Archive

JC joins Sharyn Heagle, President, Ottawa Branch of the Canadian Authors Association,  Emily-Jane Hills Orford and Dave Mullington for a ‘get your hands dirty’  panel: The Do’s and Don’ts of Marketing your work.

After brief presentations from each panellist, Sharyn will broker a discussion among them about issues they have addressed —  what works and what doesn’t — in promoting what they have written. A question and answer session with audience participation will follow.

A great way to get and share tips.

In the auditorium, Main Branch, Ottawa Public Library (See the CAA, Ottawa Branch, website for details.)

A time for reflection about 2011 and wishes from JC for a happy New Year, one filled with poetry, creativity, hope and good health.

A full house turned out for the fourth annual reading of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” by Dylan Thomas at  Glebe-St. James United Church on Saturday, November 26! Many members of the audience spoke to JC after the performance with wonderful comments and pleas that the tradition of presenting this unique story to herald the holiday season continue for many years to come.

Rob Clipperton returned as the gifted storyteller. At this performance, Rob was surrounded by student actors and singers of the Hopewell Avenue Public School Junior Choir. Dressed in PJs and slippers, these students from Grades 4,5 and 6 had speaking parts from the story and sang seasonal songs that picked up on the themes of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” The program began with an evocative organ solo by Robert Palmai, Minister of Music at Glebe-St. James  which Marya Woyiwada, Soprano, followed with an aria from Die Fledermaus. Canterbury High School’s Vocum, women in the vocal music program at Arts Canterbury, who were directed by James Caswell, left the audience spellbound with their music.

JC thanked the talented performers and musicians for lending their presence to the show, Glebe-St. James United Church for hosting Welcome Winter, volunteers who assisted at the event and Compact Music for advance ticket sales.

Net proceeds (over $ 2300) from the one-hour of performance, presented by JC and Allison W0yiwada, benefit Reach Canada (www.reach.ca) this year.

Rabbi Bulka interviewed JC for an hour-long segment of his Sunday night talk show. Here’s the link to listen in on their conversation about “What My Grandma Means to Say”. On the target page, select the September 18 show.

Rabbi Bulka with JC Sulzenko

On Monday, June 13, the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County (www.alzheimer-ottawa-rc.org ) held its annual event in appreciation of the efforts of all its volunteers. JC gave a brief introduction to the play and the storybook. She then presented “What My Grandma Means to Say,”  the play, to volunteers, Board members and staff of ASORC. (In the photo, taken by Debbie Seto: left to right – Kelly Lumley-Leger, JC and Caitlin Brydges.) Afterwards, she had an opportunity to chat with many guests and received a very positive response to the reading. Among those honoured that afternoon were people who had volunteered with the organization for over twenty years. JC salutes all the volunteers who assist families and persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

JC wrote poems for a loonie or toonie as part of the ARC Poetry Factory at ArtsPark in Hintonburg on May 29. To read the story in the Ottawa West EMC, go to:http://www.emcottawawest.ca/20110602/news/Residents+turn+out+in+support+of+ArtsPark. And see this about a poem for the foodies twosome:http://www.foodieprints.com/item/3735?pending=1#pending. And this link to Pearl’s photos:http://www.flickr.com/photos/pearlpirie/5771522555/in/pool-20543830@N00

JC appeared on Rogers TV for an interview about “What My Grandma Means to Say,” the storybook just launched at the Ottawa International Writers Festival. JC divulged first-hand what drove her to write about Jake and his grandmother, how the story emerged first as a play, and how it evolved  in storybook form.

JC is a member of the Ottawa CAA poetry circle, Licence to Quill, which launched its first chapbook, Tangled Strands, at Collected Works last Sunday. The subtitle, “Combing the Muse,” says it all: every poem has something to say about hair ! Contributing poets are: Carol A. Stephen, Lesley Strutt, JC Sulzenko, Rona Shaffran, Laura Etherden, Donald Officer, Elise Hynes. JC’s poems,”Joy Waiting” and “En route,” appear in the collection. Copies of Tangled Strands are available at Collected Works, 1242 Wellington at Holland, in Ottawa or from JC.

Here’s another chance to meet JC and buy a signed copy of What My Grandma Means to Say. JC will be at Collected Works Bookstore 1242 Wellington at Holland on Sunday, June 5, from 1:30-2:30 PM to talk about and sign copies of What My Grandma Means to Say. Come by and chat with JC.

On May 25, JC drove to beautiful Brockville on the St. Lawrence River and spoke at the Wedgewood Authors Series about her experience with What My Grandma Means to Say. She described how she came to write the one-act, ten-minute play for children and how that experience led her to writing the storybook adaptation of the play. She also explained how the play and book are valuable educational tools for families and children. She gave interviews for local media through Series organizer Doreen Barnes and met representatives from the Alzheimer Society of Leeds-Grenville and from public libraries in the area. The Alzheimer Society has purchased copies of What My Grandma Means to Say for each library in the region. “Making copies available at libraries and in schools is exactly the kind of response I hoped the book would receive, ” JC commented. “I am most grateful for the interest shown by the Alzheimer Society in the book and the play.”

On Friday, February 11, JC  read new and favourite poems for elementary school-aged children. She set the scene with poetry from “Fat poems Tall poems Long poems Small,”  illustrated by thirteen Ottawa artists. Students from two classes at Hopewell Public School had the chance to hear several new works and works in progress and shared their comments with JC in a ‘writers’ circle.’ ” I always enjoy test-reading my work with children and listen carefully to their feedback. Whenever I can, I take into account in my writing what I have learned from these sessions.”

• The storybook adaptation of my play, What my grandma means to say, has been illustrated beautifully by Gary Frederick (www.gdfpro.com), and is now with the publisher’s designer. This book about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is written for children in grades 4-6 and their families. It lets Jake share his own story from the time he first notices how his grandma is changing from awesome traveller, bird watcher, and brownie-baker to someone who doesn’t remember his name or where she lives. After she moves to a long-term care residence, the story follows Jake and his family as they adjust to how different their lives together have become.

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A Child's Christmas In Wales 2010

JC, together with Allison Woyiwada, produces the third annual reading of the Dylan Thomas classic, A Child’s Christmas in Wales, featuring Rob Clipperton, with Ciana Van Dusen and Scott Olson.
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On Saturday, October 23,  at 7:30 p.m. at Glebe-St. James United Church, JC joins a panel of local celebrities in Would I lie to you?  a benefit organized by the “Ladies’ Killing Circle”, during which “audience members test their deductive powers against panelists, who may or may not be lying through their collective teeth. Highlights of the evening include wine and refreshments, readings, discussion and much more whodunit fun. The Ladies’ Killing Circle is a group of Ottawa crime writers whose seven anthologies of short stories include Menopause is Murder, When Boomers go Bad, and Going Out with a Bang.“

Chairing the panel is the indomitable Mary Jane Maffini, who pens three award-winning mystery series. Proceeds from the evening will go to the Doug Davidson Building Fund and People, and Words and Change Literacy Organization. Tickets: $35. per person. Call 613-236-0617 for information.