The Bees Have Kicked Cohen Out of Top Spot

I met Leonard Cohen in a Shoppers Drugmart in Toronto in 2008.  And I lost my mind.  It was the single most thrilling thing that had ever happened to me.  I flashed back to the first time I ever saw his name - and it was during a grade 10 English class - and I knew, as soon as I had read his poem, that it was something I wanted to do.  It made me curious about poetry - and wanting to write it.  

I came home last night to a birthday card from my parents and two copies of 'Keeping Bees'.  It is absolutely something else to see the poems all bound up in this way.  I am thrilled and overjoyed - so much so that, all bound up in this way, the book - and the poems in it - have just knocked my meeting with Mr. Cohen out of top spot of joyful things to have happened to me in life.  Bring on the launch - and the duende!

Speaking of duende, I was asked to write a short piece for writing.ie on what it was like to pull together the collection.  It's live - and can be accessed here.

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