You have always been cheerful and gracious towards me at reading series events. I have missed going out (sometimes more than twice a week, because Toronto has so many writers) to hear writers read from their work, but just as much, to be in the audience with others who write, and I don't care if some are aggressively networking. They do it because they think they must. They are still very entertaining to watch, self-revelatory and worth sympathy. We care about those little black marks on the page, and what they mean, and how they can transport. When I found out the income tax people allowed writers to claim the cost of parking, or of TTC tickets to these events as deductible expenses, I laughed out loud because I'd have gone anyway. Jess Taylor and Canisia Lubrin really knew how to curate a series and engage an audience in ways that were buoying. So for transport, for being buoyed, for ridiculous tax deductions for travel, for finding your people, in-person events create bounce (and boule-y-a!) If you go for the audience as much as the featured speakers, you will also be tired of Zooming, and look forward to bra-less or not, pj bottoms or not, the return of in-person event.
You have always been cheerful and gracious towards me at reading series events. I have missed going out (sometimes more than twice a week, because Toronto has so many writers) to hear writers read from their work, but just as much, to be in the audience with others who write, and I don't care if some are aggressively networking. They do it because they think they must. They are still very entertaining to watch, self-revelatory and worth sympathy. We care about those little black marks on the page, and what they mean, and how they can transport. When I found out the income tax people allowed writers to claim the cost of parking, or of TTC tickets to these events as deductible expenses, I laughed out loud because I'd have gone anyway. Jess Taylor and Canisia Lubrin really knew how to curate a series and engage an audience in ways that were buoying. So for transport, for being buoyed, for ridiculous tax deductions for travel, for finding your people, in-person events create bounce (and boule-y-a!) If you go for the audience as much as the featured speakers, you will also be tired of Zooming, and look forward to bra-less or not, pj bottoms or not, the return of in-person event.
Thanks for your note Hannah! Love "bra-less or not, pj bottoms or not"!