First Page Challenge goes live!

I am thrilled to be judging the coolest Canada 150 project out here, the CBC Books First Page Student Writing Challenge.

Here's the idea: Canadians in grades 7 - 12 write the first page (that is, 300 to 400 words) of a novel set 150 years from now, in the great year 2167. Take something that worries you or amazes you, and project it 150 years into the future. Send it in to the CBC, here. There's a category for grades 7 - 9, and another for grades 10 -12. Win prizes for you and your school library, and of course Canada 150 flavoured GLORY. Deadline: November 30 at 6:00pm ET.

Since today is the day the challenge opens, I am spending my entire afternoon on CBC Radio, talking up the challenge on afternoon shows coast to coast to coast. 12 interviews in 4 hours. I take this picture in case I die.

ETA: One of my 12 interviews, the one from CBC Yukon, is available via soundcloud, here: