When I came to read at Thin Air in Winnipeg the first time, in 2008, it was already a city where I felt at home. My brother had lived in Winnipeg for ten years as part of the Primus theatre company, and I'd made several trips out during the 1990s to see his shows. Back then, it had never occurred to me that I might be on a stage in Winnipeg myself someday. . .
The warm, down-to-earth reception of my work (and of myself!) are dearly treasured memories. I still use my souvenir Thin Air coffee cup for my morning tea because it's a reminder of the happy days I spent at the festival, and it reminds me that there might actually be people out there who are interested in what I'm doing.
I'd always hoped to be invited back (what a complicated task for Charlene! Canada is overflowing with talented, prolific writers, and everyone deserves a hearing, don't you think?), but never expected it - so when the summons came I was overjoyed.
I'm very much looking forward to meeting the students at Oak Bluff Community School, and at the Collegiate of the University of Winnipeg. Also to sharing the stage with Jonathan Ball, Lorna Crozier, Sue Goyette, and Patrick Lane - what a line-up - I hope I'm not last up. . .!
JonArno Lawson joins Jonathan Ball, Lorna Crozier, Sue Goyette, and Patrick Lane for the Poetry Bash on the Mainstage at MTYP, The Forks, on Friday, September 28th at 8:00pm. He'll also be put and about as part of the THIN AIR 2012 School Program.
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