saturday summary

After writing (your last blog post) till 3 am yesterday, I didn't make it to the festival till just after 1 today.  The just after is significant in that the session I wanted to be at started just on time.  Fortunately, though, I was at least able to sit outside in the (not raining!) listening area, where it was being broadcast.  Actually it got quite hot.  (Having frozen yesterday, I came bundled in boots, coat and knit top (with arms, as opposed to yesterday's sleeveless variety of rather strange, yet writerly, knit).  Unfortunately, I hadn't thought to wear any lighter layer under the knit top and accordingly roasted.)

The first session was called "When a Book Travels," which was pretty perfect for me, particularly as there were writers and editors talking lots about American/Australian publishing.  Next I went to a talk on imagination, which was excellent and very funny.  The last session I went to (again foisted into the broadcast room because it was too full) was on Australian character and identity.  All the sessions were quite interesting and I took entirely too many notes, but potentially you'll get upcoming blog posts using various tidbits from them.  We'll see.


I was struck this year that there was a younger contingent in the crowd than I remembered before -- as in, the last few years I've felt like the youngest by about 20 years everywhere, but this year there seemed to be a lot more people about my age around.  I guess the word is spreading!


My final note for the evening has to do with the juxtaposition of the festival with church this evening.  I love the festival and think it's great and amazing and stimulating and creative and all the rest ... but as much as I love it, I love church so much more.  It's one thing to engage cognitively with ideas; it's an entirely different thing to experience the love of a church family that includes mental stimulation, but also emotional and, most importantly, spiritual engagement.  Anything without Christ can only go so far -- but with Christ, truly anything is possible.  Ideas are awesome, but they don't love you so much they die and rise again for you.  In fact, I don't think they love you at all.  They're great and great gifts of God, but His ultimate gift for us in Jesus is so much more than any idea, festival or piece of writing.  To God be the glory.