Hello from San Francisco, California, where Day 1 of the Independent Press Association convention ’06 is underway. I’ll be attending a number of sessions today and tomorrow, including targetted workshops and lunchtime addresses by Amy Goodman and Greg Palast. The other part of the event, of course, is networking, and already I’ve met several people from independent publications in Canada and the U.S.
Last night there was a reception for the Utne independent press awards, and Utne‘s affinity for Canadian magazines was apparent, with awards going to Shameless (for Personal Life Coverage) and Ascent (for Spiritual Coverage), and nominations to several other Canadian titles. Congratulations to the winners!
Also, a small group of us had drinks last night at Vesuvio’s, a hangout of the beat poets in their heyday — just one of the highlights of my visit to San Francisco so far. It’s my first time here and I’ve got to say, the place agrees with me.
I expect to be blogging from the convention floor throughout the weekend, so stay tuned…