1. Return of kids to school: I have one who lives here with me, one who is in university in Toronto. The administrative and logistical list is long. We all made it back to where we are supposed to be.
2. Literary Festivals! I had the time of my life at the Word on the Street in Toronto, Winnipeg Thin Air and at Plan 99 in Ottawa. Big, warm crowds at all three. Amazingly kind and organized staff and volunteers. Friends in Toronto and Winnipeg that I hadn't seen in twenty years. I had a great time.
You can hear me read with Danile Allen Cox, Anakana Schofield and Dave Williamson at the Thin Air mainstage here: http://www.thinairwinnipeg.ca/events/mainstage-new-scripts-for-love
Or by myself at the Winnipeg Public Library, here: http://www.thinairwinnipeg.ca/events/the-nooner-missy-marston
And you can read about my experience at The Word on the Street here: http://torontowots.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/writers-words-missy-marston/
Here is how I look reading. (Those sticky notes are enormous and rough-looking! Have since replaced them with more tidy, appropriate tabs.)
And this is how hard I smile when I find an old friend I thought I had completely lost track of:
3. Art Show! Because people are wonderful, Guy Berube of La Petite Mort Gallery in Ottawa let me curate a group show about supernatural visitors (aliens, ghosts and saints). I spent time in November and December working with my favourite Ottawa artists, who all produced new work for the show: Natalie Bruvels, Karina Bergmans, Jeremiah & Joshua Degranpre, Guillermo Trejo and Peter Shmelzer. The show opened January 4th. The work was beautiful, the party was great and people listened to me read about nude green aliens sneaking up on earth women in their bedrooms. Perfect!
Below: Trejo, Bergmans, Bruvels, Shmelzer
And: Bruvels, Degrandpre, Marston
4. Reprint! Thanks to all of you who have bought my book, The Love Monster went into reprint. The new edition has a review page, including this. Life: complete. Thanks, Universe.
