flowing

Monday night went to the launch of Joy Kogawa’s new book _Emily Kato_, which is a rewrite of _Itsuka_. The event was also a fundraiser for a project to save Kogawa’s childhood house, which was confiscated by the government at the time of Internment. Roy Miki read a snip from his book _Redress_ that documents the movement to get an apology and compensation from the Canadian government regarding that bleak moment in our history. Alison Nishimura played the piano. Harry Aoki played his mouth organ. He is 87 years old, and his life provided part of the inspiration for the character Stephen in _Obasan_. It was great to hear Kogawa herself read from the new book. She is so charismatic and passionate.

Last night– oden with with Rita, Hiromi and the kids at Hiromi’s house. All of our lives are moving and turning so fast and so intensely. Good to have sisters to share with and think things through. I also went, yesterday afternoon, to take a yoga class with Fiona Stang at Semperviva on Broadway. My practice in the wake of this leg injury has become much more tentative and sporadic. It was so good to make a real connect with it again.

Tomorrow at 12:30 I’ll do a reading at Special Collections SFU. It is an amazing place– houses the papers of many interesting Canadian writers from Roy Kiyooka to bp nichol to Lisa Robertson to Shani Mootoo. Do come, if you’re around and have time.