Updated: Feb 21, 2022
I have a writer minion. I shall be the envy of all my writer friends, and I shall gloat.
My younger daughter is helping me this summer, with research and filing. I have a new filing cabinet and my filing system needed serious attention. It’s becoming pretty now, with sets of coloured folders and beautifully written labels. The best part? I didn’t write them!
A minion, a minion. I have a minion.
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! I have a minion.
Maureen
Updated: Feb 21, 2022
While for most of the city life is back to normal, it really isn’t. We’re edgy, tense during thunderstorms, uneasy when it pours, waking in the night to thunder and wondering.
I hear about kids who are uneasy, too. A four year old whose parents were away for day after day cleaning out their flooded basement checks to make sure Mommy isn’t going too far, or won’t be away for too long. He asked his grandmother when she said goodbye – Is this forever goodbye?
No no, just for now. I’ll see you later. A long time later? No no, soon. Soon. A twelve year old girl crawls into bed with her parents when she wakes in the night, still upset from being evacuated. And these are the children who are home and safe.
What about those still out of their homes? Families fighting with insurance companies? Unsure what new provincial rules mean for them? Not knowing how much help they’ll receive from the province?
Businesses that were struggling to keep their doors open before the flood lost customers simply from being evacuated, or from loss of power for a day or a week, or from being flooded. They’re trying to stay in business, hoping city and community efforts to help them will be enough.
Those of us who are safe and dry try to keep supporting the recovery efforts, through donations and buying from local stores and supporting fund raisers and supporting friends who are struggling and – whatever we can do.
And so I’m happy to see the city functioning, and sad as I begin to understand the long term damage.
Maureen
Updated: Feb 21, 2022
A week after the flooding began in Calgary, I met with my writer friend Rona Altrows, and we talked about how amazing a story the flooding was. We both wanted to write about it, and quickly agreed to co-author a children’s story about the flood. Rona was inspired and wrote a draft, and after some discussion, I took on the role of editor, while she was the writer. (This was my wish. It was her story and her inspiration, and I was delighted to support that.)
Last week, days after the story was completed, Simone Lee from Pages Bookstore messaged me to ask if I’d be interested in working on a chapbook with her for a reading Mayor Nenshi was doing the next week. I sent her on to Rona, and soon they were deep into editing for the chapbook, illustrating (Sarah-Joy Geddes ), layout and printing, just in time for Nenshi to read The River Throws A Tantrum at Wednesday morning’s story time.
It was chaotic and funny, with kids crawling all over him. Rona’s grandson recognized himself in the story: “I said that!” The mayor is in the story, too, and, of course, recognized himself.
Nenshi’s reading was recorded, as part of the city’s YYC is Open campaign, to support businesses hurt by the flood. A short video was created by the Calgary Herald, and has since been picked up by the Huffington Post and canada.com.
I’m delighted to be a part of this, and to be able to watch it unfold so quickly. Publishing is an excruciatingly slow business, so to have a story go from event to chapbook to national coverage in five weeks is breathtaking. And it’s a joy to work with all these wonderful people.
Maureen
