Coulda Woulda Shoulda

I've been taking an accidental holiday from updating this blog, due mostly to the fact that I've been busy with work, travel and most importantly, spending as much time outside as possible. But I have been thinking a lot about this space and how it needs to grow with me and where I'm at in my life now. I'm beginning to see ways in which my current-future travel experiences will eventually intersect with the world of words. Recently I've been gabbing with some fantastically talented indivduals who are soon to be part of an exciting collaboration that sprung from the genius mind of Sean Cranbury of Books on the Radio . And it got me thinking, mostly about the way I read books set in places I've actually been to and the way I read books set in places I've yet to go. I've been mulling this over and over in my brain about how experience changes perceptions and how this affects you as a reader. When I am travelling, I'm living in the moment. Taking...

http://deartoronto.com/2009/01/05/33-seen-reading/ I started following this woman and her blog awhile ago and have really been inspired by her creativity and innovation. Watching this story makes me miss books. It also makes me miss being around people who work in the book industry. There was a lot of drama and always a lot of anxiety about the future but this type of story reminds me that there is hope. People do read. And at the end of the day, if your stress is related to getting them to do so, well, that's a stress I can get on board with.

One of the most exciting aspects of living in a big city is the opportunity to have an abundance of things to do...right outside your doorstep. Stating the obvious, I suppose, but when we live in TO before, we didn't take advantage as much as I now feel we should have. Bonus is? Being back is like being able to do it all over again. In Belfast, we were fortunate to attend lots of arts events because of my line work. I was just luck to be in the know and felt quite at home amongst those that took part in these events. (NOT Harper's rich rendition, I assure you) So, tonight, we're going to take advantage of our geography and head to a book reading. Everyone probably remembers Irvine Welsh mostly for his crazy druggies in Trainspotting and I got to know a bit more of his work while at Blackstaff as we had an author with a similar style. His latest novel, Crime , is out and lucky for us he's promoting it. Seems a bit funny to go see a Scot in Toronto when I could have see...

Hot Docs is this incredible festival that comes to Toronto once a year to showcase some of today's top talent when it comes to documentaries. The festival continues until Sunday and would highly recommend you check it out. There are a ton of different films, all which look interesting and inspiring, but I also want to point you to one I watch last night after the book launch as it accompanies the book. Dr. James Orbinski is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Canadian sector of Medecins Sans Frontieres . Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma is a fantastic documentary about his journey back to the war torn countries in Africa he worked as a young doctor. I highly recommend it, it makes you think about Africa and mostly humanitarianism as we know it today. So happy to be taking part in artistic, grass roots events again. Toronto has so much to offer and I'm really getting psyched about the summer festivals ahead.

I'm attending an event for this book tonight: An Imperfect Offering by James Orbinski I'm excited because A) I haven't been to a book event in almost 2 years and B) I don't have to plan anything. If you can't check out the event, check out the book.