The Hub October 2013 | Page 9

Eva Antonel I don’t remember the exact time when books first cast their spell on me. My earliest memory associated with books is being surrounded by several unopened ones that I had brought home from the school library, and luxuriating in the anticipation of what I was to find inside. If I was able to travel back in time and find myself again in my six-year-old body, I’m sure I’d find every adult in the household deeply immersed in their own reading bliss. We were a houseful of readers: my grandparents, my uncle, my mother and I. An often-told story tells of a day when, emerging from their own imaginary tales, the adults noticed my three-year-old self gone, my book the only thing remaining. This was not a matter to be taken lightly. We lived on the third floor of a multi-unit apartment complex right in the centre of a large city, with countless people walking by and a tram line running through the centre of the avenue. It’s no wonder that my mother flew through each room, down the winding stairs and onto the street within seconds of the discovery. That story ended well. I was found around the corner, roaming a small carnival that had come to town, unharmed and unperturbed. As all good stories do, this one shows much more than the words tell. Being surrounded by people who loved the written word and made it available to me from a young age was undoubtedly the spark that lit my lifelong love of reading. If you are a kindred spirit, you’ll join me in anxiously awaiting the twelfth annual BookFest Windsor this year, held the weekend of November first at the Capitol Theatre. And, if a weekend of everything bookish isn’t enough to set See Margaret Atwood at Bookfest this year! your heart aflutter, make sure you mark the evening of November second as the night you’ll be able to come face to face with Canadian literary icon, Margaret Atwood. The author of countless works of fiction and non-fiction will be here to promote the just-released third installment of her trilogy, Madd Addam. If books are something you’ve just observed other people being enthusiastic about, this is your chance to immerse yourself in their world. Check out the website Bookfest.com for the schedule of events or their Facebook page for updates about the preparations. You’ll find writers and poets, local and national, as well as winners of a local student writing contest sharing with the audience what it is that inspires and motivates them to write. There will be opportunity to hear them read from their latest work, ask them questions about their unique writing experiences and even have brunch while discussing plot, character and cover design. For the price of a fast food meal, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in all things literary. Fair warning: save up a little extra for the books you’ll want to buy on the premises and have signed by the authors in attendance. Looking for a lit fix before Bookfest? Check out Tell us on Facebook how you experienced local art this month, or tweet us @thehubWE #artmatters October 2013 - The HUB 9