Caroline Adderson is the author of five novels (A History of Forgetting, Sitting Practice, The Sky Is Falling, Ellen in Pieces, A Russian Sister), two collections of short stories (Bad Imaginings, Pleased To Meet You). She is also the editor and co-contributor of a non-fiction book of essays and photographs, Vancouver Vanishes: Narratives of Demolition and Revival and guest editor of Best Canadian Stories 2019. Her work has received numerous award nominations including the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, two Commonwealth Writers’ Prizes, the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Rogers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist. In 2017, she was a YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Arts, Culture and Design nominee. Her awards include three BC Book Prizes, three CBC Literary Awards, the Marian Engel Award for mid-career achievement, and a National Magazine Award Gold Medal for Fiction. She teaches in the Writing and Publishing Program at SFU and is the Program Director of the Writing Studio at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Caroline is also an award-winning author of books for children of all ages. Her picture books include Norman, Speak! (Groundwood 2014), Eat, Leo! Eat! (Kids Can 2015), I Love You One to Ten (Groundwood 2015) and It Happened on Sweet Street (Tundra 2020). Her chapter books I, Bruno (Orca 2007) and Bruno For Real (Orca 2009) were followed by the hilarious six-volume Jasper John Dooley series (Kids Can 2012-2016), the forthcoming Izzy spin-off series (Kids Can 2020-2022) and the bilingual series Pierre & Paul (Owl Kids 2020). Middle grade readers enjoy her novels Very Serious Children (Scholastic 2007), Middle of Nowhere, (Groundwood 2012), A Simple Case of Angels (Groundwood 2014), The Mostly True Story of Pudding Tat, Adventuring Cat (Groundwood 2019) and Sunny Days Inside and Other Stories (Groundwood 2022). She is thrilled to add her first graphic novel to her bookshelf, Babble, and How Punctuation Saved It (Tundra 2022).
Caroline’s interactive elementary school presentations are for groups of up to 60 primary or elementary students based on a specific book. The presentation includes a reading, activities, a question period, and a book signing. Books may be purchased at a discount, though advanced notice is needed to arrange for this.
Presentations at the high school level and university level include readings from Caroline's adult fiction, discussion of the creative process, publishing tips, a question period and a book signing. Books may be purchased at a discount, though advanced notice is needed to arrange for this.
Caroline also offers a 2-hour writing workshop for teens, Becoming a Writer, which she developed for the Teen Book Camp during her tenure as Vancouver Public Library Writer-in-Residence.
Caroline presents workshops on the following topics:
Beginnings
Creating Believable Characters
Plotting Your Story Line
Show, Don’t Tell
Found and Stolen Stories
Self-editing for Fiction Writers
Writing Linked Short Stories
Writing Narrative Scenes
Emotional Autobiography
Getting Published
Editing Fiction
Getting that Novel Done
Winning the Granting Lottery
How to Write a Book Review
Writing for Children
Based on specific books. Please see above.
