Often, when I tell people that I am a published author, their eyes light up, and they say funny things like, “Why are you working then?” I usually have to laugh and explain that statistics show that most new authors (in Canada) sell around 300 books. At roughly two dollars a book in royalties, it doesn’t amount to much.

So why would I agree to attend author talks and reading events that I am invited to? Sometimes there’s little or no compensation involved, and even when you travel as cheaply as possible, the costs add up.

I was asking myself these questions recently when I agreed to be featured at a reading event in Port Alberni, which happened to fall on one of the hottest days of June.

I took some time off work, made arrangements for our pets, and tried to squeeze in errands along the way to the event. It was only one ferry ride and about a 90-minute drive, but when we entered the Alberni Valley, the temperature climbed to 35 degrees.

My hair stuck to my forehead, and my thoughts began to slow, a normal reaction that I have to the heat, and my husband knew just what to do. So when we stopped for coffee at the SteamPunk Cafe, he asked the local barista to help us find a place to swim and suggested we go for a dip before the event to cool down. Living on lovely Gabriola, I’m not yet acclimatized to the heat. We usually have cool ocean breezes or dense forests nearby to escape to.

The young woman directed us to a local swimming spot at Sproat Lake, where we jumped off a dock into the sweet, salt-less water. We emerged feeling refreshed and felt happy watching young folk and families enjoying the water together. By the time we arrived at the venue, though, my hair was once again plastered to my forehead, and my feet felt like they were slipping around in my sandals.

So there I was, standing in a warm, converted church with an electric mermaid, a dangling octopus, and a lovely, lighted salmon hanging from the ceiling, sweat pooling in various valleys on my ample body, when I met a wonderful group of people.

There were readers attending both in person and over Zoom, taking turns sharing their work and encouraging one another. One person mentioned they had recently been accepted by Guernica and credited this supportive community for helping them keep going. Another person read in from Germany, and someone else shared poetry from Ontario, three hours later in the evening for them.

One man played an acoustic guitar and sang his own song.

I was impressed by the caliber of work, but more than that, I was struck by the sense of community. Charlene Patterson of Char’s Landing and host of the Electric Mermaid Live Reads has created something really special, and I was grateful to be part of it.

Even if at one point I had to retreat to the bathroom, take off my bra, splash cold water on my head and neck, and drink an entire pitcher of ice water along with two club sodas with lime just to cool down.

Later, I said to a friend who had dropped by, “Doesn’t the world feel just a little bit better knowing there are people like this?” I was thinking about all the upsetting things happening in the world, longer fire seasons, bad governments, etc, you know what I am talking about, but it was these creative folk sharing their work who gave me a brief moment of respite.

As we drove out of the hot Alberni Valley later that evening, my husband and I stopped at Cathedral Grove for a short stroll through the quiet forest after all of the crowds had gone home. It was only us, the trees, and the fragrant cool air.

Standing beside those enormous Douglas firs, hundreds of years old, I felt grateful for the day, for the people I had met, and for my travel companion. I left feeling renewed again somehow.

To top things off, in the building while waiting for the ferry ride home, nearing midnight, as I stood tired and staring bleary-eyed at the posters on the local bulletin board, a ferry worker was mopping the floors for the end of her shift and playing Benson Boone’s, Beautiful Things while singing joyfully along, which ended the whole day on a perfect note.

Curious about this live reading event? Check out the Port Alberni events page: Electric Mermaid | Alberni.ca