When we last saw our heroine, which would be me, I was communing with the art-collecting set. Some of that is still going on, but the fanciest stuff -- the auction houses -- I dispatched last Friday, Sunday and Monday. Ah, you ask, what happened to Saturday? Well, that's the other world that collided. I spent Saturday at the Left Forum. This is an annual meeting of left-of-center people and organizations, the object of which is to make new connections, exchange ideas, and generally get ready to take over the world. This was a big year for Left Forum, what with the Arab world uprisings and Occupy movements everywhere. I was on a panel called "Occupy the Imagination," discussing social agendas in fiction.

My fellow panelists were Terry Bisson, Ken Wishnia, Meg Starr, and Susie Day. Considering that there were about forty simultaneous panels at any given time (take that, Bouchercon!) we had a great audience -- about two dozen people, half of them writers. The discussion was terrific, smart and thought-provoking. In the morning and early and late afternoon, when I wasn't paneling, I went to a bunch of other sessions. Tremendous energy, serious progressive analysis. And the requisite loonies, to spice it up. I loved it, and I loved the fact that it was sandwiched between my auction house days.

The panel was video'd, and I'll post the link as soon as I get it.

Peace, youse all.