The Mural Gazer is being written and produced initially as a Direct-to-Web collection to allow people – especially communities of interest in Chemainus and area – to participate in the creative process. Individual stories and the collection of mural tales will also be published in print and eBook formats in 2017 and 2018. Read on for some ways you can get into the stories. If you would like to know more, contact Craig Spence…
Sign up for Mural Gazer email updates – When events are planned, or new stories posted to the Mural Gazer site the information will be shared in periodic email updates. You can also like the CraigSpenceWriter Facebook page, or follow @CSpenceWriter on Twitter.
Share a memory or idea – The best fiction draws on real memories. If you, or a group of people you know, have stories or memorabilia to share, I’d love to hear from you. Your recollections can be about Chemainus itself, or about ways of life Chemainus has in common with other Island and B.C. communities.
Let’s create our own mural tales – As a group we will become Gazers and experience history through the eyes and minds of the people represented in one of Chemainus’ famous murals. After workshopping the scene with you, Craig will write up a mural tale to share with the group.
Host a Reading – Invite Craig into your home, club, classroom, community hall or writers’ group, and he’ll do a selected reading from The Mural Gazer (no travel expenses for readings in the Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo areas).
Organize a discussion group – If there’s a topic or aspect of the Mural Gazer collection you’d like to talk about, contact Craig and organize a discussion group or session. A ‘group’ can be anything from you and me, too a roomful.
Support this storytelling initiative – The Mural Gazer project is an adventure in community-based fiction. The stories are ‘made up’, but explore realities depicted in the famous ‘outdoor art’ of Chemainus. By giving voice to selected mural scenes ‘real fiction’ searches for historical and social undercurrents that continue to influence attitudes to this day.