And Now, LIVE From Grand Rapids, MI...

I'm here! Basking in thirty minutes of quiet until it's time to hear Michael Chabon on Imaginary Homelands.

Gary Schmidt was wonderful, very inspiring. He spoke smoothly and calmly, shuffling his feet every few seconds, but voice and face composed. He read a few pages from The Wednesday Wars, and the audience was totally wrapped around his little finger. Amazing.

I'll post my messy notes later tonight.

But one more thing, guess who else showed up? The organist at vespers is Alm Uncle in the flesh. An enormous pipe organ dominated the chapel, and here is this solid old man, with a flowing white beard, putting his entire heart and soul into the music. Lovely.