CBC Radio One Book Club with Douglas Coupland.

A few weeks ago, I’d stumbled upon the CBC evening news crew doing a live broadcast from Central City Square, right across from work. Everyone from Gloria Makarenko, Tony Parsons, Claire Martin and Shane Foxman to the A/V technical team was there. The CBC was doing a travelling roadshow bringing the newsroom from 700 Hamilton to different communities in the lower mainland. Surrey’s mayor, Dianne Watts came out to do an interview and the SFU band played a few notes in the background during takes.

In my conversation with a crew at the CBC tent, I dropped Douglas Coupland’s name, out of which I had learned that he was coming to the CBC Radio One Book Club next month. I was pleasantly elated.

I went online to www.cbc.ca/books/bookclub and found out that the only way to attend this reading and live recording was to write, in 200 words or less, why I wanted to go. My first draft surpassed the 200 word limit two-fold. Here’s what I sent after my revision in exactly 200 words:

I just want to be in the same room with Douglas Coupland.

I missed out on an intimate evening with Mr. Coupland last year at Writers Fest where he discussed his new book, Generation A. It wasn't long before that I began reading his books, starting with JPod, a book I couldn't put down. I then got my hands on Generation X, Girlfriend in a Coma, Microserfs, and The Gum Thief. Currently, I'm reading Life After God.

Douglas Coupland plays a vital role in the fabric of this great nation, just like the CBC to which I am also an avid viewer and listener to. It was when I was conversing with a CBC crew member that I learned about Coupland at the Studio One Book Club.

To be in a room of literary fans and be able to experience the same level of energy shown when Jian Ghomeshi came to do a taping of ‘Q’ last year would be a delight.

According to Doug's Law, "Most of us have only a dozen or so genuinely interesting moments in our lives; the rest is filler." Meeting Coupland will certainly be an interesting moment in my life. I hope I win.

And I did win. Two tickets, actually; one for me and a guest. And naturally, I brought Ieda with me.

This studio recording of North by Northwest hosted by Sheryl MacKay interviewed Canada’s celebrated author, Douglas Coupland, on his new book of fiction titled Player One: What Is to Become of Us, a book he’d written specifically for the CBC Massey Lecture. Coupland read excerpts from Player One and answered many interesting questions from the hosts and audience, drawing upon personal experiences while answering them. And because he grew up in Vancouver and still calls Vancouver home, there’s a more personal level to his engagement with the audience and readers of his books who also reside or grew up in Vancouver.

I bought my copy of Player One here and had him sign it. While sitting down with him for a brief one-on-one interview with questions of my own, he also wrote down a short recommended reading list he thought I might enjoy by other authors.

I love books.