IFOA Finale

Lo, we find ourselves at the end of the International Festival of Authors. One last night of writers, publishers, and award celebrations awaits, but I am all volunteered out (according to the schedule, at least). I rocked a double-shift yesterday, and am still all fizzy and fabulous in the aftermath. So, here it is: the final IFOA post of the season.

Shift the First: 9:30 AM - 1 PM

Morning shifts cater to YoungIFOA programming, a series designed for Toronto students and the authors who focus on YA genres. It was the first and only shift I took on for the young'uns, and it was a great deal of fun. I admit, I'm still a relative noob when it comes to YA titles. When I was in that grade 6-8 stretch, YA novels were not terribly cool. I wanted to skip over it all, and embed myself firmly in adult fiction. Perhaps it was arrogance, perhaps it was connected to the limited selection available in the nineties -- in either case, I stand corrected in the face of current writers.

I was invited to sit in for the readings, and I was thrilled to see how receptive the kids were. Australian writer Rebecca James, author of Beautiful Malice, proved to be the crowd favourite with her debut novel about toxic friendships and two histories of violence. Alice Kuipers, author of The Worst Thing She Ever Did, offered excellent insight on her own writing process, and read from her aforementioned novel that deals with the death of the character's sibling. I know, the material is quite dark -- but both authors were excited about their work and, most of all, they were excited to get the kids writing. Excellent advice, if I do say so myself.

Shift the Second: 7:15 PM - 11 PM

Despite the big names scheduled for the evening's readings, the book selling area was quite subdued. I imagine burnout is the culprit, but I was still bubbling with anticipation. I buzzed around the Brigantine Room with tablecloths and votive candles in hand, and then I shuffled through the store, straightening books and laying out new product.

Again, us volunteers were invited in to the readings once the store's pace subsided. I snuck in for the second act, and WOW -- I picked the right time to crash the joint.

I arrived in time to hear Jane Urquhart read from her latest work, Sanctuary Line, and I caught Kathleen Winter's reading of her uber-award-nominated novel, Annabel. Had audience members turned around in that second half of the reading, I do believe they would have found a googly-eyed, drooling girl who looked suspiciously like me, suspended in a daunting sense of admiration. I thought an IFOA NOIR reading had been scheduled for the space -- little did I know I'd be crashing an event featuring Can. lit.'s elite. Shock and amazement!

***

Ah, book events. How I miss thee already. I am still rather envious over some other shifts on offer with IFOA -- I had to miss the training session due to night classes which meant I did not qualify for the Author's Lounge area. BAH! One volunteer regaled me with a tale involving her and John Waters hanging out and eating snacks. THAT COULD HAVE BEEN ME, PEOPLE. It could have been a gay wonderland, but NO. *Pout*

Just you wait until next season. I will rock that festival harder than a book-ophile in Robarts.

Mark my words.