Writer in Residence!

Thrilled to say I'm officially the Writer in Residence at the Waterloo Public Library. It's my first residence at the first time that library has had a Writer in Residence. Everyone is excited and happy. I hope someone besides me is a little nervous, but I'm sure it will work out.

All are invited to a launch next Wednesday, the 8th, at 7:00 PM (auditorium, main branch on Albert street). The launch also celebrates Literacy Day. Free reading and probably snackies! Official press release below, and more soon.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2004

WATERLOO LIBRARY ANNOUNCES WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE

The Waterloo Public Library has appointed local, award-winning poet Erin Noteboom as the library�s first writer-in-residence between September and December 2004.

Ms. Noteboom is the author of Ghost Maps: Poems for Carl Hruska, and has also been published in several literary magazines and anthologies. She is currently at work on a new manuscript, Seal Up the Thunder, which will be published in the spring of 2005.

Earlier this year, Ms. Noteboom received the 2004 Kitchener-Waterloo Arts Award in Literature. She is also the recipient of the 2001 CBC Canadian Literacy Award for English-language poetry, and has been recognized through several other local and national literary competitions. She has taught writing in many different forums, including the Poet in the Classroom program at local secondary and junior high schools, and is currently a poetry editor for the literary magazine The New Quarterly.

This is the first year that the Waterloo Public Library has offered a writer-in-residence program. The program has been made possible through proceeds from the library�s endowment fund, which is managed by the KW Community Foundation.

During her residency at the library, Ms. Noteboom will meet with aspiring writers to review and discuss their manuscripts. She will also visits schools and community groups
to talk about writing, and will offer public workshops and readings at the library. Appointments to meet with Ms. Noteboom may be made by contacting WPL at 886-1310 ext. 155.

According to Chief Librarian Cathy Matyas, the choice of Ms. Noteboom as the writer-in-residence is especially appropriate for WPL.

�The library is keenly interested in supporting local cultural development, so we�re pleased to launch this program with a young, talented writer from within our own community,� she says. �It�s an opportunity for us to recognize and celebrate the literary talent that we all know is right here.�

The residency will be launched with a reading by Ms. Noteboom, followed by a reception, on Wednesday, September 8 at 7 pm at the Main Library on Albert Street. The reading is being held on International Literacy Day, and is being co-sponsored by Project READ Literacy Network.

Admission is free, and everyone is welcome.

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For more information, contact:
Cathy Matyas, Chief Librarian
886-1310 ext. 123