Just back from a short trip to Toronto where I picked up this gorgeous Evergreen Award from the Ontario Library Association (in the middle of a howling snowstorm, I might add…)

We maritime mommies shrug off such weather with a hair-toss and a giggle, (especially when we’ve got lots of tomato soup in the pantry and no place to be) – so I didn’t think much about the forecast before I left home. Imagine my surprise when I turned on the TV after my arrival and found the meteorologists of the T-dot absolutely manic over said weather event. Overall, I think Torontonians battled it well. It’s not easy to get around (by car, bus, bike or foot) when tons of slushy snow has no place to go!

I was storm-stayed with a bunch of librarians, so I was more than happy to stay put and exchange tales of books, research and life.

Carl Honore (In Praise of Slow) gave an inspiring and fun key-note speech, (including his hilarious story about a Blackberry obsessed woman checking her messages during sex.) Seriously. You can listen to him in this YouTube Video…
It was great to hear him in person and listen to his ideas about the slow movement.
When I moved to Nova Scotia eight years ago, I didn’t realize that I was part of a “movement,” I just knew that I wanted to unplug from the breakneck pace of my life in Chicago and start over. I wanted to see what would happen if I allowed myself to slow down and actually do the things I said I’d do “someday.” (So far, so good.)

Carl has a new book coming out in April, Under Pressure. This time he’s tackling the topic of parenting and how as a society we are raising a generation of exhausted, over-scheduled kids. I didn’t get a chance to ask him, but I wonder if he’s heard of unschooling?

My part in the OLA Super Conference included an afternoon presentation – a behind-the-scenes look at my writing process. I shared stories of my research for The Birth House and both my play, Jerome-the Historical Spectacle, and my upcoming novel, The Virgin Cure. I even *gulp* read a bit from The Virgin Cure. (I don’t usually read from works in progress, so I was pretty nervous toward the end!) Afterwards, I got to sit and meet many of the people who had been in the audience. We laughed, we cried, and I was so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be there.

Thank-you to everyone I met, to the OLA, to Barb Love, and to my wonderful escort -Sharron Smith, OLA Librarian of the Year! (and now, back to writing…)

Have you thanked a librarian lately???
Librarians the world over work tirelessly to get books into the hands of readers, to open new ideas and worlds to their patrons, and to bring information to those who seek after it. I would not be able to tell the stories I long to tell without their dedication and assistance. Thank-You!!!!

Dewey Divas and the Dudes
For more OLA coverage and all things biblio-rhapsodic, check out my pals at the Dewey Divas and the Dudes Blog!