Welcome one and all to Books Kinokuniya.
We’re very honoured to be hosting this author event tonight. Bookstores exist to facilitate the connection between readers & writers, and when we have a chance to do so in person it is an opportunity to celebrate our relationship & to reflect on the richness of our world.
Our guest this evening has recently been introduced (at a function similar to this one) as a God. I’m not sure how you [Neil] feel about that – but I found it a hard act to follow! I don’t know about you guys [audience] – but I’ve read a few stories about Gods, and they tend to scare the willies out of me! So rather than risk the ire of the Gods, I’d like to introduce a Champion.
Tonight is a precious chance to welcome our Champion Bard here to our hearth and hear his new story told in his voice, to have his wisdom answer our questions and to pay our respects in person. And this visit is no small gift.
That he gives so often and so much of himself – through his blog, the interviews & touring, the signings and the polite and patient answering of questions, is a marvel. And then there are the stories. The constant writing of stories that seem to gush and tumble from him in a glorious abundance. The stories that mean so much to all of us that we re-read and push on our friends. They have been recognised in all the modern ways – with awards and with the solid-state of energy so widely recognised – with money.
Maybe not enough money, sure, but the money’s starting to happen – yeah? [Neil].
So ladies and gentlemen I ask you to look now to our travelling Bard whose renown grows with every engagement. A Champion for the life of the imaginations for reading as riches, for humanity, love terror and humour.
Please make a really huge noise and much much applause for Mr Neil Gaiman.
1 comment:
Bard was exactly the right description. Much better than God, in my mind. Neil's only human, after all. :D
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