On Friday I attended my first book launch and signing along with my fellow OIWG members (that’s the Oslo International Writers’ Group for anyone not familiar).  We launched our first anthology, North of the Sun, South of the Moon: New Voices from Norway at Café Fedora, and with sixty or more supporters looking on, we shared readings from the book and raised a tidy sum for the Norwegian volunteer organization, Utdanningshjelpen.

My reading of one of my two stories from the book, Far North, True North, was unfortunately cut short by a dead camera battery, but here’s the part that survived:

Being asked to sign books was both a surprise and an honour – there were many more people who wanted their copies signed than I ever expected, with some people even asking for extra copies for their friends and family members. My fellow authors and I got such a buzz from seeing so many enthusiastic readers pick up our book, but truly the best part of the evening was when Felix from Utdanningshjelpen told us his story, and how he came to found the organization.

Felix Omondi Osok comes from Kenya, and grew up an orphan in the city of Maseno. But he was lucky: as a fourteen year old, he got a job as a project assistant with “Rotary Doctor Bank” where his dedication and determination was noticed. Felix received a lot of support from his grandparents, but it was difficult for him to gain enough money to finish school. Two doctors from the Doctor Bank decided to support Felix with extra money so that he could continue his education. Today, Felix holds a masters degree from Oslo University. Through Utdanningshjelpen, Felix helps children in similar situations to his own, of which there are all too many.

We hope that the money we are raising through the sale of our book will help support the education of children in developing countries, so that they may find their own voices.

OIWG

Bree Switzer reads from her piece, Maggie’s Farm

The paperback version of the book is now on sale at Amazon:

http://amzn.com/1909374539 or http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1909374539