Alex in ’63 is available through United Library Services in Calgary. It can purchased on-line through their website www.uls.com or you can phone 403-252-4426 or email info@uls.com.
Alex in ’63 is available through Shelf Life Books in Calgary. It can be purchased on-line through their website shelflifebooks.ca or you can phone 403-265-1033 or email contact@shelflifebooks.ca
Or contact the author! Free delivery in Calgary.
languageartstudio@gmail.com or you can phone 403-249-8320
Alex in ’63 is my first novel, and I am enjoying putting it in the hands of readers who have “ever been thirteen”. It is a Calgary-based story, so many people will recognize familiar landscapes in Alex’s world: Mewata Stadium, McMahon Stadium, Georges P. Vanier Junior High, Crescent Heights High School, and North Hill communities including Winston Heights, Mountview, Tuxedo Park, Highland Park, and Crescent Heights.
If you are interested in ordering a copy ($15, softcover), please send an email or phone me. Free delivery in Calgary.
languageartstudio@gmail.com 403-249-8320
About Alex in ’63:
Alex Wheeler reminds us what it’s like to be a teenager on a collision course with self-doubt, intimidation, love, and mystery. At the start of grade 9—in his hometown Calgary, Alberta—Alex is trying to figure out how to deal with a football-star brother, a strict school principal, and a vindictive high school girl. There’s another girl, too, recently arrived from England, who emboldens him by sharing glimpses of a pop culture revolution evolving back home. Meanwhile, local incidents and international events impact Alex and his family in deeply personal ways.
Alex in ‘63 is a bumpy-road tribute to home and school and neighbourhood.
The rink lay open to the falling snow;
the temperature felt like twenty below.
We panted and puffed and squinted our eyes
determined to break a 1-1 tie.
Late in the third, my feet were numb,
a price to pay for hockey fun.
I could hardly feel the stick in my hands;
I could barely see the ghostly fans.
The puck jumped loose from the tangled play
and I skated clear on a breakaway.
Without any time to worry or think,
I headed south on the whitening rink.
Straight ahead, the goalie stood;
he didn’t move like I thought he would.
His net seemed big as an ogre’s cave
or a tombstone built for a giant’s grave.
I cradled the puck to my forehand side,
pulled it back and let it fly.
I watched it sail to the frosty twine
and knew at once the prize was mine.
My very first goal in my very first game,
a fleeting moment of on-ice fame.
It sparked a passion that took firm hold
for a life-long journey down hockey road.
Keith Worthington
from After the Flood: Hockey Poems
Capitals, either built-up or casual, make a clean, legible, strong impression. Here are several examples of our artwork featuring capital letterforms.
(Excerpt from THE SEASON SETTLES IN, by Keith Worthington. Renate’s letters are made by manipulating the nib angle of the Capitals.
Two examples of Proverbs 25:11, lettered in Capitals, Versal “A”, and Italic. The lettering in the Saint John’s Bible was my inspiration for these pieces.
CHOCKSTONE by Keith Worthington. Renate’s letters are built-up capitals penned on a translucent vellum overlaying the artwork.
WAITING FOR SNOW by Keith Worthington. Renate’s lettering is a mix of Italic letters and informal Capitals.
Uncial letters written with gouache and nib on manuscript vellum – Renate
The Irish Blessing in Uncial letters with a hand-cut eraser stamp:
I was told you were killed near Kandahar
while I skied at Lake Louise.
A roadside bomb awaited you
as I cruised among glades and trees.
Your body parts, they gathered and lay
in a coffin sealed so tight.
They brought you home in the cargo hold
beneath our flag of red and white.
Remember those times (not long ago)
we skied together at Lake Louise?
The same old mountains gathered ’round
to watch us do as we pleased.
Your tour of duty became Kandahar;
mine continued at Lake Louise.
How can there be on the very same Earth
two places such as these?
On my final descent from Top of the World
regret will accompany me
and two young men will disappear
among the ghostly trees.
Keith Worthington
from Poet on a Cargo Plane
http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/makeover-st-pauls-roll-honour/
Restoring this commemorative scroll might have been one of the most important lettering projects that I’ve encountered in thirty-five years of calligraphy. The size of the board (3 feet by 6 feet) added to the “bigness” of the project. Thank you to St. Paul’s for an amazing experience.
“Old Cocks, Old Shots, even Old Flames
Who’s to say what’s in a name
Rusty Blades, Rusty Spurs,
Bombers, Blasters, Harriers,
Antiques, Model A’s, Model T’s
waitin’ for the ice to freeze…”
These few lines are part of the poem “Old-Timers Tournament” from Keith’s poetry book, After The Flood: Hockey Poems. Renate’s artwork is called a “calligram” and features the names of many old-timer hockey teams. The original size of the hockey player is 4 by 6 inches, and was drawn using several sizes of fine-tipped markers. Season’s greetings to all!
This style of calligraphy is a good choice for longer poems and quotations. It is easy to read, and relates to present-day fonts, so is a familiar set of letters. Here are some examples where I have used my own particular adaptation of this style.
ALBERTA BOUND -excerpt from lyrics by Paul Brandt, lettering and boots by Renate. Another version of Alberta Bound is written in “Neuland” below.
PRINCIPAL ( Keith Worthington)
A MARKING OF TIME (Keith Worthington)
RINK IMAGINED (Keith Worthington)
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