Vancy Kasper

Vancy Kasper was born in Toronto, and received her B.A. from the University of Toronto. She was employed by the Toronto Star as reporter, columnist, feature writer, and editor. She also worked on the first Fireweed Collective. She has been writer-in-residence at many writing workshops in Ontario, gives workshops and readings in schools, and is now working on her second poetry book and a novel.

Awards
Best Children's Story of the Year, JAM, 1981.
Max and Greta Ebel Award, first runner-up, 1986; short list, 1988.
Canadian Library Association, first honourable mention, 1991.

Selected Publications
Always Ask For a Transfer. (Nelson, 1984).
Mother, I'm So Glad You Taught Me How To Dance. (Williams-Wallace Publishers, 1986).
Street of Three Directions. (Stoddart, 1988).
Escape to Freedom (adolescent fiction). (Stoddart, 1991).
I Due Mondi Di Mei Ling. Street of Three Directions. (Italian edition).(Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1995).

Selected Anthologies
Landscape: An Anthology of Women's Poetry. (Women's Writing Collective, 1977).
Handshakings. (Gage, 1981).
Wordseed. (North York Arts Council, 1986).

Books in Print
Kasper, Vancy
Always Ask For a Transfer. Nelson, 1984. $4.95 ISBN: 0-17-602088-8.
Escape to Freedom (adolescent fiction). Stoddart, 1991. $9.95 ISBN: 0-7737-5452-0.
Street of Three Directions. Stoddart, 1988. $15.95 ISBN: 0-7172-2480-5 (hb); $3.95 ISBN: 0-7172-2481-3 (pb).

Vancy Kasper, 101-15 Vicora Linkway, Toronto, ON M3C 1A7, 416-425-6839.

 

Poet in the School
(Toronto)

phone: 416-425-6839

Kasper is a poet and the author of three books for young adults: Escape to Freedom, Street of Three Directions, Always Ask For a Transfer (Nelson, First Runner Up for Max and Greta Ebel Award 1986) and one book of poetry: Mother I'm So Glad You Taught Me To Dance. As a journalist for the Toronto Star for nine years, her articles were reprinted from Japan to Ireland. She has taught Creative Writing and Writing for Children for the Toronto Board of Education, Kingston School of Writing, Algoma Festival of the Arts, Sault Ste Marie, etc. She has facilitated poetry workshops for children in the schools throughout Ontario and has been keynote speaker at teachers and young author's conferences.

Grade Levels: all

Fees: $250 for a half day and $400 for a full day.

Classroom Approach:
Kasper likes the students to begin with their own poems right away, beginning cautiously, asking for a sentence or two. She might ask the students to imagine themselves as the ocean and to write a poem with every line beginning "I, the Ocean ..." Or she gets them to write about the quietest times, or put a different quiet thing in each line, or the craziest thing and so on. Sometimes she brings in a collection of household supplies to design and create poetry. Sometimes a theme is picked with the teacher and poems are written around that. Workshops vary according to age level and class size. Session ends with students reading their own work to each other as well as Kasper reading some of her own and other poets' work.