Thursday, October 30, 2008

My New Shirt nominated for the Blue Spruce Award


Cary's picture book, My New Shirt, illustrated by Dusan Petricic, has been nominated for this year's Blue Spruce Award. The award is voted on by kids in Ontario schools and the winner is announced in the spring. A lot of kids will get a chance to read or hear the book in their classrooms, which makes this award special for all the nominees.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Cary is reading at the International Festival of Authors in Toronto


The International Festival of Authors is now on in Toronto and the line-up is an exciting one. You can see the schedule and book tickets online at:
http://www.readings.org/?q=ifoa

Cary will be talking to kids and adults both about where stories come from and will be reading his latest picture book, Thing-Thing. His reading is on Thursday, October 30 at 12:30 p.m. in the Brigantine Room, 235 Queens Quay West. For ticket information you can also call 416 973-4091.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

My New Shirt a Marilyn Baillie finalist


"My New Shirt", with illustrations by Dusan Petricic, has been named a finalist for this year's Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. The great thing about this award is that it is presented to both the author and the illustrator. For a list of all the finalists see the Canadian Children's Book Centre website.

Vancouver International Writers Festival


Cary will be attending the Vancouver International Writers Festival in the third week of October.

He'll be doing two readings/talks, one to older kids (who will hear a selection from Ten Lessons For Kaspar Snit) and one to younger (who will hear the latest picture book, Thing-Thing).

Cary is thrilled to have been invited. This is definitely one of the good parts of the job.

Recent short story publications


For those who like their fiction short, Cary has published a number of stories in journals recently. He is working towards his third story collection but his first in fifteen years (not counting a reprint).

"The Floating Wife" was published in The Antigonish Review, issue #147. It is a story that draws on his long-time interest in conjuring (that is, magicians). It is available online at:
http://antigonishreview.com/bi-147/147-fiction-cary-fagan.html

"Berlin" was published in Grain, Vol. 35, Number 4 (spring 2008). It was inspired by a visit to that city that Cary made to visit his partner, Rebecca, who was living there for several months.

"I'm Not Italian" was published in The Dalhousie Review, 88.1 (Spring 2008). It was written in one sitting in a cafe in Spoleto several years ago. On that same trip, Cary visited the fountains of Rome that would appear in his kids' novel, The Fortress of Kaspar Snit.

"Shit Box" was published in Taddle Creek, Vol.X No.2 (Summer 2007). It reflects Cary's interest in music these last years; instruments seem to pop up in a lot of his fiction these days. It was a finalist in the National Magazine Awards. The story can be found online at: http://www.taddlecreekmag.com/shit-box

Friday, October 10, 2008

A brief introduction

This is not intended to be a "blog" in the usual sense of an online journal. Instead, it will be a place to list recent publications, upcoming readings, and other news about Cary Fagan's work, both for adults and children. The name comes from Cary's cousin, Ellen, who used to call him "Carrots" when they were kids. Why she called him that he never did know.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Welcome

Welcome to this space. Here, you'll find news about readings, publications and prizes.