Hi. My name is Jay. Some of you may remember me from last year. I was the guy who had a few misgivings about the Winnipeg International Writer’s Festival. Well after some soul searching and a few good conversations with a doctor friend of mine, I’m willing to say, I may have in fact judged the festival and its administration a little harshly.

Seems they’re not really out to do you a disservice. While I’m still a little unnerved by the amount of literary power this Charlene Diehl woman has amassed, according to my well placed sources, nothing nefarious is going on. Sorry.

Now, with that bit of nastiness out of the way, on to brighter things, stories about me.

A few days ago, my wife and I were having a few beverages. It was one of our beers of the world tours. As I was pouring a fine light beer from Japan, I noticed that the rim of the can had been engineered with a concave lip. It was constructed in a manner that allowed it to 'hook' onto the side of the glass. This made pouring simple and dripless. When I pointed out this marvel of modern engineering to my wife, she responded with “that’s why I drive a Honda.” I nodded my head in agreement.

All this talk about Japanese engineering got me to thinking about writer’s festivals. You see, when the Winnipeg festival brings you amazing writers like Christian Bok and George Elliot Clarke for a measly 12 bucks on the main stage, that’s like buying a Honda. Great product, great value. Sure your BMW’s are nice and all, but who wants to pay 20 bucks to see John Irving in Calgary? He’s not even Canadian.

Could you spot the 8 dollar difference? I know I couldn’t. And most importantly, what should you be doing for your family in this tough new fiscal reality? You know the answer. Anyway, that’s all for now, but be sure to check back here for regular updates and stories about me from the festival. Take care all and until next time, please drive a Honda by going to the main stage.

J
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Jason Diaz is a Winnipeg-based writer and stay at home dad. His poetry and prose has been published in dark leisure magazine. Last year he joined the Thin Air collective and has been awaiting the festival’s arrival ever since. He has still only been interviewed by The Uniter once, and is sadly no longer licensed to drive forklift.