And so it was that a special guest came to visit. Currently, the grade 8's are reading Pamela Porter's book, The Crazy Man, which won, among other literary prizes, the Governor General's Literary Award, the Canadian Library Association Children's Book of the Year and the TD Canadian Children's Literary award. With the novel I'll Be Watching, English 11 students are delving into the life of four orphaned children struggling to survive in a small prairie town in 1941. Thanks to the generosity of the Shawnigan Lake School Library fund and Head Librarian, Mrs Gaynor Stroebel, Pamela Porter visited the English department as Writer in Residence on Wednesday April 9th. She spent the day speaking to English 11 students about the impact of World War II on the lives of many young men and women in rural Saskatchewan, the practices and importance of thorough research, and her commitment to poetic form. In the evening, Mrs Porter spoke to all the grade 8 students, exploring themes of alienation, mental illness, facing adversity (one of the literary themes of year) and strength of character.

Mrs. Porter's strongest message to her audiences was a personal one: never give up on your dreams. Her desire to write poetry began at the tender age of 15. While she was a university student, well-meaning family and friends told her to "get a real job" and write poetry and novels as a hobby. A beloved mentor told her to stick to her passion, as that would lead to a life which felt well-lived, and so she did. She persevered, and many years later, she has a stack of beautifully written books and a wall of awards to her name.

-Leslie Smith