Leacock

I was lucky enough to be a reader on the Leacock Humour Award Committee this year. This means I was part of a team that selected a winner from 43 submitted entries. We narrowed them down to a shortlist and decided (along with national judges ) a winner.

Past winners have been W.O. Mitchell, Farley Mowat, Mordecai Richler and dozens of other worthy Canadians.

This year the winner was ( unsurprisingly ) Stuart McLean ( who I , like all good Canadians, love ) for his newest Vinyl Cafe compilation: Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe.

I sat at a table with very interesting people....some who had been to the very first awards ceremony in 1947 and had been coming ever since.

Out of the interesting people I talked to, Stuart McLean and Will Ferguson were the highlights.

I had met both before in passing at author events and signings ( I have been heavy in the bookselling business for almost six years now ), but was glad to have another opportunity.

Will Ferguson is a class act.

I was thrilled to be invited and hope to go again sometime.

Long live Mariposa and thriving literary awareness in small towns.