Coming up for air

Today is Day 3 of the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Vancouver. We have enjoyed 2 fabulous evening events and 1 great day show. All but 2 of the artists are here (I'm picking the last 2 up this morning and taking them to my Mom and Dad's house where they will be billetted). The performances have been beyond amazing. The volunteers are spectacular. It's my job to coordinate the volunteer help, and they are making it so easy. My Poetry House friends who are organizing the festival are wonderful to work with - everyone is pitching in and sharing the work and the enjoyment of these days.

I took the week off work, but I still have my husband and the kids here, so I'm staying away from Wednesday's day event. The kids are home from school while the teachers are still on strike, and I want to spend the day with them after I get the poets in from the airport. Daughter has been waiting for me to take her to the yarn store to buy some new colours. (She taught herself to knit over the Thanksgiving weekend.) Son really needs a haircut, and just wants some time to talk to me about politics and sports, his two passions. Husband is grateful that I came home early from Wednesday night's show, partly because he doesn't sleep well (or at all) until I come home, and he leaves for work at 4:30am. Partly because he needs to know that he is just as important to me as this festival.

Tonight I'll be back in the game. If you are in Vancouver and you haven't made plans to come to a show, please do. Day events at Vancouver Community College are free. Evening events run from $12-$15. Some of these poets you will only see together in one show maybe once a year at a nationals competition somewhere, and even then probably not. This is performance poetry, comedy, storytelling - all accessible and available for you here in Vancouver. It's so good.

Our website tells more. Please check it out.

Now I'm going to eat porridge and get dressed and drive to the airport, then take kids for yarn and a haircut, then almost certainly a Szechuan lunch.

question: heard any good stories lately?

mompoet - of the running-over cup