Chance to Dance for You by Gail Sidonie Sobat

Described as vivacious and lively, Gail is frequently sought after as a speaker, workshop presenter and writer-in-residence. Gail’s vision was to create a retreat-like setting where young writers could participate in an interdisciplinary exploration of words, including songwriting, cartooning, dance and text, drumming and text, hip hop, storytelling, playwriting, screenwriting, photojournalism, interwoven with fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry.įor twenty-five years, YouthWrite camps and workshops, presented by a group of dynamic and established Canadian artists under Gail’s direction, have helped young aspiring authors develop confidence and a sense of place in the world.Įxperience in professional theatre and singing make Gail at ease in performance and with any age group. Her dedication to mentoring youth through the provincial arts summer camp, YouthWrite, was celebrated in a half-hour documentary that aired on BookTV. For the Legacy Project, a high school program addressing the gulf between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students, Gail and her co-creators (Wally Diefenthaler and Kaye Steward) were named finalists for the Governor General Excellence in Teaching History Award and garnered national recognition and international attention. Gail completed a Master’s degree in English at the University of Alberta in Children’s Literature, specializing in fantasy. She has moved over 40 times in her life from Badlands to Siksika Nation Reserve to hideous suburbs to Istanbul to the Sunshine Coast to her writer’s garret in a near-century-old temperamental house. From 2016-2020, she was the regional representative for The Writers' Union of Canada. Gail is also an instructor in the Communications and Arts and Cultural Management programs at MacEwan.

She is the creator/ coordinator of YouthWrite®, camps for kids who love to write, just about anything!©, its adult version, JustWrite, and the Spoken Word Choirs. She has assumed any number of disguises in her lifetime, including that of teacher, adjunct professor, woman-in-black, professional actor and singer, grounds keeper, flag girl, parimutuel seller and flower seller. Gail Sidonie Šobat is a witch at heart, a pirate in her dreams, and a gypsy in practice.

Chance to Dance for You by Gail Sidonie Sobat