Emily-Jane Hills Orford

Readings

Emily-Jane will talk about her life as a writer and her source of stories. Most of her stories centre on what she calls extra-ordinary Canadians – the real people who made this country a great nation. The author will discuss how she knew these extra-ordinary Canadians or how she learned about them. Then she will read from her books. Each talk is accompanied by a slide show that illustrates the people and places in Emily-Jane’s stories. Time frame is 1 hour.

Special Equipment:

Projection screen and electrical outlet.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed.

Workshops

The workshops begin with Emily-Jane talking about her life as a writer. She interacts with the workshop participants to find out what sorts of writing they do. The workshop includes several short creative writing exercises, which are done individually and in groups. These assignments are shared and then Emily-Jane will share a similar story or piece of writing. Discussion about the writing life, including publishing and promoting one’s work is included. All creative activities are followed by the author reading from her work. Time frame is 2 – 2½ hours.

Special Equipment:

Projection screen and electrical outlet.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed.

Biography

A second generation Canadian, Emily-Jane Hills Orford is proud of her Canadian roots and her growing-up years in southwestern Ontario. Her stories and novels reflect her national pride. Emily-Jane began her writing career in Kingston, Ontario, writing book reviews for the Kingston Whig-Standard and profiles for Profile Kingston magazine.

Since her time in Kingston, Emily-Jane has lived in many communities across Canada. She now lives with her family in Nepean, Ontario. Emily-Jane holds degrees from the University of Western Ontario, Carleton University and the Royal Conservatory of Music. She divides her time between her ever-busy family, her music studio where she teaches over 40 students and her writing. She was a researcher and article writer for the 2005 edition of the Encyclopaedia of Music in Canada. Other writing accomplishments include countless articles, short stories, children’s picture books about artists, musicians and Canadian personalities, and, her most recent accomplishments, Spring, Ukulele Yukon, Letters From Inside: The Notes and Nuggets of Margaret Marsh and It Happened in Canada.

Emily-Jane believes in writing about Canada; but she also believes in writing about extra-ordinary people – the real people who made our country a great nation.

OTHER PRESENTATIONS:

Keynote addresses – Personalizing history, giving credit to extra-ordinary Canadians

Professional Development – Making Canadian History Interesting: Telling the stories of extra-ordinary people who help make Canada a fascinating mosaic.