My friend Greg Wohead, (artist/writer/Texan) invited me to recount a tale at the launch of Homebrewed, his new storytelling night. And I did. It was at LXV Books in Bethnal Green. It’s a sidenote, as Homebrewed happened already, but I highly recommend stopping by to check out the books if you’re out by Victoria Park. I talked about my experience as a city council candidate in Vancouver, during the heady Dance Party Party campaign of 2002. If you don’t know, I participated in the 2002 as a city council candidate in Vancouver. Here’s a photo. It felt good to talk about the impact of that formative experience, the heady highs and embarrassing lows, and just relive what was a special time in my life. Empowering, creative, productive, all those good things. That Dance Party Party campaign also had some similarities with Homebrewed itself; both were homespun, self-generated, sincere and creative. Last week there were four storytellers, all with very distinct topics and styles, coming together under one banner to share, laugh, drink a glass or two of wine, and have fun. Each of the storytellers (myself, Tiffany Charrington, Catriona James, and Stephen Connery-Brown) brought a piece of themselves to share, and the small crowd all bonded in the intimate space, with people reluctantly trickling out afterwards. It was an outstanding evening. It just missed some dancing. Next time, I hope.
