Once a writer, always a writer. We are born to be what we are. And what we are must be in our DNA. Like border collies. You can keep one from sheep for half its life, then one day, when you show it sheep, it reacts instinctively. It wants to move that thing. Border collies stock and chase, but they do not kill. This, again, is DNA.

So today, while we were passing out books at Reading Rendevouz, I attempted to internalize as much as I could because I am a writer. I thought, well, I am going to have to make reference in Shelf Life to this event. Fortunately, I have now passed out books three times at this event, and it’s been pretty much the same most times, so I will be able to write about what I observed.

Alys with Molly of Denali

Last year, at Reading Rendevouz 2024, we met Brad Schmidt. This year, we partnered with him. He owns Alaska English Adventures, a company in which he does a lot of different things – right now his focus is on continuing to make connections with his Kenyan counterparts –right now he wants to bring Kenyan children to Alaska for the 2026 Iditarod. He may do this – he does have what many lack, which is intent.

He helped set up the shelter because Pete could not do this because his hand is not yet healed. He set up his table adjacent to our two tables, had children and teens fill out postcards, which he was sending to Spain, showed them an early map of Africa, and told them all about the Iditarod project. He’s a large fellow, has a booming voice, one that rises even further in pitch when he gets excited about his project, which is often. I don’t fully know what to think of him. Well, his heart is in the right place.

We saw and talked with others – this included a woman who we met last year. She works for the Lousaac Library as a volunteer. She finds readers for fiction and nonfiction books, much like we do. She talked at me for some time, then somehow ended up talking with Pete. He later remarked we had the same conversations with her last year.

There were, like other years, shelters, in circles, on the lawn, filled with vendors such as Trailside Discovery, The National Park Service, and the Center for the Book.

We brought extra books for the latter – about ten boxes. They laid these books out on a table. The women running the show didn’t move around much. And they didn’t have any interactive activities for the children. We had Brad. We also had Micah, who is the librarian at Mat-Su College, and his girlfriend Jillian. They, like me, set out and put out books for people to take. And the books went.

Chapbooks mostly. I was telling this fellow that the only book I was having a hard time parting with was a book entitled Yams. I couldn’t find it. Well I found it and found him and gave it to him saying, “This is a gift.”

Next: 136. 5/18/25: Balance Indeed