Gemini - Of Two Minds

It's officially September which means back to school - where has the time gone? I've been wrapped up in the whirlwind that September usually is but it's time to get back to the blogging board. I mentioned in my last post that I had submitted an article to a magazine about my alter ego and I'm excited to report that they published it! The Zine, named KATALOG, called their latest edition 'Gemini' after the Greek twins, though in this case it was more of the splitting of two personalities. I'm finding more and more often that I prefer to be Miss Scarlet rather than plain ol' me but perhaps what's really happening is that plain ol' me is turning into Miss Scarlet. More on this transformative stage later.

Right now the biggest divide I'm feeling is in my creative energies. I'm organizing a Hallowe'en burlesque show and trying to get a couple of routines down. But on the other hand I've always had a passion for the written word and lately I've been trying to throw myself into the writing community the same way I embraced the stage. Which is to say, just get out and do it! That's always harder than it sounds but so far I've managed a few interesting things, such as:

Volunteering for the Thin Air Writing Festival! Thin Air brings authors to us, the public and offers a lot of fun seminars, workshops, readings and other literary adventures. Here's their overview:

In September each year, Winnipeg welcomes writers from Canada and around the world for a week of readings, lectures, interviews, conversations, book launches, and other events. That week of literary feasting—which reaches out into the rural areas of the province as well—is THIN AIR, the Winnipeg International Writers Festival. With programming for adults and children, in English and French, THIN AIR is an infusion of energy into the thriving literary culture of this city.

Thursday, September 6th I helped set up the annual book sale at the Forks. All books are donated and proceeds go to the Festival fund. It was a piece of cake really, seeing as how I've spent the last year working in a book store. The coordinators and other volunteers are really gung ho about the Festival and the work they put in so it really doesn't feel like work. Last Friday I sold tickets to the Manitoba Reads event supported by the CBC and I got to sit in on four literary critiques each champion a recently published Canadian novel-and one of them was written by my Creative Writing prof from last year, Struan Sinclair. It's like I'm meeting famous people already. ;) Yesterday and today I'm taking care of the hospitality suite which has given me the opportunity to talk to and about authors I never would have met or heard of otherwise. My reading list has grown drastically and surprisingly a lot of the books are not in the genres I usually read. How's that for growth? This has been a really great time and I'm definitely going to volunteer again next year.

Secondly I've become more involved with the University of Manitoba Literary Society. The Society is a student group founded by my Creative Writing class of last year and led by some truly enthusiastic Masters students. Our group so far has provided support and feedback for each other's writing endeavours outside of the classroom and made a point of attending readings, plays and other literary events together. We also held a bake sale last year where we raised funds for a local literacy group. This year we're planning a Creative Writing Contest, putting together a list of places to submit polished work to, looking at bringing in speakers to motivate us and working closely with the Writer in Residence. If you'd like to get involved with us drop us a line in our facebook group. You don't have to attend classes at the U of M to join, the only prereq is that you enjoy writing and would like to connect with others who do as well.

And last but certainly not least: KATALOG! That link will take you to the page where you can download a pdf of the magazine.

I made a point of learning how to take screen shots just for this occasion, so here we are: sneak peeks of my article in the 'zine. I'm very excited about this. It's the perfect blend of my two favourite ways of expressing myself, writing and dance. Now don't try to read my article off these pics! ;-D There is a spectacular variety showcased in the seventh issue of KATALOG and I sincerely encourage you to take the time and check it out.

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet