Meeting Margaret Atwood

In January 2010, I met Margaret Atwood. I was at the Toronto International Airport, lining up to have my fingertips dusted for bomb residue by Transportation Canada when my friend let out a little shriek and we both turned around and exclaimed “It’s Margaret Atwood!” I took a few deep nervous breaths, fumbled for my business card, and awkwardly presented myself to her. There was absolutely no mistaking the curly hair and distinct features. Canada’s preeminent author, poet, novelist, essayist, op-ed writer and Twitter-er was standing in front of me, diminutive in a large winter coat. I thrust my card at her and mumbled something about inviting her to the Festival, year after year. She looked down at my card and graciously told me that she had heard good things about the Frye Festival. “Will you come?” I asked.  “Yes” she said, “not this year but next…follow up with my office”. Well, of course I did as soon as I landed and I am so thrilled that this April Margaret Atwood will attend the Frye Festival.

There will be two main opportunities for you to hear Margaret Atwood. The first will be at Soirée Frye, the Festival’s annual “literary smorgasbord” – one-hour, four authors, two musicians, writing contest winners, all followed by an open reception in Greater Moncton’s beautiful Capitol Theatre.

The second opportunity takes place on Saturday (April 30^th) again at the Capitol Theatre, as Atwood delivers the 2011 Antonine Maillet-Northrop Frye Lecture. Following this historic lecture
(that we hope to live-stream, available to all 126,000 Atwood followers on Twitter!), Atwood will have an on-stage discussion. And then for the groupies, Margaret has agreed to sign some books, in person (no long-pen!).

Of course, if you are lucky there will be another very special opportunity to have lunch with Margaret and raise funds for the Frye Festival’s Foundation at the same time. There will only be 25 tickets available at a cost of $200 each (a $150 tax receipt will be available) and each will include a beautiful lunch at Dieppe’s gourmet restaurant, L’Idylle.

If you haven’t read a lot of Atwood, I would personally recommend my favourite novel, the near-future dystopian Oryx and Crake. (It is so difficult to choose! I also loved The Robber Bride and of course, The Handmaid’s Tale.) Atwood calls Oryx and Crake:  “a joke-filled, fun-packed rollicking adventure story about the downfall of the human race.” Here is a great reading/lecture by Atwood about Oryx and Crake at MIT: http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/196 . (It is funny to note that the only reason that she made it to MIT was that a student passed her an invitation during the Giller Awards!)

I truly can’t believe that we will finally have the great honour have having Northrop Frye’s former student, “Oracle Atwood” in our midst this April. Tickets go on sale at http://www.tickets.moncton.ca/ on February 21^st, 2011. For all the details visit: http://www.frye.ca/.