Scholastic's "Write It" Resources for Aspiring Writers

Scholastic's "Write It" online writing resource for teachers and students in grades 9 to 12 offers a unit on memoir writing and includes several accessible, well-designed writing samples and lesson plans. Though developed for student writers, these are excellent for anyone wanting to write about life experiences:

The main site for the unit is

Write It: Memoir

Here's a clickable link to the pdf of a short memoir by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and an exercise:

"Living to Tell the Tale"

Explore the "Write It" site for other tips, writing samples and exercises on memoir.

Workshopper Adele Simmons releases 2009 photo/poetry calendar

Adele Simmons sets off her poetry with vivid photos in a chapbook and striking 2009 calendar (7" x 8.5") titled Seasons of Rhyme. A special feature is her song for Earth Day, "Pennywise," complete with piano music and guitar chords. Seasons of Rhyme 2009 is available for $20. Contact Adele to order: (905) 263-4211 or AdeleCLCreative@sympatico.ca

Adele, who is also a freelance editor, announces as well the release of first-time author Erla Wilson's memoir Precious Memories, which Adele guided through the self-publishing process. The book launch took place in Whitby in early October. This memoir tells Erla's "stories of nurses' training at Oshawa General Hospital,
pioneer work with mentally handicapped children, farming, wartime, family and faith."