It's been a while since I've done a RIO Vlog (Vampire Blog - for those of you not in the know, not video blog). I've published two books, made a giant website (www.boiledcat.com), and had a book launch. All through it I haven't missed editing an E-Zine. Not once. I have however let the contests and camps and classes pages slip. Sorry about that. It's all updated now, so check out the excelent summer camps that are out there for young writers. There's some good ones.
I must say, I'm always impressed by what my young writers pass to me - mostly willingly. They are really good with their words. They are agile not only on paper but also in front of a camera, or just gabbing. It inspires me to be around them. I know that the writers who come after me will be as good or better than I am. But it's worth being humbled twice a month, if only to be around these spark-filled minds.
So enjoy our month's latest E-Zine. We have done more. Infomercials to be exact. But they need some editing and I'm still recovering from the heady flight into my four book published status. So next E-Zine you'll get to see them. Trust me, it will be worth the wait.
Until then, happy reading!

Calling all kid writers - new contests are now up on the RIO website. Also, for your writing pleasure, there is also a new place to submit your work. AND for those not totally impressed yet - there are youth writers' retreats, camps and classes posted too. Check it all out in your RIO Resources.

Drink the Wild Air - youth writing retreat
Come join us at the WordsWorth Winter Retreat! March 1-3 at Camp Chief Hector.  Why there, you ask? “Nature has no outline. Imagination has” William Blake
March 1-3 we’re heading back to the mountains for another Creative Writing Re-treat and of course, we hope you’ll be there!  But why do we keep bringing our writing to the outdoors?William Carlos Williams said things close to the nose aren’t proper subjects.  Not all writing can be direct self-expression.  Looking inward can keep poets and writ-ers from looking outward.  And so we’re taking you outdoors this time to Camp Chief Hector to partner with the outdoor staff to notice evocative new images and to have fresh adventure. And then we’ll  create time to take these new images and experiences
...and collaborate them with language.  So even if you already have a relationship with
the natural world, this one will be new.The locale of the happening always colours the happening, and often, to a degree, shapes it novelist Elizabeth Brown observed. 
So join us and DRINK THE WILD AIR March 1 – 3, 2013 at Camp Chief Hector YMCA in Kananaskis, Alberta. Thaw your brainfreeze with warm words and we hope you will find an unexpected connection between the outdoors and words.
To register or click here: http://drinkthewildair2013.eventbrite.ca/
We will be outdoors, indoors writing, up late writing under the stars, sleeping late -ish.  There will be campfire, music, parlour games, Exquisite Corpse Games...the fun will never end.
Oh, yes it will. On Sunday just after lunch.  But in true Words-worth fashion, we will pack the fun in.  We’re even offering a bus out on the Friday night.

Fall is just around the corner. It's time for school (Boo!) and after school activities (Yay!). RIO has a few choices for you. Not only do we have our awesome and insane writing club but we also have DramAntics drama classes and Write This writing class. And if these don't work for you - you can also check out other classes and clubs, markets to submit to, or contests to enter. There is so much to do this fall. Check it out!

WordsWorth camp was great. Six RIOites graced the grounds, many for their first time. Needless to say, they are all now hard core WordsWorthians with years of camps ahead of them. Then the DramAntics camp blew away the Calgary Fringe Festival during the Inglewood Sunfest. Again we had six RIOites showing up (many different than the WordsWorth camp). We created a play which was a tribute to the genre of Anime. It had martial arts, poison sushi, and speed lines! Awesome. Next came week one of our first ever RIO camp with only one full time RIO member attending. Needless to say, all our new friends quickly embraced the RIO philosophy of playing with our words. It was so much fun seeing what the kids would plan for the week. I think one of the best parts was shooting the film, Spider Apocalypse. In fact it was so great that the kids are planning on coming back next year to shoot the sequel - Spider Apocalypse Two - Return of Jeff. Check the RIO September E-Zine to see the film. Now in a week and a half it will be time for week two of RIO camp. Who knows what we'll get into then! If you want to join us - there's still room. Just go to our camps listing to register.

So many RIOites are heading off to writing camp this summer. There are at least five going to WordsWorth residential writing camp out in Bragg Creek, where I teach Speculative Fiction and run Dungeons and Dragons. That starts in ... eep!... two days. Then we have the DramAntics Theatre Camp gearing up at the end of July. Six days of madness that consists of writing and producing a play - THEN putting it on at the Calgary Fringe Festival. Five more RIOites will be at that with me. Come August, RIO runs its own crazy camps where the kids actually get to choose what goes on. Nuts! I'm sure I'll see my RIO friends there too, along with some new faces. What an exiting summer its going to be! I can't wait to get started.