Vanishing and Other Stories
An old friend of mine came for a visit. It had been 10 years. In that time she wrote a book. And did a hell of a lot more stuff too. She still wears Birkenstocks and has maintained everything else that ever made her cool. It’s just that now she’s almost thirty so everything is that much better. Her name is Deborah and she is brilliant. Alice Monroe can verify that.
(from author's website)
“The emotional range and depth of these stories, the clarity and deftness is astonishing.”
- Alice Munro
Please read Deborah’s book. Most literary-conscious Canadians already have. http://www.deborahwillis.ca
Ain’t it Lovely
We went out dancing the other night, if for no other reason than I like to wear high heeled shoes. It’s been tough times round here and there’s nothin like dancing to ease your troubled mind. There’s nothin like the blues either. It was sweaty in the bar. I didn’t know anyone there except one. No one there was young except one. No one there seemed to have the blues except one and that one was dancin all night with only me.
I heard Karen Lovely on the radio awhile back singin her tune “Too Little Too Late”. She’s got this big ol’ voice that reminds me that much of Aretha. I played the song for Johnny. Johnny said Etta. I need to listen to more Etta in order to be able to reasonably argue. Either way though, it ain’t bad. And Karen has a band. And her band smokes what she’s got. And Karen’s got the good stuff. Yeah, I think Miss Karen is on her way.
That night at the bar, I didn’t care that my hair was stickin to the back of my neck. I didn’t care that my feet were punchy and aching. I didn’t care that my dress was limp and clingy against my legs. I didn’t care that it weren’t pretty. See, it was lovely.
Yep, it was very lovely.
Gettin Out
Been gettin out about Mingus. And by out I mean I can’t hold it in anymore. The man was a hot genius. To say the least. Many already know this. I already knew it too in a theoretical, “he’s a jazz legend,” kind of way. Now I know know it. Like when you know know that you’re very hungry or very tired or very in love. It’s a molecular thing. It’s a heated thing. It’s an undeniable truth that develops over time and envelops you completely as a cocoon does, or an ocean.
