Literary festival feels like family

If you’ve been reading my blogs or book, you'll know about my search for my family, my blood relatives. Last night I found another family - authors and poets.

I was invited to speak about my book, The Golden Daughter, at AfterWords, week-long literary festival, a staple of the arts scene in Halifax. 

I was speaking at Cafe Lara in the north end of Halifax, at an event officially called Seven Up. But it's more generally known as the annual midweek festival freakout.

I've got to tell you I almost freaked out when I arrived and found lines of people trying to get into a venue that was already packed, with people standing and sitting on the floor.

As I sat waiting to speak, and listening to the other writers, I remembered a quote by author James Baldwin - “The terrible things about being an author is that you don’t decide to become one, you discover that you are one.”

At AfterWords I finally admitted that I am an author, published at the age of 78. And writing is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I felt so at home in this place, with these people.

In safe hands at AfterWords, with festival co-founder Stephanie Domet (left) and Seven Up host Sarah Mian (right).

For Seven Up I was one of six writers introduced by the very funny and sassy Sarah Mian, herself a former finalist for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. The other five were:

David Bergen, who read from his latest novel, Days of Feasting and Rejoicing. It's been described as 'a brilliant existential portrayal of identity.' David is the author of 11 novels and two collections of short stories.

Ryad Assani-Razaki, who read from the new English translation of his debut novel La main d'Iman, which was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for French-language fiction in 2012.

Eric Schmaltz, who read from his new volume of poetry, I Confess - inspired in part by a lie-detector test. I Confess delves into the complexities of truth-telling in poetry, and the history of technologies designed to produce truth from willing and unwilling subjects.

Christine Wu, who read from her first poetry collection, Familial Hungers. It's a collection of poems that reckon with identity, race, and fractured relationships through the lens of food. Christine Wu is a Chinese-Canadian poet who is originally from the East Coast but now lives in Halifax.

Shani Mootoo, who read from her most recent book, Starry Starry Night. It's been described as an innovative and revelatory work of autofiction about family secrets, trauma, race, class, and loss. Shani's previous books have included Polar Vortex and Cereus Blooms at Night. She is a four-time Giller Prize nominee.

The festival is so successful, I'm sure, because co-founders Stephanie Domet and Ryan Turner have such a clear vision: "We believe a literary festival can be part of building an equitable society where citizens are equipped with the tools and the passion to read, write and tell stories, are empowered to consider other points of view, and where the work of artists is respected as a necessary pillar of democracy. This aim feels more urgent than ever."