House of Parlance Blog

We’re proud to announce that Mary Ellen Holland, visionary Professor of English Literature at Okanagan College in Kelowna, BC, has tapped Shane’s book Visiting Hours as ‘required reading’ for the 2007 winter semester.

We published Shane’s book 2 years ago and it’s always been very well received in many places but this takes it to another level. It really speaks to the power of Shane’s verse and his ability to leave a deep impression on the people who have seen or heard him perform.

Professor Holland wrote me to say that she’s “excited about sharing Shane’s work with my students…” and that she really wants her “students to have the opportunity to not only read and study the texts, but also to meet the authors…”. How do you argue with that?

If Shane Koyczan had come to my English class to perform and talk to me back when I was at school, I would have been absolutely blown away. I might have even been persuaded to mend my ways and give up a life of delinquency and bad jokes. Maybe.

So, congratulations to Shane and the students of English Lit @ Okanagan College. And thanks for Professor Holland for having the vision.