“Gone to Grass” I learned this expression from the lovely Jean McKay when we were at Sage Hill in 2004, attending Robert Kroetsch’s novel colloquium. It is, in fact, the title of one of Jean’s elegant books which also include The page-turner’s sister and Dragonfly Fling whose cover bears the comment, “Jean McKay is one of North America’s finest … Continue reading Gone to Grass

During the years that I’ve had my nose to the writing stone, I’ve learned that not only is the artist frequently underpaid or not paid at all for time spent engaging formally with other artists and audiences, but that there is a common and puzzling opinion that artists—who from this point I’ll refer to as … Continue reading Was the Artist Paid?

My garden is my sanctuary from the time blue buds on hepatica dare to appear under a dusting of snow and until the last trees finally begin to drop their leaves—the laurel leaf willow and the burr oak that seem to hold onto hope until late October or longer. This time of summer, when every … Continue reading Summer Stories

reunion;  (OED)   the act or instance of reuniting; the condition of being reunited; a social gathering especially of people formerly associated. Google “school reunion” for more advice than I hope you will ever need:  6 Reasons High School Reunions should not exist; 5 Reasons to attend your high school reunion;  school reunion ideas, quotes, songs, … Continue reading reunion: who are you? Who was I?

Among the many things on my mind this week:  the relentless rainstorms; my sadly bedraggled garden; the unlucky visitors to our city who are sloshing through deep puddles on the Stampede grounds with their Big Pickle Dogs, Mac and Cheese Burgers, Poutine Stuffed Corn Dogs and other innovative food offerings; and short stories. Although I’ve … Continue reading Dear Mr. Green,

I have no memory of my mom or dad reading to me, but I know that my older sister entertained me well with books. In fact, I remember her telling my dad with great excitement, “Janie can read!” I was about four years old, and no young genius, but after many readings of the same … Continue reading Books that Enchant

http://oolichan.com/oolichan/hegerat-odd-one-outNow, I am a pitiful specimen of a Canadian, because I do not love hockey; I don’t watch hockey, I know very little about the game or the lexicon therof, and my interest in the Calgary Flames involves periodically asking the true fan in the house how “our” team is doing. But there’s a hockey … Continue reading My UBC Hat Trick

In our house, the season begins with the lighting of the first Advent candle, but I don’t have a sense of the house being prepared until the tree is up, and the Angel of the Lord has ascended (or descended, depending on perspective) and sits, albeit precariously, in her place. For many years, the decorating … Continue reading O Tannenbaum

But no, short stories aren’t scooped out of the air in nets. More often, they’re a flash of an idea that flies by so quickly we grab at them and have to run to catch up. Sometimes we have to walk backwards over the same ground to find them again. And again. And again. What’s … Continue reading On Short Stories; Randomly Pulling Thoughts From the Air

Auswandererlied  (The Immigrants’ Song) I and holding two photographs taken in 1947. In one, my mother, age twenty-five, is seated on a chesterfield with two other women Her hair is neatly permed, and she is wearing one of her “good” dresses, nylons, pumps. In the photo in my other hand, Beda, my dad’s cousin, age … Continue reading We are all immigrants…

Whether it was cultural, part of the child-rearing wisdom of the time, or personality, my mother adhered to the belief that to compliment a child excessively would lead to conceit, a “swelled head.” A number of my aunts and female friends of our family were of the same mind. Oddly, though, my dad and a … Continue reading There’s nothing wrong with that.

In case you missed Part 1: https://bettyjanehegerat.com/2014/03/21/why-launch-this-book-in-a-church/ Saturday, April 26. Sixty people, Owl’s Nest sold out of their copies of a family of any other name; Exploring Queer Relationships, a beautiful mix of church community, writing community, LGBT community, and a lot of conversation when the readings were done and we moved on to book … Continue reading Why Launch This Book in a Church — Part 2

(warning: I get a little preachy in this one) There have been many times when I’ve declared that I am giving up “something” for Lent, but the seriousness of that commitment was measured in how long my fingers were able to stay out of the chocolate chips. Typically, for a long spell in my adulthood … Continue reading

— THE END — Oh the pleasure of pounding those words onto the end of a story. Whether it took four, eight or twelve drafts, three months or six years, the story is over, ended, and the rest is up to the reader. When I finished final edits on my first novel, Running Toward Home, I … Continue reading What’s in an Ending?

In 2008, I graduated from UBC’s Optional Residency Creative Writing program in the company of wickedly talented writers, several of whom were published very soon after that walk across the convocation stage. In quick succession, Sarah Selecky, Amy Jones and Matthew Trafford’s collections of short fiction hit the ground running. As a group, they declared … Continue reading Oh, for the love of …. short story!