Famous Canadian author Eric Walters will no longer be touring schools, and he decided his last tour should be of the Ottawa Valley.
Walters is one of Canada’s most prolific children’s authors, with over 120 published works over the years. His 2020 novel The King of Jam Sandwiches won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People’s Literature.
From April 13th to 17th, Walters visited ten schools within the Renfrew County District School Board, sharing insights about his decades-long writing career with local students of all ages.
Walters says the choice to visit the Valley as his last touring destination came in part due to a relationship he’s cultivated over the years with an RCDSB teacher.
Walters’ last stop on this tour was at Valour JK-12 School in Petawawa. Once his presentation wrapped up, several students approached him to discuss their favourite books of his. Walters said it’s wonderful to see the impact that he’s having on kids, and that he believes he’s getting better at it.
Walters, who worked as a teacher before becoming an author full-time, said the feeling is no different from seeing the impact he had on his own students’ lives.
Kristen Niemi, the Director of Education for the RCDSB, expressed her gratitude to Walters for choosing to pass through Renfrew County one last time, saying she was in awe watching his presentation.
Walters says he intends to continue doing smaller events closer to his home in Guelph, Ontario, and that he has more books on the way.
(Written by Steve Berard)
