How would you kill the English teacher?

That is the question Shawn Bird, a creative writing instructor herself, asked several of her colleagues at Eagle River Secondary in 2014. Their answers planted the seed for what would eventually become the darkly-comic novella Murdering Mr. Edwards.

There is no self-hatred at work in Bird害羞草研究所檚 decision on who should be the victim of the murderous plots afoot in the fictional high school she created 害羞草研究所� she says English teachers are simply the natural victims in a high school setting.

害羞草研究所淚 was asking my colleagues, how could you murder someone in your area of the school?害羞草研究所� Bird said.

害羞草研究所淭he only answer from anyone who taught English was, the pen is mightier that the sword. I thought to myself, that害羞草研究所檚 kind of wimpy, I害羞草研究所檇 better make the English teacher the victim.害羞草研究所�

What grew from joking conversations around the break room table eventually became a novella organized into a series of 害羞草研究所渢ales害羞草研究所� detailing each staff member of the fictional Canterbury High害羞草研究所檚 widely-varied plots to kill Mr. Edwards.

Edwards, an obnoxious and widely-loathed member of the school害羞草研究所檚 English faculty, is a character who Bird expects the audience to feel little sympathy for as he meets his end.

害羞草研究所淢r. Edwards is kind of an amalgam of every irritating person that you害羞草研究所檝e ever worked with in your career,害羞草研究所� Bird said.

She said the fictional English teacher wears regressive and misogynistic viewpoints on his sleeve, and his pompous privilege and obliviousness drive his colleagues crazy.

The murderous methods each staff member dreams up reflects their area of expertise; for example the titular character of The Physics Teacher害羞草研究所檚 Tale devises a large Rube Goldberg machine to take out Edwards.

害羞草研究所淪ome of them have some mighty skills that lean towards death and mayhem,害羞草研究所� Bird said of the Canterbury High害羞草研究所檚 staff.

She acknowledges the roots of the plots targeting Mr. Edwards as well as some of the small details she used to bring Canterbury High to life are rooted in her time at ERS. She described hearing her colleagues imagining the extent of what could go wrong in the various departments of the school as a joyful collaboration.

Since it was published last April, Bird has given copies of Murdering Mr. Edwards to her Eagle River Secondary colleagues who inspired the plots that fill its pages. Bird said the book was met with excellent reviews and lots of laughter.

Bird is now a senior English teacher at Salmon Arm Secondary.

Five of the stories which were eventually included in Murdering Mr. Edwards were written while Bird was teaching at ERS.

The remaining seven core tales as well as three additional stories were added after an initial manuscript wowed a representative of Coffin Hop Press at a writer害羞草研究所檚 conference in Calgary.

Murdering Mr. Edwards is available at Hidden Gems Bookstore and Bookingham Palace in Salmon Arm.

It can also be ordered online through Coffin Hop Press害羞草研究所� website or on Amazon.

jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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