Malarky WINS 2013 Debut-Litzer Prize for Fiction: I buy chapstick

I went for a walk up a mountain in Banff with a very invigorating conversationalist Xiaolu Guo, when I came back down the mountain I learned I had WON the 2013 Debut-Litzer Prize for Fiction. At high altitude and after eating 7 pieces of lamb this was rather delicious news to hear on a phone message in my left ear. I went to buy a chapstick to celebrate. Life at high altitude improved on account of both these scores. (I wonder how arctic wanderers deal with their dry lips)

Today the news was made public:

Click here to read the announcement. 

I look forward to meeting the other writers during the December podcast event. Thank you America. Thank you Late Night Library. Thank you Leslie Jamison. And now to the weather…

The weather in Banff was terrific. Blazing sun with only the hint of nippy cold at night. I came home to fantastic fog. Trees are no longer on the turn, they are reddened. Fog has its own distinct smell which out at the airport was a tad petrol-y.

Planes were troubled by the fog. Especially hard for them to leave Vancouver Island it appeared.

An Alberta report will be forthcoming. It was a great trip. Edmonton did not disappoint. I had some remarkable conversations with some 40 strength minds. All my prejudices about mathematicians were challenged as I travelled with one on a bus for two hours today who educated me on Representation Theory.