English-language schools in Quebec City often struggle to find authors to do class talks and break up the monotony of English class. Often, these authors must travel from far away and that can be expensive, but a local English language literary festival in the heart of Quebec City is addressing that.
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When author and graphic artist Lorina Mapa does a school tour, she has one main message for students.
“Just draw for yourself…If you like it, others will like it,” she said.
“I do workshops also for drawing, how to draw and so on, but this workshop was not about that. It was about how to tell a story, which everyone can do.”
This workshop is made possible because of the Imagination Writers’ Festival at the Morrin Centre, Quebec City’s English cultural hub. Now in its 10th year, authors come from across Canada and even other countries.
The festival covers most of the travel costs and honoraria for the authors so that schools can benefit and bring them into the classroom.
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This year, five of the festival’s authors gave 24 school presentations, more than in previous years.
“Last year we had 16 of those events in schools, mostly in English-speaking schools. And this year, we really expanded and included more francophone schools,” explained Elizabeth Perreault, Morrin Centre development and communications director.
For Grade 4 teacher Anna Maria Romani, it’s a welcome change.
“It’s really hard to find English authors here,” she said.
Perreault said partnering with the schools on this initiative is an important part of the Morrin Centre’s mission.
“If we want to raise awareness about the English language arts and share that cultural background with our community, it’s important to share that outside our walls and make people more aware of English heritage in Quebec City,” she said.
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Romani said these kinds of activities generate a lot of enthusiasm in her students. “They love art. They love drawing,” she said.
“It provided them with an opportunity to speak English in a different context,” she added.
“I thought it was really exciting because I never thought I would meet a real author,” said Grade 4 student Bryanne Morin.