Friends & Special Projects
I’m in my room, in a house, on a street, in a city, in a country, in the world, in the universe, I am small. But I think BIG.
~ I Am Small, illustrated by Kim Lefave, Doubleday Canada
To be of use "in community" is important to most of us. I’ve been lucky to work with great people and organizations over the years in some exciting projects. I am continually inspired. In this section of my website, some issues I’ve committed to and a few related links.
Children’s Wellness
Poem Let Us Play commissioned by Recreation Nova Scotia and illustrated by fabulous artist Holly Carr who also did amazing puppets for the play When Dinosaurs Dine by Moonlight for Mermaid theatre. That poem is also published in If I Had A Million Onions.
Childhood Obesity
Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada
Children’s Rights
If You Could Wear My Sneakers is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Domestic Violence/Spousal Abuse
The first suite of poems in the collection In This House Are Many Women are the voices of women in a shelter for women and children.
Learning Differences/ Variations
The book Pocket Rocks is a story about Ian Goobie, a boy who encounters challenges in school. I wrote it for a keynote for the Learning Disabilities Association in Canada—a speech I never got to make. We had just moved to Washington and the airport was still closed due to September 11th. It took several months before I found the courage to fly again. The book, however, did fly—thanks to Orca and Helen Flooke.
Literacy
NB Literacy Coalition – Honorary Spokesperson
Read To Me – Honorary Spokesperson
Somebody’s Daughter is a land based literacy program in Nunavut started by Bernadette Dean. See more on Somebody's Daughter from Margaret Atwood for Unesco.
Mental Health and Addiction
Every Body’s Different on Everybody Street written as a fundraiser and to raise awareness for the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia.