Glass Maze by 12AP English Thornlea SS

I was thrilled when poet and educator Domenico Capilongo contacted me to share a writing project he was doing with his Grade 12 Advanced Placement English class. His students were writing a collaborative novel! They honoured me by writing their novel based on an opening chapter that I wrote for them.

Message from Domenico Capilongo

A few years ago, as a wonderful experiment, I got it into my head to have my Grade 12 Advanced Placement English class write a collaborative novel together. Why? Well, I thought it would be an interesting and creative way to discuss and think about all the elements of fiction in a completely different way. I also did not want it attached to many marks so that we could get invested in working together to develop the characters and plot as a group rather than for a boost in marks. I think it worked pretty well.

In order to get started, every year I approach several local authors to submit an original novel starter page that we can choose from. As a class we narrowed the selections down, discussed where the stories could go, and chose the one we wanted to continue.

This year’s winner was written by award winning novelist and educator, Ann Y.K. Choi. A big thank you to her for her generosity and bravery to trust us with her characters and story.

I would like to also thank all of you for participating in our class discussions and more importantly as chapter contributors. I am very proud of all your hard work and dedication during this time of COVID 19.  You are all authors now!  As well, a big thank you to our front and back cover designers.

I was so impressed by the students’ work, I asked Dom if I could share Glass Maze and publicly acknowledge the students at Thornlea Secondary School, 12AP English.

Click on the book cover to read their novel. Happy reading!