It started with a short story and a night of open mic. Pretty soon I was coming to writing workshops, volunteering with kids’ zine-making groups and even worked as a program assistant at one point, helping to build floating poetry lanterns and then heading down to the ocean to set them free.

Being involved, just hanging out at Christianne’s Lyceum, a Vancouver organization dedicated to promoting literature and art amongst children and youth, has been stimulating for me as a writer in so many ways. However, probably my most memorable  moment was simply having Christianne, the lyceum’s founder and ‘mother hen’  listen to my writing (and general life) woes one dark and stormy night several years ago–and in turn offer up invaluable advice that helped me get my self, and the manuscript I was working on at the time, back on track.

Last night I attended a scholarship fundraiser for the Lyceum, to enable underprivileged students to access their services, and at the end of the night I was struck with how large an impact it has had on my life–and so many others. Seriously, I don’t know what I (or the rest of Vancouver) would do without that place.

So thank you Christianne’s Lyceum, you inspire me–and a whole lot more.