Video: JonArno Lawson

Here's the first of the last of HOT AIR material I collected over the course of the festival.

I know, I know, it's a bit late. But I had to launch a book this week!

As you can tell from the tittering, people were quite delighted with Lawson, who seemed surprised, muttering about how "no one ever had him read."



He proceeded to give a rapid-fire career retrospective of his five books of poetry for children and adults.

Good stuff, even a week or so later.

More to come, dear HOT AIR devotees...

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Ariel Gordon is a Winnipeg-based writer and editor. Her poetry has recently appeared in PRISM International, The Fieldstone Review, and Prairie Fire. In addition to being Events Coordinator at Aqua Books, Ariel also contributes to the Winnipeg Free Press' Books Section and Prairie books NOW.

A hand-made, limited-edition chapbook of Ariel's poetry, entitled The navel gaze (with Kingsville, ON's Palimpsest Press), was launched Oct. 1 at Aqua Books.

Video: Roo Borson

Since most of my bloggers have commented on Roo Borson's Big Ideas lecture on creativity, I'm not going to try to find some angle not covered, some thought not aired.



So, here is a short reading by Borson from her new book Personal History.

Reading: Rebecca Rosenblum

Rebecca Rosenblum is one of those tricky women. Shy-looking, self-deprecating-ish, but clever and confident underneath.

Her book is only a week old. She's only ever done five or six readings in her live-long life.



But with the exception of a couple of errant throat clearings - or, perhaps, the microphone up her nose - you couldn't tell.

That's what's wonderful and terrible about writing/writers.

Thankfully, given my bugaboo about writers doing the SAME reading at afternoon and evening events, she read something different that night, appearing before Pasha Malla and David Bergen in the second half of the evening.

She wore a pink dress, I think...

I don't hold that against her.

* * *

Ariel Gordon is a Winnipeg-based writer and editor. Her poetry has recently appeared in PRISM International, The Fieldstone Review, and Prairie Fire. In addition to being Events Coordinator at Aqua Books, Ariel also contributes to the Winnipeg Free Press' Books Section and Prairie books NOW.

A hand-made, limited-edition chapbook of Ariel's poetry, entitled The navel gaze (with Kingsville, ON's Palimpsest Press), will be launched Oct. 1 at Aqua Books.

Reading: Joan Thomas

This was my second time seeing Joan Thomas read. Having added her book, Reading by Lightning, to my ever-growing pile of new books but not having had the chance to dip into it, I was re-intrigued by her reading.



I also wanted to note how very gracious and intelligent her introductions are.

It makes me hate her a bit, actually. I'm not good at thanking people in private, never mind in public, and sounding intelligent? Well...

In any event, I'm happy to share a longish chunk of today's reading...

I take full responsibility for the crappy sound and none whatsoever for the literary goodness on offer.

(It was a longer longish chunk, which I edited down...you missed camera shake and also a rather loud giggle.)