Yesterday was the last day of the Young Writers' Workshop at NCSU. Janet and I got there at noon to help set up the room and bring down the anthologies. We wrote all the kids' names on the chalkboard to decorate it, and tied balloons to chairs:

I went up to the entrance at Winston Hall, in case any parents came in that way, though none did, then I went back downstairs and talked for a little bit to Angela Davis-Gardner:

We started the Celebration at 1:30. First, our intrepid program director, Daun Daemon, said a few words:

Then our guest speaker, storyteller Donna Washington, talked about stories and began a folktale about a big, strong man:

Then it was time for the students to read. First was a performance from the playwriting class (there were four skits). Next was the science fiction readers. I got up and said a few words about the kids' imaginations and that I hoped their parents would keep encouraging them to be creative:

The three kids that wanted to read their work from my class did so; shown is Tori (reading), Nicholas and Jack, with me on the side:

After that, the kids performed more skits, and read from the fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry classes. Pictured here is William, who was in my class, but read from a remarkable essay about Turtle Island:

William has boatloads of potential, and I wanted to make sure he knew that he should never stop writing, no matter how weird his fiction was (and some of it was really out there). One of the biggest messages I wanted to get across was that sf is just as valid a form of literature as any other, no matter what others might think. I was continually surprised with what these kids would come up with, and I really hope they keep at it.

After the celebration, Janet and I got a quick bite at Bojangles, then drove to the Brier Creek theater near RDU airport to get advance tickets for that night's showing of Michael Moore's new film Fahrenheit 9/11. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, only one seat was still available. So we got tickets for the next day (today), and drove for a bit around the enormous Brier Creek shopping center. We looked in a few stores, and picked some things up in Barnes & Noble (inclusing Kim Stanley Robinson's new novel), then drove home. A bit of relaxing, then it was off to the apartment of a coworker and her husband. Another coworker was there as well, and we hung out and chatted for a bit. Then we decided to go to dinner at Bogart's, a restaurant downtown.

The place was very cool, and we got seated in a comfy semi-circular booth. One of the specialties there is martinis, and I ordered an African Queen, which was basically a mocha martini. Unfortunately, I spilled almost half of it on the table, but the stuff I had was very yummy. The food was great, as was dessert, but the company was so much fun. We talked for the longest time, and ended up staying there for two and a half hours. On the wall near our area was a screen, playing Casablanca; we were there so long that the entire movie was played, and it got halfway through another repeat. Once we were finished, we drove back to my coworker's apt and had coffee and talked a bit more. Janet and I got home around 1 a.m. It was a very fun night.

We stayed up and watched Conan O'Brien, and Patton Oswalt (who was a guest) made a joke that had me laughing hysterically for the next twenty minutes. It wasn't really that funny, but something about the delivery just made me lose it. That happens to me every once in a while, when I get stressed out mostly; something will set me off and I'll laugh and wheeze until tears are streaming down my face and my stomach aches and my throat screams for mercy. It's a tension reliever, something my body has been building up; some people, when they get to that point, lash out and kick their pets. I laugh. I think I was just relieved the workshop was over.

We slept in this morning, rolling out of bed around 11:30. Brunch over at the Waffle House, then we went back to Brier Creek and wandered around a bit before the film started. I was absolutely drained of energy, dragging my feet and groaning as Janet looked at Chinese wicker baskets and throw pillows. We got to the theater fifteen minutes before the film was to start, and got the last two seats together in the section further back from the screen.

The film was incredible. Parts of it made me laugh out loud. Other parts made me weep quietly. It is an unbelievably powerful documentary. I don't care if you're Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, whatever, you need to see Fahrenheit 9/11. Janet knew a lot of the circumstances used in the film, but I didn't, and I don't think a lot of Americans do. We turn a blissfully ignorant blind eye to a corrupt and unintelligent government, then are shocked when events turn out the way they do. Yes, Michael Moore has his own slant in the movie, but every single fact is in the public record, and there is no denying the connections between the Bushes, the Saudi royal family, and the major oil industries in this country. Please please please see this film, and if your local cineplex isn't carrying it, flood them with emails and phone calls until they do. It is so important to get the word out about this film. If you can see this movie and honestly tell me to my face that you are still voting for Bush in the upcoming election, I will give you ten dollars on the spot. Just be prepared for a strong debate before you get it.

This is the strongest evidence to boot Bush out of office once and for all. The facts are undeniable. Go see Fahrenheit 9/11. Do it for your country, but more importantly, do it for yourself.

Now Reading:
Summerland by Michael Chabon

Stories Out to Publishers:
8

Books Read This Year:
33

Zines/Graphic Novels/Fiction Mags Read This Year:
17