Janet Hamilton

At age 8 I started writing about my neighbourhood. Together with my best friend, we sat under a lilac tree with a coiled scribbler and a pencil in hand and we wrote stories. As we never shared or collaborated, I have no idea what she was writing about but I found my neighbours to be somewhat interesting and curious as they went about daily business in a mild and sometimes humorous way. And you know what they say, “Write about what you know!”

Then in 2021, a postcard from the City of Edmonton came into my Swedish postbox with an announcement about the City of Edmonton 107 Avenue Revitalization Project outlining a survey and the proposed plan.

AHA! My mild neighbours have come to life once again. Reignited my imagination. I started writing about key players in my 107 Avenue area and added a few embellishments to supplement my childhood memory.