Eden Robinson was at the Bella Bella NITEP Field Centre the week of April 7-11 and provided creative writing workshops for the NITEP students. This correlates with the English course students are taking this term Creative Writing: Short Stories. Students learned some of the “how tos” of creative writing and shared stories and laughter with Eden (who by the way has a very contagious laugh).
Eden also spent a morning with Grade 8 students at the Bella Bella Community School and did a reading from her book, Monkey Beach and book signing for community members in the brand new Bella Bella Thistalalh Memorial Library. She managed to pick up some fresh herring roe to take back to her family in Kitamaat. Eden is part Heiltsuk as her mother is from Bella Bella.
Dawn Wilson, Year 2 NITEP student said “Eden Robinson’s presence at our NITEP Field Centre was an awesome experience which brought a bolt of laughter and a fire to our writing abilities! Her laughter was contagious and her happy spirit was so different from some of her dark writing. We felt pride as half of us were related to her as her mother Winnie (nee Hunt) is from the Heiltsuk Nation…it was neat how she made us think of writing and tools when we are stuck!”