Friday, June 11, 2010 - That boy of mine and I drove down to Toronto, checked into a small hotel on Carlton Street and then walked down to Jet Fuel Coffee Shop. At the door we grabbed the June issue of Taddle Creek and while my boy went straight for the free beer, I sat down and cracked the cover.
The evening was sensational, a BBQ in the crowded backyard behind the café with readings and good conversation. But whenever there was a free minute, I was huddled in a corner with my copy of Taddle Creek. I couldn’t put it down. At one point between the readings and music, Conan - the editor of Taddle Creek - rushed by in a crowd vying for his attention and said “Jo-”
I screamed.
“You sticking around?” I think he said while I tried to catch my breath.
I think I said “Uh huh,” but I can’t be sure. If you read Snorkel by Judy McCrosky in the new issue, you might understand why I screamed. We stayed well after close and then the party moved down the street to a bar like the ones I’ve only seen in Toronto. The small space was stuffed with mismatched furniture you might find in your grandma’s living room in a space about the same size, only grandma wouldn’t hang here. The place was shoulder to shoulder, with people drinking and dancing and talking as though they had space to burn. Too dark to read, that boy persuaded me to dance until I was literally falling asleep on my feet.
We wandered back to our tiny hotel room where we slept on the sounds of the city below us. I never noticed how much a trolley sounds like a rocket ship before. The next morning, that boy wandered around with his camera taking pictures of buildings and lampposts and Torontains. We met Conan for breakfast and I got to pick his brain about being an editor for so long.
Magazines usually have the life span of restaurants, but Taddle Creek has published Toronto’s best lit for thirteen years. With The Glass Coin still in it’s first issue, it was a great encouragement to talk to an editor who has kept going for so long.
Now I’m dying to hear about the launches across Canada and in the US. Visit Taddle Creek anywhere along their Summer Tour and send your experience in 400-600 words to The Glass Coin. We will feature your review here and live vicariously through you. Say “Hi.” to Conan for me.
Cheers,
Jo
