Writing With a Broken Tusk
Writing With a Broken Tusk began in 2006 as a blog about overlapping geographies, personal and real-world, and writing books for children. Since March 2024, Jen Breach (writer, VCFA graduate, and former student) has helped me curate and manage guest posts and Process Talk pieces on this blog.
The blog name refers to the mythical pact between the poet Vyaasa and the Hindu elephant headed god Ganesha who was his scribe during the composition of the epic narrative, the Mahabharata. It also refers to my second published book, edited by the generous and brilliant Diantha Thorpe of Linnet Books/The Shoe String Press, published in 1996, acquired and republished by August House, now part of Reading Is Fundamental, and still miraculously in print.
Posts on this site reflect personal opinion and commentary protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Guest Post: Margriet Ruurs, With The Book Bus in Zambia
Margriet Ruurs is a writer and the author of books like Where We Live, an exploration of neighbourhoods around the world, and Come, Read With Me, which loops a world of stories into a bedtime read. I was delighted to find that my Look! Look! was included in her Global Book Recommendations list for The International Educator.
Earlier this year, Margriet raised funds for The Book Bus, a UK charity dedicated to getting books into the hands of kids, educators, and volunteers in Malawi, Zambia, and Ecuador. Here she writes about her ensuing trip to Zambia.