braved the mad weather for the brooklyn book festival in fort greene yesterday. in a threadbare cardigan over a slip of a blouse, with only my shawl and a leaky umbrella for protection, was quite happy to sit in the cold rain all day for a celebration of words and the people who write them.

i learned quite a few things, namely that the word "text" comes from the Latin "texere," meaning to weave together. a brilliant poet/visual artist shared that nugget of wisdom, arguing that text and textiles are inextricably linked, in an explanation for why she works in mixed media. i was left to ponder why i keep so many of my chosen mediums separate when they are all woven, in a certain way.

besides this bit of brilliance, among others, saw farai chideya, sarah silverman, venus williams & melvin van peebles. missed ta-nehisi coates, nelson george, colson whitehead and elizabeth wurtzel. i wanted to post a news clip before the day gets away from me. more on this later. --AL.