Library Welcomes Local Writer and Playwright Marty Chan as 2011 Writer in Residence
Chan promises his residency will be one of the most interactive and accessible to date
The Edmonton Public Library (EPL) is pleased to announce that Marty Chan has been selected as its Writer in Residence (WIR) for 2011. The local author will begin his 12-month residency this January. Chan will devote 40 per cent of his time to WIR activities and 60 per cent to his own writing projects next year.
The EPL Writer in Residence (WIR) program provides services to aspiring and established writers in the Edmonton area, including individual manuscript consultations, public readings and talks, information on the publishing process and connections to the writing community.
“We are thrilled with this announcement and excited to see what activities this collaboration will present,” said EPL Chief Executive Officer, Linda Cook. “Marty has been very supportive of our Library providing a number of author visits and readings in the past; his enthusiasm to help foster aspiring writers has no bounds. It’s exactly why our program exists, and why he makes a great choice for our new Writer in Residence.”
Chan’s residency is poised to be one of EPL’s most interactive and accessible as he has agreed to work closely with the Library to create new programs that will showcase a writer’s process. He will take aspiring writers through the development stages on a number of his writing projects including a new play he is writing for the Fringe festival. The series is scheduled for this summer and will be a new and fresh addition to EPL’s Behind the Scenes (BTS) series. Chan’s series will not only take you behind the scenes of the play but will also give the audience a chance to participate in the development process – they will listen to table readings, provide feedback on the script and attend rehearsals. For the annual NaNoWriMo challenge next November, Chan will write 50,000 words toward the first draft of a new novel. The general public will have a chance to watch him in action as he visits a different library branch every day. He invites budding authors to join in and work on their own novels.
Through the use of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter, Chan will keep writers and fans abreast of his year. They will be able to follow his EPL WIR blog and listen to podcasts. In mid-January, Chan and EPL will host a Meet, Greet and Tweet-up to kick off his residency.
Chan will launch his fourth children’s’ book, The Mystery of the Cyber Bully on December 1 at Audrey’s Books. The series has been well received with his first book, Mystery of the Frozen Brains, winning the 2005 City of Edmonton Book Prize, and the second book, The Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul, earning the 2008 Diamond Willow Award. His third book, The Mystery of the Mad Science Teacher, was shortlisted for the Golden Eagle Children’s Choice Award. Chan has also had success in theatre, television and radio. He is best known for his hit play Mom, Dad, I’m Living with a White Girl. The cross-cultural comedy has been produced at theatres across Canada and off-Broadway. For more information about Chan, please visit www.martychan.com.
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