Beltane Fair 2009!
I just had a fabulous weekend at the Melange Magique Beltane Fair. Originally I was only going to be in town for the Saturday, but our out-of-town plans were rescheduled a few days ago and so I was fortunate enough to be able to stop by the Fair for a couple of hours on the Sunday as well.
I gave a one-hour talk about hearthcraft and The Way of the Hedge Witch early Saturday afternoon, and then participated in a panel discussion with other authors about writing and publishing. It was an absolute joy to sit on the same panel as Sian Reid, Judika Illes, and Brendan Myers, as well as local authors Greg Stroll and Rob St. Martin. It turned out that I’d met Sian previous to this event, only no one had told me her last name at the time. (“How many Sians can there be?” she laughed at me. “This is the Pagan community,” I said, “there could be any number of them!”) I met Judika Illes for the first time and we clicked immediately; she’s a wonderful, wonderful human being, and I so wish we’d had time to sit down and really talk with one another. It was terrific to see Brendan Myers again, and I wish I’d had more time to speak with him, as well.
Apart from a couple of instances where miscommunication occurred about certain things (I wasn't told about doing time at the signing table, alas, and didn't receive details about the dinner out on Saturday night in time to plan) everything went smoothly for me. The Fair was very well attended, and the energy in the building was just wonderful; everyone was happy and relaxed and it was a joy to be there. I’m always mildly freaked about large gatherings of people, and to deal with the minimum of stress associated with this sort of thing was a delight.
Thank you to all the locals who came out to hear my talk, and to all the volunteers who organized and help run the Fair. Thank you to the staff of the Melange, too, who sailed through the weekend of heavy client traffic with grace and aplomb, and to everyone who went out of their way to metaphorically hold my hand. And a huge sweeping curtsey to the lovely and talented Robyn, the store manager, who was the brains behind the entire operation and who should be very proud of the wonderful weekend.
I gave a one-hour talk about hearthcraft and The Way of the Hedge Witch early Saturday afternoon, and then participated in a panel discussion with other authors about writing and publishing. It was an absolute joy to sit on the same panel as Sian Reid, Judika Illes, and Brendan Myers, as well as local authors Greg Stroll and Rob St. Martin. It turned out that I’d met Sian previous to this event, only no one had told me her last name at the time. (“How many Sians can there be?” she laughed at me. “This is the Pagan community,” I said, “there could be any number of them!”) I met Judika Illes for the first time and we clicked immediately; she’s a wonderful, wonderful human being, and I so wish we’d had time to sit down and really talk with one another. It was terrific to see Brendan Myers again, and I wish I’d had more time to speak with him, as well.
Apart from a couple of instances where miscommunication occurred about certain things (I wasn't told about doing time at the signing table, alas, and didn't receive details about the dinner out on Saturday night in time to plan) everything went smoothly for me. The Fair was very well attended, and the energy in the building was just wonderful; everyone was happy and relaxed and it was a joy to be there. I’m always mildly freaked about large gatherings of people, and to deal with the minimum of stress associated with this sort of thing was a delight.
Thank you to all the locals who came out to hear my talk, and to all the volunteers who organized and help run the Fair. Thank you to the staff of the Melange, too, who sailed through the weekend of heavy client traffic with grace and aplomb, and to everyone who went out of their way to metaphorically hold my hand. And a huge sweeping curtsey to the lovely and talented Robyn, the store manager, who was the brains behind the entire operation and who should be very proud of the wonderful weekend.