October 18th, 2012

Packing for VIWF

I am a chronic under-packer. This is because I often take the sort of trip where I have to lug my suitcases on and off public transit not once but several times. Faced with this future scenario, I often decide I can wear my blue dress on Tuesday *and* Thursday, sleep in my underwear, and transport my cereal bars out of their box. And you’ll often find me by Thursday, wearing a dress with a salsa stain on it, exhausted because my hotel room was freezing and I was basically naked, with all my cereal bars in crumbs.

But the Vancouver International Writers’ Festival is being so lovely–picking me up *and* returning me to the airport, arranging accommodations near the reading venue, and basically sorting all the potentially stressful details for me–that I’ve decided to throw caution to the wind. I’m bringing clothes for *all* the days I’m there, plus a notebook, and (I never do this) an alternative pair of shoes. And trusting to fate and volunteer festival staff that I’ll never have to carry my suitcase down a massive cement tunnel as I did so many times in England.

Yep, this is my version of a wild and crazy trip.

I should probably go over my reading one more time though. I do have to shoulder *some* of the stress.

If you’re in Vancouver, I’d love to see you at one of my events!!