It being exactly 2 weeks since Bokfest 2006, It's high time that I hunker down and write about an occasion that consumed many hours and a lot of Bourbon over the past few months. I couldn't write about it here until now, as the whole procedure was Top Secret. Only now, after allt he proper channels have been navigated and security clearances met, and I at liberty to talk about what occurred on August 2nd, 2006:

Christian Bok's 40th birthday party.


That's the luminous Bill Kennedy in the background. Bill flew all the way out from Toronto to help us celebrate, because Bill is an awesome guy. I am fiercely jealous of his poetry machine, that not only writes for him, but what it writes is GOOD. jealousy.

Anyhoo. Maybe six months ago, derek and I were having a coffee and having one of those discussions where we were both deciding to Do Things. you know the conversations, where you and your co-converser suddenly experience an overabundance of Fantastic Ideas and separate, planning all the Great Things you'll now accomplish. The danger with said conversations is derek and I are far more likely than most to actually go through with said ridiculous ideas. In derek's case, his Idea was The Calgary Blow-Out 2: The Blowening (August 24-26th at Motel in the Centre for Performing Arts). As for me, I started planning a simple birthday party that escalated to an all-out extravaganza.

Thanks to everyone who read: derek beaulieu, ryan fitzpatrick, Louis Cabri, kevin mcpherson-eckhoff, Jason Christie, and Bill Kennedy. Thanks to Jocelyn and James for wishing they could. All the performaces were exemplary. Everyone made me so proud.
Extra-special thanks to derek, who was unfailingly supportive and let me borrow his iron. Thanks to everyone who made ephemera and doodads or just came by to eat a hotdog and have a great time. From the bottom of my heart, thanks to Christian's beautiful and generous partner, Brigitte, who was a scrumptious co-conspirator and kicked in more time and effort and other help than I could have possibly asked for.

Finally, thanks to Christian Bok for being a tremendous positive force in the Calgary literary community, for being unfailingly supportive of my own work and career, and for being a very good friend. You deserve all the hotdogs and chapbooks and embarassing readings from Dragin magazine life has to throw at you.