Martin John on Globe & Mail 20 Most Anticipated Books you’ll be reading and talking about for the rest of the year list
Merciful hour! What a surprising thing to see Martin John, my impending novel (Sept 15), on this list, in the mighty company of such remarkable writers, especially women writers, like Elena Ferrante, Gloria Steinem, Margaret Atwood, Kate Beaton and rock star almighty Patti Smith. On a list with Patti Smith!
Many books will be published this Fall/Autumn in many languages, in many countries and likewise I share anticipation as a reader who’ll discover new work and engage with it and add to my ever increasing cabbage of reading.
Drought
We counted every hour of every day that it did not rain. We had moved to Stage 3 Water Restrictions last Monday. I heard this Niveau Trois news on Radio-Canada French news, while in a ferry queue. Never in all the time I’ve lived here, have I been so acutely aware of the lack of rain, need for rain, and the drought, that was also accompanied by a mad volume of forest fires that torched our province and Saskatchewan during June and July. (More fires in June alone than the entire fire season of 2014)
So, not unlike Kennedy’s death for Americans, I know exactly where I was when this much desired rain started. I was here. 5 paces from this sea, indoors.
And this what what I was doing when the rain fell.
Dancers Dancing
Last week, Vancouver enjoyed one of my favourite annual festivals in the city Indian Summer Fest. Look at all these splendid human beings dancing. These photos snapped by this very weak photographer on a dying, ancient cellphone testify to two different events. The opening gala, with an electro tabla (sp?) and bhangra DJ set, and the closing event, which celebrated Bombay’s Jazz History through the entry point of Naresh Fernandes book on this history titled Taj Mahal Foxtrot. For the party, DJ Anjali busted out the bhangra tunes.
At the closing event, the young fella in blue had the most extraordinary dance moves, straight out of a Bollywood film. We were very taken with him. Aradhana Seth (who conducted a very fun photography project/ installation as part of the festival) alerted me to his greatness. He told me he was from Lahore, Pakistan and I told him I ate the best eggs of my life in Karachi and his friend of 20 years said things that I now forget because I was so busy telling both of them about those poached eggs. The man in the red or pink coat is our pal Anil, who has the best outfits at Indian Summer Fest each year without fail.
Indian Summer Fest also had a unique event which saw Helen Potrebenko’s novel Taxi! brought home to the city, which was remarkable. More on that to come.
