WordStorm

Tonight, I attended WordStorm for the first time in two years. For anyone who may not be aware, WordStorm is held once a month at Centre Stage in Nanaimo. I'd tell you what time but I think they're changing it again. WordStorm begins with an open mic for poets which is judged by selected members of the audience (last time I went I won second place!) and continues with a series of featured readers.

This month, my aunt Leanne Boschman was one of the featured poets, so I was going mostly to support her. My aunt read a selection from her new book, Precipitous Signs: A Rain Journal, published locally by Leaf Press. I have the book at home and was pleased to hear her read a favourite of mine, "Night Rain", which I heard her read previously at Word on the Street, a few years ago. Her reading tonight was a great success!

Although I enjoyed myself, and enjoyed meeting some of the other poets in the audience, Centre Stage was freezing, and I was nearly shivering in my premature Spring jacket. I was a little relieved to get back into my car at the end of the night.

When I arrived at home I had just missed Joannie Rochette's long form performance (some of my family was in tears), and I waited around to watch her take the podium! A glorious moment indeed.