I kicked off November in style by attending a Billy Collins poetry reading at the Pantages Theatre.  My darling friend Elyse and I went to hear our beloved poet share his dry wit and perfect imagery and fascinating thoughts.  I asked the man beside me, “Have you seen Billy Collins before?”

“Oh, no,” he said.  “My wife and I are from Oregon, and we timed our visit to our son and daughter-in-law with Billy Collins’s visit here so we could see him.  Have you?”

“This will be my third time,” I admitted.  I didn’t mention that one of those times I actually met him and had him sign my copy of Questions about Angels.  It reminded me once again just how grateful I am to live in the literary community of Minneapolis!

Some of my favorite friends and I went to an improv comedy show for my lovely friend Ashley’s birthday.  The show was funny, but the best part was spending the entire evening with such amazing women.

I was invited to be part of a panel about sadness, anxiety, and depression at a local church.  It was good to be able to share about OCD, ERP, and the stigma against mental illness that is so prevalent in the church (the church in general, not that church specifically, ha!).

My college writing instructor and author Judith Hougen has partnered with Ann Sorenson, a local filmmaker/instructor, and Luke Aleckson, an artist/instructor to pioneer the Emerging Artists Collective, a group of young Christian artists who will gather for sharing and discussions about issues related to faith and the artistic life.  We had our pilot gathering this month, and it. was. wonderful.  I really loved it, and I’ll be sharing about this in more depth soon on my blog.

And then, of course, the book deal.  I am absolutely thrilled that Harper Collins made me a two-book offer!  It’s still a bit surreal; I need to pinch myself.  My dreams are coming true.  I have been writing since I was in 2nd grade, though I don’t think I put my goal to “publish a book” in writing until high school.  Joy.  Elation.  Disbelief.  Wonder.  All of these have been taking up residency in my chest.

November 2013 has been delicious.