You pays your money and you takes your choice.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Margaret Atwood on Twitter? It's true.


The interactive, worldwife tour for Margaret Atwood's new novel The Year of the Flood is to involve actors and music composed exclusively for the book, which needless say sounds supremely awesome. (I can't find a complete tour schedule as of this post, but rest assured I will stay on top of this). The book itself is a sequel, or rather companion book, to 2004's speculative novel Oryx and Crake).

In order to keep us up to date, she has not only set up a tour blog but also has begun tweeting on Twitter. (As of today, she already has over 4,000 followers. Oh, Peggy, why must you make it so hard for me to ever catch up?)

To be sure, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be able to type @MargaretAtwood, and that her perpetual and regal genius would be as real as your average pr0nbot or marketing scammer, but it's a delightful prospect. Now would probably be a good time to note, for the benefit of full disclosure, that my love for Atwood's writing has been boundless ever since I read The Handmaid's Tale (voluntarily, not for class) my sophomore year of high school. You know that writer who you discover and immediately decide to read his or her entire oeuvre right then and there? Well, that's Atwood for me. Ultimately, The Blind Assassin came out at the top of the list. Neither I, nor my writing, was ever the same after that book. Please read it.

To tie-in with the release of The Year of the Flood, Virago has redesigned Atwood's back catalog. Here's what The Blind Assassin looks like, all turned out with its new cover:



Beautiful.

Update:

Atwood's complete tour schedule for The Year of the Flood, featuring music composed by L.A.-based composer Orville Stoeber, can be found here. It's one hell of a trip, comprising the U.S., Canada and Europe, and kicks off August 23rd aboard none other than the Queen Mary 2.

The American leg of the tour is as follows:

Oct 4
2:00pm
Denver Tattered Cover Book Store,
1628 16th Street, 80202
Reading & Book Signing Details to come
Oct 6
8:00pm
San Francisco San Francisco City Arts & Lectures-Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue Literary performance with music followed by book signing 415-392-4400
or click here
Oct 7
7:30pm
Seattle Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Avenue, 98101 Reading & Book Signing in association with Elliott Bay Books Details to come
Oct 9
8:00pm
Los Angeles University of California, Royce Hall. 340 Royce Dr. 90095 Literary performance with music followed by book signing in association with UCLA Live! Series 310-825-2101
or click here
Oct 24
8:00PM
Toronto
International Festival of Authors, Fleck Stage (formally the Premier Dance Theatre), Harbourfront Centre, 270 Queens Quay West Reading 416-973-4000
or click here
Oct 25
8:00pm
Cambridge First Parish Church, 3 Church St, 02138 Literary performance with music followed by book signing- in association with Harvard Book Store Details to come
Oct 27
7:00pm
New York Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street Literary performance with music followed by book signing Details to come
Oct 30
8:00pm
Washington George Washington University, Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street NW, 20052 Literary performance with music followed by book signing Details to come
Oct 31
TBD
Austin TBD Reading & Book Signing in association with Texas Book Festival Details to come
Nov 6
TBD
Chicago DePaul University, Merle Reskin Theater, 60 E. Balbo Drive Literary performance with music followed by book signing Details to come
Nov 8
TBD
Miami TBD Reading and Book Signing in association with Miami Book Fair Details to come

2 comments:

niina said...

I loooooveeee itttt.. MAN she is awesome.

CS said...

I know, I'm totally seeing her when she comes to New York. Want to come?

 
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