Afterglow

I’m still basking in the warm glow of the launch for Mnemonic: A Book of Trees on Tuesday evening. I was competing with all-candidate meetings up and down the Coast but still was able to welcome 50 or 60 well-wishers who came to help me celebrate. Bev Shaw of Talewind Books set up her table with copies of Mnemonic and some of my other books as well and did a brisk business which is always gratifying. Dick Harrison came early to help with the sound system; Anne and Geoff Carr set up the kitchen as well as the chairs with John and our friend Liz Young who’d come from North Vancouver for the occasion. The kindness of friends!

I loved having the opportunity to read passages to the audience and to share something of the process of writing this book which took me both out of my comfort level and into new worlds. (Endnotes! Permissions! Bibliography according to Chicago Manuel of Style!) Some people had already read Mnemonic and asked interesting questions or made generous comments. Thank you all!

I’ll post a photograph of the crowd listening to the reading and one of John and me just after we’d arranged all the food on a table strewn with leaves.