And now for a bit of an update…

May brought Atlantic Book Week and the honour of winning the Atlantic Independent Bookseller’s Association’s Bookseller’s Choice Award. What a treat to have the award presented by Trudy Carey of Woozles! (If you’re in Halifax and in need of books for kids – go see Trudy…)

I took my first trip to St. John’s Newfoundland and was treated to a couple of beautiful (premature, I’m told) spring days. I was also fortunate enough to read at the Masonic Temple with Mary Dalton, Elaine McClusky, and Stephen Kimber. The best part of the evening was when our host announced to us just before the reading that the Masons would be “sharing the room” with us, since they needed to prepare for their annual seal flipper dinner that would be taking place the following night. We thought she was joking at first, but by the time she was on her fourth or fifth, “I’m really sorry – there was nothing I could do – I’m just hoping it doesn’t smell too…umm…fishy”, we realized we were in for quite an evening.

We arrived at the hall to find a black curtain had been strung up along the length of the room. While we read and told our tales, we could hear the flip-flap of seal flippers being cleaned and the jovial grumble of men at work (telling a few tales of their own, no doubt.) I was thrilled to see Joan Clark (An Audience of Chairs) in the audience as well as poet George Murray (of Book Ninja fame and a new collection – The Rush to Here.) And I’m happy to report, the whole affair was fun, festive, and none too fishy.