Shhh: I'm back. Pre-writers-fest patron party & bookswap @ Auckland Library!! (Patreon)

{Patron-only post}

Hallo loves!

TL;DR

Everybody: GREAT NEWS, we found a fantastic kiwi crew to film BOTH Auckland Writers Fest gigs (both me & Neil in conversation with kiwi icon Lucy Lawless, and my solo gig in conversation with kiwi novelist Catherine Robertson). Both talks will be Thinged as a single Thing and made public as soon as the edits are ready, hopefully a week after the event, in May. A livestream wasn't possible....sorry about that. Just too expensive and complicated.

Auckland, skip one section down for patron pre-party info.

STAY TUNED for new webchat dates for the $10 tier, incoming very soon.

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Greetings from Waiheke Island....I'm back from the woods....and slowly creeping my way back online. I hiked 50k of the South Island mountains, I've been completely vegan, and I've been off social media, coffee, news, texting, wine, and most other things that are Basically Bad for You for going on two weeks, and I have to say, I'm ready for more. 

I feel like I could spend an entire two years in the mountains, never looking at a screen again, the New York Times app a distant nightmare of a former era. I'm creeping back onto social media but, I have to say, much more interested in spending more time over there on the patreon. My desire to hop back on twitter, instagram and facebook is approaching zero. We'll see how it goes.

Over here, at least, a new reality of communication awaits, and I have much to write, much to say, and mostly, much gratitude to express. 

So hold the phone for much larger thoughts and longer writings.....but gimme a hot second. 

I missed the kiddo and need to give Ash some hardcore make-up snuggles, and I've still barely started catching up with the text messages that arrived while I was offline. I'll be blossoming back to normalcy - but hopefully, a slower and more deliberate normalcy - like a beautiful budding lotus out of the shit-storm of the last year. 

For everyone who sent birthday wishes in any form....I love you, and thank you. 

I'm 45.

45 is an awesome number. It's the year WWII ended, and it's a spinning single.

A new 45 is in town.

And this bad bitch has a way more compassionate agenda than the last American president. I feel wonderful being 45 - like a small, dense, spinning little record with a song to play that I've been composing my whole life and waiting to release. I keep me hanging on. 

Thank god.

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AUCKLAND PATRONS!!!! Time for the party.

I teased, I promised, I asked for ideas, and IT's HAPPENING!!!!! Thank you to everyone who came in with suggestions! We'll keep doing more fun stuff, so I may still be in touch.

FINAL WINNING LOCATION: AUCKLAND LIBRARY! 

They graciously and enthusiastically offered to host us!

TIME: around 12-3pm, SUNDAY MAY 16th. 

We are going to meet in the back of the library, BOTTOM FLOOR, near the kids area - patrons only - the day of my writers festival gig, May 16th. Start gathering around noon! I should be there by 12:30pm (Neil's gig gets out at noon and I need to be there). We will party it up until around 2:30/3, when I'll need to split for my gig.

The gig is FREE and we are allowed to be LOUD!!!! THE LIBRARY SAID!!!! It's for patrons only, in theory, but of course we won't turn anyone away. Any whanau you drag along will be forced to listen to me play the ukulele and I'll probably ask them to join the patreon :)

WHAT TO BRING.....

BRING A GREAT BOOK TO SWAP!!!! ANY BOOK! ANY KIND! We will do a fun game-based community bookswap, so bring a favorite book that you actually LOVE - something meaningful to you, something you want to share with the community. Hold onto your book until we get to the book swap part of the party - I HAVE A PLAN. You can bring multiple books, if you want, and if you forget a book, the library has some books for sale and there's always Unity Books down the street! If you dohn't manage to bring a book, don't sweat it. Not a biggie.

BRING UKULELES, GUITARS, AND YOUR SINGING SOULS! We can have a few play-alongs! If you have books/records/posters/etc that you want to have SIGNED, please bring them to the WRITERS FEST GIG ITSELF, I'll be doing an official signing from 4:45 after the gig and I will hug every last body and sign every last thing.

If you're able, BRING A CUSHION OR PILLOW FOR YOUR BUM! We will be sitting on the library floor and it's not the softest!

FOOD/DRINK RULES @ the library: From Kerrie, our new pal at the library: "Foodwise all we ask is that folk don’t bring in any hot food and to make sure that their coffees/teas/drinks are in some sort of covered vessel.  There are plenty of lovely places around to get hot food before or after, plus some nice space and spots outside the library for eating and hanging out."

I can't wait to see and hug you all.

You all have my full permission to start making friends before I get there, ok?

I know you're, like, kiwi. But don't be shy. Just start talking to people and make me proud. Okay? Okay.

Any questions about the event, hit me here in comments and I'll edit the post! We are always reading everything. 

..........

Then: my official writers festival gig - in conversation with novelist Catherine Robertson - is 3:45 on May 16th, selling great, but still has a few tickets left. So please spread the word to get rid of the last 50-100 tickets, or grab a ticket if you haven't yet!! 

Tickets are available here:  https://www.writersfestival.co.nz/programmes/event/there-will-be-no-intermission-amanda-palmer/1397857/

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That's all for now, my loves.

I've missed you.

Lots more writing about.....reality......soon.

XX

AFP 

------THE NEVER-ENDING AS ALWAYS---------

1. if you are a patron and new to my work, don’t forget your patronage allows you access to ALL of my patreon releases to date. HERE is the link to download my latest big solo record, “There Will Be No Intermission”, and HERE is a link to download the PDF of the art/essay book that goes with it.

2. if you’re a patron reading this post via an email notification, please click through to comment on this post. at the very least, if you’ve read it, indicate that by using the heart symbol. that's always nice for me to see, so i know who's reading.

3. see All the Things (over 150 of them) i've made so far on patreon:

http://amandapalmer.net/things

4. JOIN THE SHADOWBOX COMMUNITY FORUM, find your people, and discuss everything: https://forum.theshadowbox.net/

5. are you new to my music and TOTALLY OVERWHELMED? TAKE A WALK THROUGH AMANDALANDA….we made a basic list of my greatest hits n stuff (at least up until a few years ago, this desperately needs updating) on this lovely page: http://amandalanda.amandapalmer.net/

6. general AFP/patreon-related questions? ask away, someone will answer: patronhelp@amandapalmer.net