Monday, February 25, 2008

This Gliterati Life

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It's still High Promo Season, and so I'm out flogging The Dragons of Babel every chance I get. Last Friday I did a reading for Philly Fantastic, the local monthly series currently being held in the Center City Barnes and Noble. There was a snowstorm that day and the turnout was light, so instead of adapting a chapter of the novel, I read a shorter piece, "The Scarecrow's Boy," which I'd originally written for Boskone.

Afterwards, as is traditional for Philly Fantastic, everybody went out to dinner together. After various small adventures, we wound up at the Pen and Pencil Club, a private club for journalists and their friends.

Now, when you think of a club -- of a Philadelphia club in particular, because this is an old, old club town -- you probably think brandy snifters, butlers, and leather armchairs. Not so for the Pen and Pencil. It serves a scruffier, more ink-stained ilk. Note the sign above. It reads:

NO CREDIT CARDS
NO BUD
NO RED BULL

I think I've found my home.

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4 comments:

Pat J said...

I'm thoroughly behind the NO BUD and NO RED BULL policies. What's their feeling about Canadian currency, I wonder?

Michael Swanwick said...

Back when I lived in Vermont and American money was worth 10% more,Canadians were happy to accept it at face value.

So now that the dollar is sinking fast relative to the loonie...

James said...

Are you going to be taking your tour to Canada at any point? Specifically Toronto?

Failing that, Detroit would be nice. I live almost halfway between those two cities.

Michael Swanwick said...

Oh, man! It's been a long time since I was in Canada. How on Earth did that happen?

I don't have any plans to visit Toronto (or Detroit) anytime soon, alas. But if everything goes as planned, I'll be trekking north to Montreal in May to the Congrès Boréal, along with David Hartwell and Jim Morrow. And of course, next year, there's the Worldcon.

Someday I've got to make a run for L'Anse Aux Meadows, too.