Peace, Love, Books

Susan at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington, VT.
Photo by Steve Gaissert.

I could definitely get used to the book festival circuit: a really neat city to explore; bright, friendly people who like to talk about books; rooms filled with tables filled with books; authors reading from books; and people (like me) who want to write books. The 2014 Burlington Book Festival was a wonderful experience.

Upon arriving in Burlington, VT, I attended a reading by Leslie Jamison, whose words were rich and exciting and imperative. Then, she signed my copy of The Empathy Exams, writing kind words that I will always treasure. She asked me to sign her copy of the book, which is filled with the names of the people whose books she has signed; isn't that lovely? I was so nervous, I could barely write my name.

Meeting Leslie Jamison was enough, truly, but there was more to come. On day two, I read my essay and met sweet, enthusiastic Jessica Hendry Nelson of the Renegade Writer's Collective. My husband and my daughter were with me. I could not have been happier.

The finishing touch: spending my $100 Phoenix Books gift certificate (a fitting prize) before saying goodbye to hilly Burlington and dazzling Lake Champlain. Here's what this book lover will be reading this fall:

Photo by Susan Gaissert.

All my best wishes and most sincere thanks go to Rick Kisonak for maintaining the Burlington Book Festival, to  Leslie, and Jessica for the writerly love, and to Sandra Dodd and Keith Dodd for coming to my reading. You can check out my piece as well as those of Mary Wasmuth and Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach online at the Green Mountains Review.

I could definitely get used to this. To put my life back into perspective now, I will concentrate on the inevitable post-trip pile of laundry.

Postscript, Sept. 24, 2014: I just got a rejection notice! Even better than a laundry pile for getting back to reality. Thanks for that, Universe.