Books & Beer II is in the books!

Books & Beer II drew an enthusiastic crowd of book lovers. Okay, book lovers AND beer drinkers - thanks to the hospitality of our venue sponsor, Roxanne's Reflections Book & Card Shop, and our beer sponsor, Wellington Brewery.

So what happened at Books & Beer II?

 Tables and chairs? Check. Snacks? Check. Ready!

We're all set up and ready to roll. Books everywhere and beer...

 Beer. 'Nuff said.

... also everywhere. Please check out the distinctive "wellie" tread on the bottom of the packaging. Is Wellington Brewery classy, or what?

"So I said to my editor, I said...."

Our special guest, author J.M. Frey, arrives and wades into the crowd to make some friends - fellow writers Lisa Dalrymple (award-winning author of kids' books like Skink on the Brink and A Moose Goes A-Mummering) and Francis Baker (he writes, he photographs, he works hard on the Elora Writers' Festival commitee, too). In the background, committee member Suzanne Sutton-Curry rocks some steampunk-inspired millinery while keeping an eye on things. And yes, a film crew from TVCogeco prepares to film the evening for Turning Pages, the book show hosted by EWF committee members Dave Beynon and Roxanne Beale.

I mean, the place is rocking! And then Jess cracks open her latest novel, The Untold Tale and holds us in thrall...

  

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..including our brilliant MC, Dave Beynon (yes, also an author!), who is clearly deep in "the zone", which is okay because we were all in there with him. Weird, wonderful, witty storytelling gets us every time.

Thinking, thinking...

And then we put Jess on the spot: Hey Jess, how about coming up with a story for this amazing steampunk lamp created by artist Doug Mills of Elmira, our raffle prize for the evening? No problem. Her story had something to do with the universe, and spheres and stars and weird cosmic energy. She came up with it - like magic. Awesome.

It was a fantastic evening, with insights into the writing and publishing process as well as a bit of literary education (Do you know what "steampunk" means? Do you know what "meta-fiction" is? No? Well, sorry, you had to be there for the lively Q&A...) provided by the supremely articulate, funny and multi-talented J.M. Frey.

J.M. Frey, MC Dave Beynon, EWF committee member Suzanne Sutton-Currry:
 a trio of troublemakers. Just saying...

And we attracted a diverse and eclectic crowd, too.

Talking, visiting, watching - the room is buzzing!

 "That's ginger ale in my cup, honest, Mom!"

Books & Beer II is in the books, and we're so grateful to those who came out to share it with us and support the Elora Writers' Festival, coming May 29 to Aboyne Hall (Wellington County Museum and Archives).

And speaking of Festival 2016....

Yup. This.

Our authors: Dietrich Kalteis, Pamela Mordecai, Douglas Gibson, Terry Fallis and the star of Books & Beer II, J.M. Frey. Books - and tickets! - available at Roxanne's Reflections.

Need more information about Books & Beer, our Festival (including our Short Story Contest) and our authors? Feel free to email us at elorawritersfestival [at] gmail [dot] com.

Books & Beer II is in the books! See you on May 29 at Festival 2016!