Tomorrow night, I will celebrate the launch of “Unpacked: from PEI to Palawan” with a literary inspired reading at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in my hometown of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, followed by a book launch party at Upstreet Craft Brewing. 

I have asked musicians, other writers and my nearest and dearest to be part of the celebration. There will be fiddlers, cupcakes, stickers, buttons, and in the middle, I will read a chapter from Unpacked.

I can’t help but reflect on my own narrative arc of writing this book. There were the many failed chapters, rejection letters, and times where the querying process was looking pretty grim. You have to have so much stamina to be a writer. But today, I feel like I have funneled through the darkness to the light, and it is “my time to shine”, which is something that Mitch and I always say to our toddlers. Something about launching this book seems new too, a freshness that bubbles and an energy that reverberates like I’ve just learned to walk. It’s a fitting comparison!

I engaged in a classic Facebook overshare this morning, thanking everyone who helped me write this book, supported me, encouraged me, and most of all – let me write about them. I am so grateful that the story was able to finally come to light. Thanks, Mom! (waves).

See you all tomorrow night, with the nerves, and the fiddles, and the poetics.