Feb 4, 2008

The New Year


January came to a close, and we said our sad goodbyes to what was a great, productive month. The weather was in the 50s and 60s most of the month, and we had a rare number of complete double rainbows right here in our valley. We're feeling pretty lucky to live here.

Tom Montgomery-Fate (US; creative non-fiction) will be missed for his parenting empathy, his very focussed and calm presence, and his great sense of humor. Robert Chiovolini (US; fiction; chef by day) was like a Tasmanian devil in the kitchen all month (as he was last March, during his first stay with us). He cooked like crazy and could write reams about why he chooses the kind of flour he chooses (details we've decided he should release into his fiction or at the least a blog). A lovely, soulful person, we hope to see him a third year in a row, in 2009. Thanks for the lovely meals, Rob! Alice Nelson (Australia; fiction) returns home ready for the release of her first novel in March, tentatively titled In Arcadia. She, too, plans to return... we hope so! Congratulations to all (including Barbara, below) for a month of hard work and play.

Barbara Clark (UK; poetry) is staying on for her third month, this time as a barter. She has been joined in February by Christina Koechl (Swiss by way of US and Canada; fiction). La Muse hails the return of our most-returned barter, Seanin Cloney, aka Trubadore, (UK by way of Berlin and Paris; mandolin player, singer, songwriter).

Now, time to get back to work!

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