Boston bound!

I should already be on the road to Boston right now, but we're running a little late.  Just late enough to squeeze in a blog post!  We're going to visit family and attend the AWP Conference, which I only just heard about for the first time this year and I'm excited it happened to be in Boston, where we can go and check it out.  The AWP is the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, an American organization, and the conference is three full days of writing-related panels.  It's actually staggering to me how many panels there are.  The United States is a big place with a lot of writers!

Yesterday, I had the privilege of going to CBC to tape a radio interview about Bone and Bread.  I won't name the show (just in case everything I said was terrible and ultimately unusable!), but in spite of my qualms, it was a really special experience to have a conversation with someone who is a generous and thoughtful reader.  I hope and expect to write more books, but there are no guarantees in life (sorry, blogging seems to draw out every profound platitude I've ever heard), and I want to remember these opportunities for the gifts that they really are.

Projected logo on the floor of the mothership, I mean, the CBC

Being interesting and charming on command, though....oooof.  I have more to say about this, I think...the difficulty of trying to be eloquent (or let's face it, coherent) when talking about one's one work...but I think all I can say right now is that I wish it came easier to me.  I know lots of writers who are wonderful storytellers in person as well as on paper, but I am afraid I am not one of them.  I need preparation and practice, always. 

The weekend was mostly quiet, except for the reading I gave at Nuit Blanche (which was short, but I think went well, in spite of my cold and general exhaustion).  I also finished my first hat (third project), which was the major triumph of the weekend. 

I finished my first hat! The pattern is Rosebud by Jared Flood.

Okay, departure is now imminent.  My bag is packed. I'm ready to go.  Boston, here we come!  If you're going to be at the AWP Conference, let me know which are the not-to-be-missed panels, or come and say hi if you see me.  I only know a couple of writers in the U.S. of A.

I'll be the girl in the yellow boots.