Few stages of life involve quite so much change as that of kid to teen or, as it’s known, the Middle Grades. In these years, insecurity and anxiety can take over and make it hard to navigate friendships, family, and identity. These three writers show the myriad ways we come of age.
Kern Carter confirms that showing vulnerability and pursuing your true passion is okay for boys in Is There A Boy Like Me? Isabelle Picard shares insights into the challenges of being a young Indigenous teen through the story of Innu twins, Leon and Eloise, in Nish: Northern Lights. Wali Shah explores the difficulties of finding one’s true voice as an immigrant, a Muslim, and a teenager in Call Me Al. In sequential presentations, they’ll offer recognition and solace… not to mention riveting stories. Grades 4–7.
Note: This event does not have a livestream option.
Themes: Identity, toxic masculinity, friendship, Indigenous, racism, immigrant experience, microaggression
Curriculum Connections: Social Studies 5 and 10, Physical and Health Education 4-7, Career Education 4-7
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Event Participants:
KERN CARTER is a full-time freelance writer and author who has written and self-published two novels — Thoughts of a Fractured Soul (novella) and Beauty Scars. His YA novel Boys and Girls Screaming released in April 2022, published by DCB, an imprint of Cormorant Books. Kern is also a ghostwriter with credits in Forbes, the New York Times, Global Citizen, Elle Magazine and Fatherly.com, and has ghostwritten several books. When he’s not penning novels or ghostwriting, Kern is curating stories through CRY, his online publication that creates space for artists to navigate through the emotions of their creative journey. He lives in downtown Toronto with his daughter.
ISABELLE PICARD, originally from Wendake reserve in Quebec, is an ethnologist, Radio-Canada’s Senior Specialist in Indigenous Affairs and a lecturer at UQAM. She aims to increase understanding of the realities and challenges faced by Indigenous peoples of Quebec.
Growing up, WALI SHAH faced pressure from his Pakistani-immigrant parents to choose a profession that would justify their sacrifices. He surprised them by becoming a poet and public speaker, inspiring youth at hundreds of schools with his powerful verse, delivering TED talks and serving as a poet laureate for the city of Mississauga.
