She lives alone in a busy park, collecting treasures to stow high in the branches of an oak tree. But the greatest treasure she’s yet to find — a sense of belonging.
This is the story of a cat named Kitty, told by children’s author and Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) alum Chantal Houle in her debut picture book Where Kitty Belongs. It’s a sweet tale of acceptance, family and community that neatly explores a genre Houle will unpack in an upcoming Surrey Libraries workshop.
“I've always been interested in genres that are meant to be spoken aloud, especially children's stories like folk tales, fairy tales and picture books. I'm also great with kids, probably because I never forgot what it was like to be a kid,” says Houle, a graduate of the Bachelor of Arts, Major in Creative Writing program at KPU.
Houle’s workshop, Writing Children’s Literature, taking place at Surrey Libraries’ City Centre Branch, is one of four upcoming workshops offered by KPU Creative Writing alumni. It’s an apt venue for Houle, who spent significant time surrounded by books at her local library before further developing her writing skills at KPU.
“Libraries always seem to be a hub for me and that foundational path has always stayed. Even if I don't remember all the books I read as a child and teen, I know they had an impact on me. I'm not surprised that the KPU Creative Writing department has led me back to Surrey Libraries. This time, as an author who will hopefully help people find their own voice as I found mine through my time at Surrey Libraries and KPU,” says Houle.
“My children's book, Where Kitty Belongs, is about a stray cat who finds a home, but it's also a book about community and belonging. I thought about my time at KPU and how I felt a strong sense of community there while writing my book.”
In her workshop, Houle will teach participants the basics of children’s picture books and how to draw from personal experience and imagination to write a story.
“My advice is to read as many children’s picture books as you can and read them out loud to understand the medium, and how your own unique voice can contribute to the genre,” she says.
Another KPU Creative Writing alum, Winston Lê, is leading a poetry workshop. Using examples of dramatic poetry, Lê will invite participants to experiment with creating personas when writing poems.
“I am drawing on the theatre discipline of mask work to create new whole body expressions. Through the interlinked writing exercises, each participant will come out with a mask poem of their creation.”
Lê, who has written three poetry chapbooks — translanguaging, hybrid utterance and Thhhhh — suggests to those new to poetry to find new and provocative ways to invoke images and expressions.
“Most importantly, remember to have fun in what you do. That’s something I have to constantly remind myself,” he says. “I feel it's such a versatile genre that encompasses different forms, syntactical experiments and lexical ranges. You never know where you'll end up at the end of the poem.”
Since graduating from KPU in 2017, Lê has pushed his poetry to new heights, becoming exhibitor manager for Word Vancouver last year, collaborating on interdisciplinary works, and immersing himself in international artist residencies.
“Many of these feats I've embarked on, I don't think I would have had the courage to do so without the lesson I learned through my tenure in this one-of-a-kind program. KPU was a place I could make a home for myself amongst others and felt joy, more often than sorrow. I found a place, purpose, and belonging amidst the chaos of the world.”
Creative writing workshops at Surrey Libraries begin March 25 with Writing Fictional Characters, presented by Carolina Chavarriaga. Winston Lê’s Writing Poetry workshop is April 29, Writing Children’s Literature with Chantal Houle is May 27, and Writing from the Land with Kayla MacInnis is June 24. Registration is required and begins Feb. 25.
The KPU Creative Writing Department offers small class sizes and dedicated mentorship with award-winning instructors. Courses are offered in fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting and new media, as well as specific genres such as young adult literature, spoken word and speculative fiction. Both bachelor’s and associate’s degree programs are available, along with a minor to complement a different field of study.