http://www.friends.ca/smackdown/?utm_source=thank-you%2Bpage%2B-%2Bfacebook&utm_medium=thank-you%2Bpage%2B-%2Bfacebook&utm_campaign=thank-you%2Bpage%2B-%2Bfacebook
Sign the petition!
I hate how fast it all goes. How Christmas/Spring/birthday is here again so soon. I open the blinds to let in the light and find myself almost instantly closing them against the dark.
We’re taking part in the Sunshine Coast’s 2nd Art Crawl, this year from October 21st-23rd. In Roberts Creek, you can see the colourful installation of Gord Halloran’s LOTUS IN MOTION in the garden pond. (see www.lotusinmotionproject.blogspot.com)
We’re having ‘an event’ on Friday night from 7 PM to 9 with beverages and a view of Halloran’s other permanent artwork from the two Olympic Winter Games – 2006 in Turin and 2010 in Vancouver. Also featured will be a variety of retrospective work – some representational, painterly and provocative. Come meet the artist.
The Art Crawl offers Crawlers access to 108 participating galleries and art studios, representing over 175 artists along the entire Sunshine Coast Highway from Langdale to Lund. More info: www.sunshinecoastartcrawl.com
Replying to: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/margaret-wente/jack-laytons-legacy-and-our-yearning-for-political-civility/article2146436/
Dear Margaret,
I loved your column on Layton’s Legacy. Spot on about civility. True that the NDP has to get it s act together — and in the absence of Jack, hmmmm… what will it be? It seems precarious.
Pursuing happiness, rather than GNP . . .
“Forty years ago, Bhutan’s fourth king, young and newly installed, made a remarkable choice: Bhutan should pursue “gross national happiness” rather than gross national product. Since then, the country has been experimenting with an alternative, holistic approach to development that emphasizes not only economic growth, but also culture, mental health, compassion and community.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/in-a-time-of-high-anxiety-happiness-is/article2147323/
N E X T O F K I N
Review by: GG Sanders on Apr. 14, 2011 : 
This is such a touching story, beautifully written. It’s no surprise that a young woman, barely an adult, is incapable of grasping the significance of her mother’s startling request, but afraid to ask for explanation. She returns empty-handed and is stricken by her mother’s disappointment. But years later, when she returns to France with her own family, they acknowledge the tragic loss and honor the sacrifice of a very young soldier. It’s sad and very sweet closure.
Review by: Pauline Brasch on Apr. 06, 2011 :
Yes, I cried. And this is truly a tribute to your skill to capture me and bring me along with you when the brevity of the story would normally only allow you to recount bare fact. A lovely short story. Thanks.
Review by Jan Brown May/18/11 on Book Junkies
This is a very moving powerful short story and it had me crying 1/3rd of the way through it and all the way to the end. It reminded me of my Dad who was a Korean war vet. It reminded me of the many military funerals I have attended in the past few years not knowing the person or their families yet had tears to share and shed. Very well written with a few little twist and turns and life’s regrets and sorrows brought to mind. Better have a whole box of tissues handy…
Review by: pennylynne on Apr. 03, 2011 : (no rating)
Very touching story! Thanks Caitlin.
“I finally read.”Next of Kin”. Words almost escape me so I will simply say that it is a beautiful, beautiful moving story.” – Dania Matiation
“I absolutely loved NEXT OF KIN. Keep writing.” Marcella Murphy
www.smashwords.com/books/view/48968
For S I N G I N G T H E B O N E S * * * * *
Review by: GG Sanders on Apr. 14, 2011 :
I saw Singing the Bones as a film at a childbirth association fundraiser. The theater was filled with young mothers, nurses, and nurse-midwives; a tough audience averse to romanticizing the birthing experience, who was nevertheless captivated from the start. When the lights came up there was a pause as the crowd sat still, absorbing the experience, wiping away tears. That was the last moment of silence, however, as the group burst into an enthusiastic discussion. They agreed the film was authentic and powerful; the cinematography was beautiful, the driving sound track was perfectly attuned to the action, the story poignant. Caitlin is an incredibly talented writer and actor and I hope someday to see her perform this play in person.
Review by: Patricia M on Apr. 13, 2011 :
“I saw Caitlin Hicks perform this as a one woman play over 10 years ago. I was blown away. A few years later I had the opportunity to see the movie, again totally amazing!!! I just bought the eplay and read it. Again, totally blown away. I was moved to tears. Totally worth the read!!!!
www.smashwords.com/books/view/48770
“For writers, it’s The Wild West”
March 28, 2011 – Smashwords.com, the industry leading e-publisher has published four titles by Caitlin Hicks in eight different formats, including EPub, Kindle, Palm Doc and LRF (for Sony readers).
The first title, George Goes for a Walk is a collection of three short stories. In the title story a man’s life changes abruptly during a routine errand as he steps into the crosswalk and makes the decision to help a woman who has been hit by a car. All three stories have had previous publication history: George Goes for a Walk was published in Knight Literary Journal in 2004; the two other stories were shortlisted in two separate short story competitions.
Next of Kin is a non-fiction story about a haunting family secret. First published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2003, the story is described by Hicks: “When I was 21 years old, preparing to travel to Europe for the first time, my Mother whispered a request: to get her a photo of the grave of her childhood sweetheart in a cemetery in France. I came home empty-handed. This is the true story of how, years after she died, I finally got the photo, and came to understand its importance.” Continue reading
When I was 21 years old, preparing to travel to Europe for the first time, my Mother whispered a request: to get her a photo of the grave of her childhood sweetheart in a cemetery in France. I came home empty-handed. This is the true story of how, years after she died, I finally got the photo, and came to understand its importance.
You can begin the story here in the drop down menu under Non Fiction, or cut and paste this url into your browser:
http://www.caitlinhicks.com/wordpress/?page_id=58
Or you can go directly to Smashwords and order the book: www.smashwords.com/books/view/48968
Cover art by Gord Halloran; typography by Jaz Halloran
My first collection of fiction called George Goes for a Walk, 3 stories by Caitlin Hicks has just been published on Smashwords. I love the cover! Designed by Gord Halloran. Check it out: www.http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/47039
Send your friends! 
Wdot, our once-weekly writing group met before the holidays at Mosaic Market in Davis Bay. And decided that we are going to get published in GEIST Magazine in 2011. Each of us have a subscription now; I gave my winning subscription (won at the Zine Fair in Vancouver) to Joanne B for Christmas – and Shelley and I bought ours with our 500-word postcard story entry. So now it’s all three of us, the three w’s. And GEIST. It’s a start.
Origin of our name, w.dot
The w’s stand for three women writers, Joanne Bennison (YA), Shelley Harrison-Rae (poet, non-fiction) and me, Caitlin Hicks (literary fiction, short story, non-fiction).
(the dot is Richard, a poet who last attended when we commented vigorously on his novel-in-progress; we were somewhat over-enthusiastic in our comments, and he was devastated; he’s an excellent poet, and promises to return). There are two others who have joined since then, Nina Haedrich and Sally Simpson. But I digress.
Here we are at Mosaic Market, me, Shelley & Joanne B. With GEIST in our hearts and 2011 adventures and visions of sugarplums scampering around in our heads.
