Mood:
chattyTopic: WC - Daily Practice
Tuesday 9:44am 24Oct06
I spoke to Rawi Hage last night at the second reception. He asked me if I was a political writer. I said I didn't think so and then we both agreed that writing is a political act for people from our background. I admitted that I don't consider myself a feminist but that I realize that I actually live feminism and politically. My thoughts are not feministic nor political at the outset because it is ingrained in me as a matter of fact based on all the people that fought for me, all the people that have suffered for me, all the people that had to picket and organize...
I wish we had more time to talk to each other. He is nominated for a Governor General award and I'm hoping that he gets it. Spoke briefly to Kiran Desai who just won a Man Booker award. Philippe Dupuy and I shared a great laughing rant about how people don't understand what we do. Our family, our friends, strangers. "It's almost better not to tell," he said. "I wish I could say I was a proctologist."
It was good coming face to face with the life that I want to lead. I actually woke up this morning and started to cry. To be a little less of an outsider. To talk to people that understand what goes on inside my head and my heart. To work through my shyness and get to know people. As always, I'm so glad that I showed up despite my fear that I'd be stuck standing in a corner by myself the whole night like loser girl.
Gay Talese makes me want to go and live in different countries and get to know the people with years of immersion hunting for personal stories. Rawi Hage makes me want to identify what is political about me, what feminist acts do I live with gratitude and yet take for granted? How do I honour those people before me? How do I use my gifts wringing out everything that I need to say?
Philippe Dupuy makes me want to pull out my fun side and get back into comics. It's funny that the only thing I could ever draw well when I was a child was comics.
Seeing the chance that I can have what I want, what I really want and not what others think I should want makes me emotional. More people hugged me and kissed me and even Geoffrey Taylor turned and smiled at me as if he was acknowledging that I was in my element. Damn straight, I deserved to be there. I deserve to do what I want to do. That is political.
Paul Quarrington had me cracking up when I asked him if he enjoyed interviewing Jasper Fforde. He did his normal schtick about hating Jasper because he's attractive, smart, funny and sells. At Humber College he basically did a stand up routine about being on a book signing junket with Wayson Choy and Nino Ricci and how about 8000 people lined up for Wayson and Nino and no one came to him. ha ha! He always acts like he's the big traumatized writer. The show 1-800 Missing which is now called Missing is his brainchild. Not too shabby. I think it's in it's third year now with Vivica Fox and Mark Consuelos.
I drank a glass of Gazela (Portuguese wine) in honour of my boss at my day job. He doesn't get what I do but appreciates my passion. Plus he's turned me on to lots of things Portuguese including some of the wines.
I had a chance to come across some other cat lovers. We're really everywhere! I said, "I wonder if Zelda is white because she is so fascinated by my hair. She wants to touch it all the time."
I'm happy gushy girlfish, inspired and in love with about ten people, if not more.
Happy Birthday Aubrey Christopher! You are still something extra!
EY
