreal for five years. But she's been recommending books for a lot longer than that! (I happen to know this personally since every time Andrea and I meet up, we always talk about books and I always enjoy...

One of Those Schools that Feels Like Home...

Monique Polak — Thu, 09 May 2013 02:04:31 +0100

Hello hello dear blog reader,

Today I visited Heritage Regional High School -- one of the Montreal-area schools I know so well it feels like home.

If you've been following my blog, you will know I was there last month with my friend, photographer Monique Dykstra, to work with Mary Eva's Sec. IV class on a project called Quebec Roots: The Place Where I Live. Mrs. Eva's class is producing ...

"When I read a book, it feels like I'm the main character"

Monique Polak — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:03:31 +0100

The title of today's blog entry ("When I read a book, it feels like I'm the main character") comes from Hargagan, a sixth grade student at St. Lawrence Senior Academy in Lasalle, Quebec.

I met Hargagan and several other sixth graders from the school at lunch time today, when I went to do a talk for the school's book club. The talk was organized by my friend (and former student!), librarian Wendy Corner.

...

Igniting Another Writing Fire

Monique Polak — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:19:43 +0100

Hello hello, dear blog readers!

I'm just home from an exciting morning at Westmount Library, where I did another "Ignite Your Writing Fire" workshop with Grade Seven students from Selwyn House and Miss Edgar's & Miss Cramps's School. The activity was part of this year's Blue Metropolis Children's Literary Festival.

Both schools are close enough to the library that the students were able to walk&nb...

Ignite Your Writing Fire!

Monique Polak — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 23:06:15 +0100

Hope you like the title of today's blog entry! That's because Ignite Your Writing Fire! is the title of the presentation I did this morning at the Montreal Children's Library, Atwater branch.

It's a big week here in Montreal: the Blue Metropolis Literary Festival kicked off today and runs through April 29. My events at the library was one of the several writing workshops I'll be doing this week with ki...

Two Dutch Women on Arts Notebook -- with Stan Asher

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:32:19 +0100

This morning, I was a guest on Stan Asher's Radio CINQ program, Arts Notebook. So, not only did I get to catch up with Stan -- he's a former CEGEP teacher with a great interest in Holocaust education -- but I also got to meet his other guest, who turned out to be a Dutch performance artist. (Since I'm of Dutch descent myself, I found this a very exciting development!)

I'm one of two spokespersons for this ...

Report from the Computer Room: Westwood Senior High

Monique Polak — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:54:17 +0100

Hello hello, dear blog reader!

It's lunch time at Westwood Senior High School in Hudson, Quebec, and I'm in the computer room, writing today's blog entry. I love the sounds of a high school at lunch -- boys' booming voices, girls' laughter, lockers slamming, and yes, a bit of swearing too.

The reason I'm feeling so happy today is I had a great morning with Ali Welik's Work-Oriented Training Path Students. They're a group of young people (that's them in today's pic), aged 14 t...

Lickety-Split-Hippity-Hoppity-Fun-Day

Monique Polak — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:30:26 +0100

I start every day by writing three pages in the speckled notebook I call my "Morning Pages." Today, I wrote that it was going to be a lickety-split-hippity-hoppity sort of day. That's because it's a little after noon, and I've already been to two schools, will teach a class at Marianopolis this afternoon, and then will be doing an interview tonight for a story I'm writing for the Montreal Gazette.

I could be tired, but I'm not -- instead I'm buzzing from all the excitement.

I st...

Quebec Roots 2013: The Moniques Are Back in Action!

Monique Polak — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 03:56:43 +0100

If you've been reading my blog for a while or if you know about the Blue Metropolis Literary Foundation, you will know that Quebec Roots is an educational program in which teams of writers and photographers travel across the province to help students produce a chapter in a book called Quebec Roots: The Place Where I Live. You will also know that the other Monique is my dear friend and fabulous photographer Monique Dy...

Solving Problems (Part II)

Monique Polak — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:59:15 +0100

Hello dear blog reader,

I'm calling today's blog entry, "Solving Problems (Part II)," because I've written before about the link between writing and problem-solving.

I know I've quoted my friend, Montreal author and journalist Joel Yanofsky, who once told one of my classes (I know because I've quoted him many times since then): "Writing is problem-solving."

But the reason I'm back on the subject this week is because, thanks to one of my students, I've got a new insight in...

Mid-Term Madness... or Anne Lamott's Strategy for Making it Through

Monique Polak — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 06:42:44 +0100

It's midterm at Marianopolis College where I teach -- and we're all going a little bit bonkers. The students have assignments and tests. We teachers have piles of correcting -- and because I juggle writing with teaching, I've got writing deadlines looming too.

So, in all of my classes this week, I've made a little time to talk about Anne Lamott, an American novelist whose advice comes in handy this time of year.

"Bird by bird," Lamott tells us.

Bird By Bird? It's the titl...

Dear Sara

Monique Polak — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 02:50:13 +0100

The title of today's blog entry is "Dear Sara" because I've been in touch with a student named ... you guessed it ... Sara and she asked me such a good question I thought I'd turn it into a blog entry.

Sara is in Mrs. Murphy's English class at St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire. We met a couple of weeks ago when I spoke at St. Thomas. Sara kindly gave me her permission to tell you about her and to quote her question... so here it is:

"However,I do have a question for ...

Writing to you from St. Thomas High School...

Monique Polak — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 04:37:36 +0100

I am actually writing today’s blog entry from the library at St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire. It’s lunch hour and I am lucky to have company – nine students who’ve come to eat lunch with me and do a few writing exercises.

Right now, they are doing one of my favourite exercises: writing book blurbs. And judging by the way their pens and pencils are zipping along the paper, they’ve got many good ideas.

Today, I’...

Guess Who's Part of the Furniture at St. Thomas High School

Monique Polak — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 03:06:55 +0100

There are some schools I've visited so often that, as the expression goes, I feel like "part of the furniture"! When I arrived at St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire this morning, I knew exactly where to park my car, where to find the library, and where to set up for my talk. I also knew the students would be focused and attentive -- and they were!

I met with four groups of grade nines and I'll be back n...

I Love When Students Get It... Quickly!

Monique Polak — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 01:54:09 +0100

I would probably be a better teacher -- and a nicer person -- if I was more patient. Only I'm not!

Which is why it is pretty delightful when the students I work with "get it" quickly. That's what happened to me today when I went to work with two of Monic Farrell's Sec. I classes at Mother Teresa Junior High School in Laval.

I had visited both groups earlier this fall, so today was a working day -- me...

"A weird mix of pleasure and pain, agony and joy"

Monique Polak — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 22:09:03 +0100

The title of today's blog entry is a quote from Victoria, B.C., novelist Bill Gaston, who says: “I can’t imagine not writing, it’s a weird mix of pleasure and pain, agony and joy.”

I've got Gaston on my mind, since tomorrow, at 1 P.M., I'll be talking about his latest novel, The World, on Radio-Canada's Plus qu'on est de fous, plus on lit! How I loved this book, which is about... well... everything! The main character Stuart Price is in...