Lynn Coady

Hi Erica,

I don’t know if you were expecting to hear from me or not after you posted your piece — but here I am. It does feel a bit strange to be getting in touch after all this time and under these particular circumstances. I often thought of dropping you a line in the years after I left Ottawa. I wanted to so many times. But honestly, I assumed you wouldn’t be thrilled to hear from me and it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. Now that I’ve read your essay, I can’t help but think that, despite your very clear irritation with me, you were, in your way, reaching out. If that’s so, I’m glad you did.

For the Sydney Writers’ Festival in May 18-24. Exciting, right?

Then in June I’m going to London--THE London--for the London Short Story Festival.

It's spring, kinda, which means going places, doing things. Here are some:

March 11, Reading, talking and answering Qs with Liz Withey at the Edmonton Public Library, 7 pm

March 13, Concordia! In Montreal! Writers Read

March 17, York University! Toronto! If the strike isn't still going on : (. Canadian Writers in Person

April 13, CLC Kreisel Lecture, "Who Needs Books", at the University of Alberta. Please see bumpf below.

Ottawa International Writers Festival, for the Munro Beattie Lecture on Oct 23 and for Long Story Short with Jon Paul Fiorentino and Mireille Silcoff on Oct 25.

Trent University Oshawa, October 27

A sculpture in the park

John Minihan the festival photographer. He told me he photographed Beckett with this camera.

Tasting the local cuisine

Me in a lane

Cork Women's Prison, closed for a wedding that day so we couldn't go inside. (Wait. A wedding?)

Culture Night at the English Market on Grand Parkade. Mayhem!

Culture Night 2: Music and produce

I'm BC-bound this month!

My parents just sent me a photocopy of a very sweet speech given by their neighbour, Senator Mike MacDonald, which he delivered on the Senate floor on November 20th. It made me smile for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that it may be the most Cape Breton thing I've ever read. Check out the middle paragraph below. In later paragraphs, he goes on to explain in detail the myriad ways in which the MacDonalds and the Coadys are related to one another.