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Marty Chan

Author

10539 - 75 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
T6A 2Z6
Phone: (780) 413-6486
Fax: (780) 413-6487
Email: marty@martychan.com
Web: www.martychan.com

Born: Edmonton

Biography

Young adult novelist, playwright, television writer, and radio humorist, Marty Chan has been entertaining audiences across Canada for over 13 years. His first young adult novel, The Mystery of the Frozen Brains, won the 2005 City of Edmonton Book Prize. He was the story editor on the Gemini-Award winning kids’ series Incredible Story Studio, and he wrote The Orange Seed Myth, a half-hour television program which won the Gold Medal for Best Children’s Television Pilot at the Charleston World Television Festival. His stage play, Mom, Dad, I’m Living with a White Girl, has been produced across Canada as well as Off Broadway in New York. Currently, Marty lives in Edmonton with his wife and their two cats, Buddy and Max.

Published Works

The Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul, Thistledown Press, 2006
“Tagging,” Alberta Anthology, Red Deer Press, 2006
“The Gift,” Where is Here Volume 2, Scirocco Drama, 2005
The Mystery of the Frozen Brains, Thistledown Press, 2004
Mom, Dad, I’m Living with a White Girl, Playwrights Press, 2001

Recorded Works

The Orange Seed Myth and Other Lies Mothers Tell, Great North Productions, 1997

Awards

City of Edmonton Book Prize, 2005
Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award – Best Play, 2004
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Best New Play, 1998
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Best Theatre for Young Audience Production, 1998
Gold Medal (Charleston World Television Festival) – Best Television Pilot

Other Memberships

Young Alberta Books Society, Canadian Children's Book Centre, Writers' Guild of Canada, Playwrights' Guild of Canada, Writers' Guild of Alberta, Alberta Playwrights' Network

Available For

Grade 4 – 7: Author Visit. Marty will read excerpts from his humorous novels, tell hilarious stories about growing up in a small town, and discuss how he used his real life as a springboard for his story ideas.

Grades 4 – 12: Story Seeds. Marty teaches tips and tricks to spark ideas into stories. Through demonstrations, he’ll show students how to create conflict and engage readers with their stories. This session involves writing exercises.

Grades 4 – 6: All the World’s a Stage. Marty introduces playwriting concepts to students. Using simple and practical terms, he de-mystifies theatre and reveals the similarities between writing stories and writing theatre. This presentation will vary according to the grade levels. This session involves writing exercises.

Grade 6: The Gift. Marty tells an account of how his grandparents were persecuted by Chairman Mao’s Red Guard. He tells the true story of his grandmother sacrificed her life so that her family could escape China, putting a human face to the historical facts of this dark political period in the country.

Grades 4 – 12: Voices. Marty teaches tips and tricks for building strong and plausible characters. He also discusses how students can create a unique and distinctive voice in dialogue. Writing exercises are a key part of this session.

Grades 7 – 12: The Bone House. Marty shares the experience of putting together a horror play to illustrate the impact theatre can have on an audience. Through demonstrations and exercises, he’ll lead students through the process of creating a play.

Marty can also cater his presentations for adult audiences.