Montreal Trio

I'd imagine it must be fun to ride in the same car with Nairne Holtz, Harold Hoefle and Barry Webster as they all head back to Montreal at 10pm. But perhaps their energy has waned now that it's late, and they have a two hour rainy drive ahead this Friday evening. But it certainly was enjoyable to listen to the trio read from parts of their stories at Venus Envy tonight. The book, Lust for Life: Tales of Sex & Love is an anthology published by Vehicule Press in my home town of Montreal.

Admittedly it was a small crowd out to the reading tonight. Weather? First day of long weekend? Despite this, I could not stifle my constant guffaws at Barry Webster's story, "Jingle Balls", a gay erotic tour de force romp of a story involving Santa Claus who hasn't had it that good in 150 years. (A story for lovers of big men in red suits and not for children's ears.) And when Nairne Holtz said she would be reading a story called 'No Parking' I immedidately thought of the book of the same name by Vehicule poet, Tom Konyves. His book (of poetry), No Parking was also published by Vehicule Press in 1978. Other familiar names in this wide ranging anthology are Tess Fragoulis (Words to Flesh) who made an appearance at the Ottawa International Writers Festival last fall, and fantasy writer Nalo Hopkinson of Toronto. If the other stories are as entertaining as tonight's crew, the book will make a bee line to the top of the book pile beside my bed.