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8611A – 108 Street, Grande Prairie, Alberta T8V-4C5
Central Office: (780) 532-8133
Fax: (780) 532-4234
www.pwsd76.ab.ca
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2013
Writing workshop, author visit set for Woking School
A small school in Peace Wapiti Public School Division No. 76 will host a couple of big events in the coming weeks.
Starting on Monday, September 16th, Dr. Lyle Weis, a writer, teacher, and public speaker from Beaumont, AB, will begin a five-day
residency at Woking School. During the week-long writing workshop, Dr. Weis will conduct daily one-hour sessions in each of the
school’s classes. Elementary students will learn storyboarding, while Grades 5-8 students will focus on developing story writing skills.
Following his career as a classroom teacher in public schools and universities, Dr. Weis acted as the Executive Director of the Writers
Guild of Alberta. He was one of the founders of the Canadian fiction magazine, On Spec. Today he writes for both adults and young
people, and offers workshops and presentations on the craft of writing.
Dr. Weis’ visit is funded through an Artist and Education Program grant through The Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA).
“Students of all ages should do more than read and study literature; they should be encouraged to create it as well,” says Dr. Weis.
“Every child and adult has a story to tell. Our job is to help them tell that story in a clear and effective way that most benefits them and
their community. In Alberta, we are fortunate to have the Artists and Education Program, which makes funding available to schools to
help bring writers into classrooms. The AFA deserves praise for its role in making this goal possible,” adds Dr. Weis.
Danelle Boychuk, Co-Principal at Woking School says, “The process of securing the grant to fund the visit from Dr. Weis started
about a year ago. The writing residency is a new experience for our school and we are excited to be able to offer this opportunity to
our students. In October, our school will be visited by author Marty Chan. We were fortunate to fill an unexpected opening in his
schedule. We are excited to welcome these gentlemen to our school and learn more about the writing process from them.”
The visit from Marty Chan, playwright, radio writer, television story editor, and young adult author from a small town north of
Edmonton, is set for Tuesday, October 1 and will be funded through the Young Alberta Book Society (YABS). Mr. Chan will present
his books and talk about the process he goes through to develop a story. Following his presentation, Mr. Chan will field questions
from students and offer tips on how to go about publishing their stories.
Mr. Chan has received numerous awards for his work, served as Chair of the Edmonton Arts Council and taught playwriting at the
University of Alberta. In 2004, one of his stage plays had a successful off-Broadway run in New York City. A regular contributor to
CBC Radio Edmonton, his weekly series, The Dim Sum Diaries, recounted his life as the lone Chinese kid in a small prairie town. The
radio series was adapted into a television program and earned Mr. Chan a Gemini Award nomination for best writing in a children’s
program. In 2004, his first young adult novel, The Mystery of the Frozen Brains, was released and has become a hit with young
readers across Canada.
For more information on both artists, visit www.telusplanet.net/public/lyleweis/MainPage.htm and www.martychan.com/.
-30For more information contact:
Angela Sears, Communications Officer (780) 357-5224 -orSheldon Rowe, Superintendent (780) 831-3070
Peace Wapiti Public School Division No. 76 provides service to approximately 5,600 students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 in 32 schools, including seven Hutterite schools and an
outreach and online school located in Spirit River. High School programs are operated in eight schools – Spirit River Regional Academy, Beaverlodge Regional High School, Eaglesham
School, Ridgevalley School, Savanna School, Sexsmith Secondary School, Peace Wapiti Academy and Peace Academy of Virtual Education (PAVE). The Board also operates an institutional
school serving students with severe needs in Northern Alberta. Visit us online at www.pwsd76.ab.ca.