Remember last week? When I talked about irons in the fire? Well, I’ve been busy, busy stirring the flames this past week, so much so that my planned post isn’t actually ready to go up.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that said post is by my friend Rea Tarvydas, whose new book of short stories, How To Pick Up a Maid in Statue Square, is hot off the Thistledown Press(es).
I’ve met Rea exactly twice in person, once in Alberta and once in Ontario.
Both times we were at readings and our brief conversations were interrupted by, you know, the readers, but if I’d lived anywhere close by I would have loved to have lingered over a coffee martini with her and continued chatting.
I mean, within two minutes of meeting for the first time, we were talking about knitting as a remedy for grief. Say it with me, folks: kindred spirit.
Plus, she’s a damn fine writer.
So, I shot her a note and asked her to write me a Mixed Tape post for her new book, compiling another play list to accompany some Can Lit. It’s gonna be a good one (I haven’t even had time to read it!). I can tell because when she wrote back, she told me: “My book was powered with punk and post-punk.”
In other good news, by the time you read this, my plane will be bumping down in Toronto.
I’m heading home for a hasty week of Writers’ Union duties and helping my mom during the marathon art show that is the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour (starts this weekend!)
If you’re in the neighbourhood, she’s at stop P in Bracebridge. Come on by to appreciate some in-cre-di-ble art. For example, here’s one of my mom’s watercolours (click on the Studio Tour link to see more).
Candle photo by Frankieleon
