The Golden Touch

From his earliest years, Glen Huser has loved to write and read and draw and paint. That’s when he wasn’t losing himself in the dark cocoon of a movie theatre or picking out old-time radio standards and Broadway musical hits on the piano. As a teacher and school librarian for a lengthy career in Edmonton, he worked his passions for art and literature into school projects such as Magpie, an in-house quarterly featuring writing and art from students. In his off hours, he wrote movie reviews for a local weekly, children’s book reviews for The Edmonton Journal, and got his small ink landscapes into galleries. As he worked on a degree in Education and then a Masters in English at the U of A, he had the good fortune to work under the tutelage of Rudy Wiebe, Margaret Atwood and W. O. Mitchell. For several years he was a sessional lecturer in children’s literature, information studies and creative writing at the U of A in Edmonton and UBC in Vancouver. His first novel Grace Lake was shortlisted for the 1992 W.H. Smith-Books in Canada First Novel Award. He has written several books for young adult readers including the Governor General’s Award-winner Stitches and the GG finalist Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen. Short stories have appeared in a number of literary magazines, most recently Plenitude and Waterloo University’s The New Quarterly. Glen’s current home is Vancouver where he continues to write as well as pursue interests in art and film studies.

Philippe Béha has illustrated more than 200 children's books. He is a three-time recipient of the Governor General’s Literary Award and a winner of the Mr. Christie's Book Award. He has also been a finalist for the IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in Quebec.

Giannis Georgantelis has composed music for theatrical plays, multimedia projects and festivals, as well as musical ensembles. Giannis is also an accomplished orchestrator, having arranged many different folk songs of the Mediterranean for his group Carousel. His discography includes two CDs and two children’s operas, which received great critical acclaim in Greece.

Giannis Georgantelis has composed music for theatrical plays, multimedia projects and festivals, as well as musical ensembles. Giannis is also an accomplished orchestrator, having arranged many different folk songs of the Mediterranean for his group Carousel. His discography includes two CDs and two children’s operas, which received great critical acclaim in Greece.