Word On The Street was FANTASTIC! What a gorgeous day I had wandering around
the Halifax waterfront, mingling with gentle souls, drinking coffee, fondling
and buying books, enjoying everything literary.
I also took in two dazzling author readings by Halifax’s Stephanie Domet
and the infallible Jian Ghomeshi .
Stephanie Domet engaged us with an animated reading from
her impressive and forthcoming novel “Fallsy Downsies”. I am currently reading her first novel
entitled “Homing” and I am deeply in love with her writing style and her
storytelling skills. She has a fresh,
vibrant voice and I admire her passion for her craft. I’ve been reading her work for years, when
she wrote for The Coast and am enjoying her creative writing. It is evident from her characters, her story
structure and themes that she pays careful attention and applies a great deal
of love to the pressure of her pen. She
will be launching “Fallsy Downsies” on October 23rd at 6:30pm at The
Carleton, I look forward to buying a copy and having the chance to say hello.
Stephanie also had the pleasure of introducing Jian
Ghomeshi who was this year’s headliner in the CBC More Than Words tent, set to
read from his chart topping, recently released in trade paperback, creative
non-fiction effort called “1982”. I
finished reading it on Friday so I would be primed for this engagement and it
made his reading that much more compelling.
“1982” is a heartfelt account of an Iranian-Canadian
teen, obsessed with Bowie, in love with an older girl, a music obsessed New
Waver coming of age in the 1980s. The
universal themes of the book are noted as the triumphs of outsiders and a love
for music. What kid didn’t feel like
they totally didn’t fit in in high school?
What kid didn’t fall in love with someone they thought was cool and
perhaps out of their league? I identified with some of the emotions and
insecurities he shared but most of all I shared his passion for music. In the book he talks about how when he was a
kid, to go and buy music was such a labor of love. These days, when you like a song, you can
click a button and it is yours. In the
80s, it was literally a pilgrimage. He
describes the long journeys to acquire a record and that story choked me up
because I saw myself in it, climbing on a bus in Eastern Passage to make my way
to Barrington Street to Sam The Record Man.
Entering the store was just like heaven, multiple floors worth. If you wanted music then, you had no choice
but to travel for it. And believe me;
you had to love what you were in pursuit for to make that trip. Just like Jian and his pal, I would buy my
record, get back on the bus, devour the liner notes and memorize every last
inch of the artwork before I even got back to my stereo to listen. When he talked about this portion of the book
yesterday, I filled up again, with nostalgia, with gratitude that I was
fortunate enough to live at a time when music was exciting and sacred and sad
for the kids that came up after me who will never understand the impending joy
of such a jaunt.
Jian Ghomeshi is described as polite and inclusive as an
interviewer but the same can be said for his presenting style. He spoke to an ardent audience yesterday,
enjoying a harmonious exchange inspiring a great deal of laughter,
introspection and an all-around feel-good atmosphere. Jian is dedicated to his work, a proud
Canadian and a humanist through and through.
He is also six times more beautiful in person than he is on TV. He lifted hearts yesterday, tickled funny bones
and made everyone’s day he came in contact with. Not a bad day’s work, eh? I absentmindedly left my copy of the book on
my nightstand so I had him sign the back cover of my writing book instead, the
book I bought for myself at the Leonard Cohen show. I apologized for forgetting but thought since
it was the year of encountering all of my favorite Canadians, it seemed fitting
to have him sign something Cohen. I also
expressed to him the same as I did here, about how that passage of his book
moved me to tears thinking about my former self. It seemed to touch him but I am sure he hears
that often and it must feel good to know he has put something into the world
that isn’t only universal but emotionally monumental to like-minded people like
me.
(You can see the top of my head!)
It was a perfect day.
I hated for it to end but the feeling of contentment and peace
lingers.
On the writing front, I’m knee deep into ‘Too Much To
Contain’. I took myself out for a bit of
an artist date on Saturday and worked out some details and wrote them out later
that night in my writing room complete with the music that I need to fuel the difficult
range of emotions required. That is
still proving to be a challenge for me. My
heart tends to be too big and soft to conjure acts of violence on the
page. I am trying.
I am back to the grind today, working for the man. The weekend already feels like it is a
million miles away but my heart is still full.
I love that feeling.
In propinquity,
Nic
