Vancouver Writer’s Fest October 2016

The room where the Writer's Fest was being held, in Studio 1398, had classes of students from at least three schools, including us Creative Writing U-Hillians. There were, of course, people there on their own accord, not on a field trip. Kids, parents, old people, college students, etc. There were four writers, plus a moderator. Two of the writers who were presenting were grade 12 students. Evelyn Lau, Vancouver’s Poet Laureate, read a few pieces, and there was a high school English teacher too. I specifically remember his poem about his father's bee hives. I'm not a big fan of poetry, but it's more interesting when someone reads it out loud for you. I prefered the short stories, like the one about the girl’s grandfather, which I found relatable. The event was only an hour, so I appreciated how it didn't drag on. They also had copies of the New Shoots anthologies from throughout the years. In grade 8, I was featured in the 2014 New Shoots anthology along with my four other group members. I have to say, I was really disappointed in their decision to showcase my group's writing which was a script/screenplay. Here's why: Our English teacher had told the class that if we write something good, it could be published in the New Shoots anthology. None of us cared much about that and we joked about how all we need to do is write something to do with bullying since the anti-bullying day in February was coming and it's a highly discussed theme throughout high school. The night before it was due, we worked on a rushed and very, very cheesy script that seemed like it was based on some teen rom-com. But we made it into the New Shoots anthology anyway.