Literary Musings

In the greater community, autumn is upon us and the air is a-buzz with literary novels, mysteries, and luscious picture books. September is a great time for book lovers. The city of Kingston is hosting its third annual Kingston WritersFest from September 22 to 25. Local bookstores are flogging stacks of books by festival authors. I picked up Helen Humphries’  Coventry (2008) and Stephen Heighton’s Every Lost Country (2010). I can’t wait to dip into these books, which look amazing. Steve lives in Kingston. Young Kingston (my children’s writing group) is so pleased to have founding member Y.S. Lee presenting her young adult Victorian spy series—the Agency—at the Kingston Writers’ Fest. I’ve read the first two books in the series and they are fabulous. My daughter really enjoyed reading them, too. (After all, the books actually belong to her!) For the younger set, Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang is launching a picture book called Dogs Don’t Eat Jam.

Last week, from September 15 to 18, the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival took place. I can’t believe this has been going for 22 years. I attended the first as a university student and have attended sporadically since then, whenever I’ve been in the area. Shelagh Rogers, award-winning host of CBC Radio’s The Next Chapter, acted as Town Crier on several occasions. I’ve had tables there a few times, too. In fact, the Backyard Circus (Annick, 2006) stand, on my mom's front yard, was a huge success with the kids who got to try out spinning plates, stilts, hula hoops, juggling balls, and a pogo stick. At one point, we had to put away the props to keep the noise down to a dull roar. The Eden Mills Writers’ Festival has a wonderfully bucolic atmosphere and makes a great day trip from the Toronto area.

With the brisk weather, I’m dreaming of evenings by the fire with my nose in a good book. Now, to pull myself away from the computer screen and make it happen!