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Island author brings inspiration to Okanagan

Caetani Cultural Centre hosts writer in residence
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Bring a friend and a young aspiring writer to this relaxed writer’s gathering.

Start Anywhere And Don’t Stop - A Reading & Social takes place Friday, March 29, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Caetani Cultural Centre Studio Gallery.

See also: Water painting workshop comes to Caetani

Join visiting Gabriola Island author Joëlle Anthony for an evening about inspiration, her work, and writing life.

She will kick off the evening with a presentation, sharing excerpts from her award-winning fiction for kids and teens, telling stories, and answering questions. And when she’s finished talking, she wants to get to know you, and what you’re writing or reading, so please plan to stay for a social.

Periodically, Anthony hosts “socials” on her island, inviting anyone interested in writing or reading to come and hang out with others of the same ilk, have a snack, talk shop or just passions.

“There are plenty of opportunities for workshops and writing groups, but sometimes we need to hang out together socially and that’s why I started putting these together. It’s especially great for new or aspiring writers because no one’s asking them to share anything, it’s purely fun. All ages are welcome, too, so bring your young writers and readers along.”

Anthony is also teaching a workshop called Writing With Sensory Details, starting 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 30 in the Caetani Centre Library. Visit https://www.caetani.org to sign up.

Also taking place this weekend: Mikkal returns to roots for Vernon show

Anthony/J. M. Kelly is a writer, actress and playwright, born in Portland, Oregon, now living on Gabriola Island in B.C.

J. M. Kelly is the pen name for Joëlle Anthony. She spent her childhood with her nose in a book, often in the backseat of whatever old car her dad had at the time.

She’s worked as an actress, a Minor League Baseball souvenir hawker, the Easter Bunny, and various other not-so-odd jobs.

Now she mostly writes novels, but she still dabbles in sketch comedy, nonfiction, and teaching writing to both kids and adults.

Speed of Life is Anthony’s third novel, a White Pine nominee, hailed by Publisher’s Weekly as: a believable portrait of blue-collar teens struggling to make it work against tough odds.

She’s the author of the 2017 Middle Grade novel, A Month of Mondays, an OLA Forest Kid Committee Summer Reading List pick, a VOYA Top Shelf Awardwinner, and a 2019 Chocolate Lily Nominee. Her two previous novels for teens include Restoring Harmony and The Right & the Real.

She is currently finishing her first book for adults, a historical novel set in 1962 Vancouver, called Between Over and Next.

The Self-Directed Artist-in-Residence program is available to artists working on creative projects anywhere from two weeks to three months in length. The program is intended to serve as a conduit between regional and national artistic cultures by welcoming artists of any genre from across Canada to the North Okanagan to live, create and commune. The artist stays at the Caetani Cultural Centre and is invited to share workshops, readings and exhibitions with the North Okanagan community.

For more information contact the Caetani Centre at 250-275-1525.


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