One Week in Iowa

It’s been a week in which I partied like I was 22 all over again, kayaked on a beautiful day in Lake MacBride and was told off by the ‘lake’ police for swimming off the ‘grid’, randomly met a well-known political cartoonist in a bar full of writers and poets late one night, ate more burgers than a healthy person ought to eat in one week, picked fresh apples from the orchard, wrote some, sat through a bunch of mind-numbingly boring ‘orientation’ sessions and two entertaining readings at the warm and cozy Prairie Lights Bookstore, was mistaken for some poet from Chile named Steve, got an Iowa City Hawkeyes t-shirt for five bucks which upon wearing people would randomly yell ‘GO HAWKS!’ at me, had the misfortune of spending my first night with my window almost shattering from the noise coming from the annual freshman party in the park literally meters away from me, wrote some more, and drank, probably, an entire barrel of coffee.

So that’s one week down.

Nine to go.

I think I love this place.

 

Tough!

I was about to write an upbeat kind of post when I got the call this morning.

I didn't make it to the Iowa International Writer Program. After a couple of months of anxious waiting, they finally got back to me telling me that my application - even though was strong - wasn't selected because this year the competition was very tough. Figures. My luck aye! Well, at least that's kind of the end of that. Because since I applied, (and I so badly wanted to go) I got three job offers. So it looks like going back to a teady job for me, after almost 3 years since the last job I had. Damn, has it been that long!?

Anyway, I'm gutted, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. My hope was that I will be able to use that 3-month program to complete my two novels in progress. But I won't let that get in the way. I shall and I will complete at least one novel over the summer.

Oh, and apparently I'm supposed to go to Saudi tomorrow for an event at this exciting new coffee house called Otacuschéz. An evening-with-the-author type of thing which is part of the three-day grand opening.

I've been listening to Rufus Wainwrights "Going To A Town" - a most hauntingly, heart-breakingly beautiful song!


Going To A Town lyrics