Well folks, it appears the festival is over for this year. It was my first time attending Thin Air, and obviously my first time blogging for it.

Not fully knowing what to expect I went into the week a little anxious but excited. And, it was awesome!

I jumped right in, attending three out of five nooners, fiver out of the six evening mainstages, four of the campus readings, two AfterWords, and one TV premier.

There were many great moments throughout the week but the highlight for me was George Elliott Clarke who I made sure to see twice. I was a little disappointed when he ran out of books at Red River (he was selling them for $15) but I made sure to buy one (for $24.95) at the AfterWords reading at Aqua Books. I waited to meet him and have him sign the book and it was worth it. He's very kind and seems to enjoy chatting with his fans. Inscribed in my copy of his new verse-novel I & I are these words:

For Brandon--who is a poet already , given the sincerity and the passion!

Truly,

George Elliott Clarke
25 September IX

Now I have to write.

****

Brandon James Bertram is an English/Creative Writing student at the University of Winnipeg. He reads, writes, rides bikes, and drinks coffee.

Michael Van Rooy is THIN AIR's Audience Development Coordinator. He also has a weekly column on writing and publishing in the Winnipeg Free Press and administers CMU's School of Writing...and there's probably things he does for money I don't know about.

Michael is also a writer, specifically a writer of thrillers. (A thriller-writer? A thrilling writer?)

Here's the bio they used for Michael when he performed at the festival last year instead of working for it:

Michael Van Rooy writes for documentaries, magazines, newspapers, and the Internet, and has been short-listed for the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer. His first book, An Ordinary Decent Criminal, gained him an enthusiastic audience as well as the 2006 Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book by a Manitoba Writer. His second book, Your Friendly Neighborhood Criminal (Turnstone), introduces Monty Haaviko, an ex-thief, ex-burglar, ex-armed robber, ex-smuggler, and ex-drug-dealer who’s lured into using his nasty talents again. Michael Van Rooy was born in Kamloops BC, and grew up in Winnipeg where he lives now with his wife and three children.

Well, this week, when Michael was trotting from event to event, he got some VERY good news. Which I thought I'd share here, in case you missed it (also, in case HE missed it)...as published in the Winnipeg Free Press:

"WINNIPEG writer Michael Van Rooy's first two thrillers have been picked up by an American publisher. Thomas Dunne Books will release Van Rooy's debut, An Ordinary Decent Criminal, on its Minotaur mystery imprint in July 2010.

Van Rooy's U.S. editor, Peter Wolverton, confirmed the deal by e-mail this week.

In 2011, Wolverton said, Thomas Dunne will release Van Rooy's followup Your Friendly Neighbourhood Criminal.

Thomas Dunne Books is a division of the New York-based St. Martin's Press."

So, to sum: Yay Michael! And: Get some sleep!