Lori Weber

Readings

During a reading, I talk about how I got started in my writing career, the windy path I took toward publication and the incredible experience of publishing. I read from my books (one or more depending on the audience) and talk about how each book grew and developed into the final product it is today. I share anecdotes about conflicts and resolutions with my editor and publisher, about the writing process and its unpredictability, as well as its ups and downs. I try to instil in young creators the importance of hard work and dedication that is involved in reaching an artistic goal. I often bring rejection letters for each book and show the partial stack of drafts each book inevitably entails to prove my point. I talk about why I like to write for younger readers, the challenges of capturing their voice, and even the differences between their generation and my own of the seventies. At the end, I take questions from the audience.

Special Equipment:

n/a

Book Sales:

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

Workshops

The creative writing workshop which I give in the schools is called “Show not Tell” and it is designed to teach young authors the importance of using concrete language to convey their characters’ thoughts and emotions. We look at the difference between abstract and concrete nouns, then we practice using concrete language to create evocative metaphors, similes, dialogue and description. I bring in excerpts of my work, as well as others’, to illustrate how concrete language can strengthen writing. We look at both poetry and prose. At the end of the two hours, students take away a packet of their own writing and samples from published texts. I usually leave time to answer questions about my own work and about the publishing process, to inspire the young writers.

Special Equipment:

Overhead projector.

Book Sales:

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

Biography

I was born and raised in Montreal, in a neighbourhood called Park Extension, an inner city, multi-cultural area which has been the inspiration for much of my writing. I studied Creative Writing at Vanier College and Concordia University, from which I also received a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1989. I left Montreal to pursue a Master of Arts at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, where I also taught English as a Second Language. From there, I moved to St. John’s, Newfoundland, where I continued to teach ESL. It was while living there that I received my first Canada Council grant, which allowed me to complete my first full-length novel. Back in Montreal with my husband and two-year old daughter, I completed a Diploma in Education at McGill and began teaching English at John Abbott College. After six years of full-time teaching, I decreased my workload to two-thirds so that I could return to my first love -- writing. I had published many short stories, poems and essays over the years, but wanted the time to write novels. Within a year my first novel, Klepto, was published and I have continued to combine teaching and writing ever since. The mix works well for me and I have now published four young adult novels. I live in Montreal with my husband, daughter, two cats (all writers should have cats) and vast salt and pepper shaker collection.