By Christopher Earl

A Murder of Crows is a writer's group formed in November of 1997, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. The five original members (Andrew J. Burton, Ian Kluge, David Quast, Stephen St Laurent, and myself) met at Rant Night, a weekly poetry reading organized by Lisa Drysdale at Books and Company.

After weeks of listening to each other at the readings, the five of us realized we shared a rather unusual way of looking at the world. Weekly discussions after the readings on the subject of writing went on through the summer of 1997.

When the fall came around, Steph decided it would be a good idea to get some poems together and publish an anthology. The other four of us enthusiastically agreed, and before long, we gathered for an evening of wine and brainstorming, which resulted in a title. Many somewhat derogatory little phrases were suggested, laughed at, and dismissed before Dave suggested, "How about A Murder of Crows?"

We all stared.

"That's what a group of crows is called."

So we settled on a name with about as much depth as A Herd of Cattle, but hey, it sounded really cool. The book was on the shelves by December, and well received in the community. It even caught the eye of the local press, and we all had a great time answering questions and posing for pictures. The following April, the second Crows book, You Want Fries with that?, was released.

The newest member, James Cochrane, left Prince Rupert for Prince George in the early fall of '98. He immediately joined the Crows and dove right into the action, just in time for the our first brush with theatre. In mid October, the Prince George theatre Workshop presented two nights of sketch comedy called Monty Python and Friends. The Crows were given the opportunity to write and perform for the event and I think I speak for us all when I say we're hooked.

Next up for the Crows is another anthology and more sketch comedy for the 1999 Prince George Fringe in August. Keep an eye on the Crows News for updates.