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.
A Might-have-been Tale of Electric Cars
Today the US election is hurtling along to its conclusion. Over the last year, we’ve seen a most peculiar alliance take shape between a man with extreme views who adores the internal combustion engine and another, views equally extreme, who founded a company that revolutionized electric cars. It seems like a good time to see what all this means for children’s books, the little industry that could, the focus of this blog.
Almost 30 years ago, in 1996, GM produced a children’s book meant to educate kids about EVs. Daniel and his parents are shopping for a new car. Here’s a snippet of the text.
