2009-12-09 Two days to write a tale on the fly Author to craft short story in busy airport
By CHRIS LAMBIE Business Editor Halifax Stanfield International Airport will have a writer-in-residence this Christmas. Jon Tattrie, a Halifax novelist and freelance journalist, will set up shop in the airport’s main lobby on Dec. 18 and 19. He’ll be working on a short story that will appear on a massive screen travellers can read as he types. "I have a fictional premise that will allow me to incorporate real stories as they’re passing through," Mr. Tattrie said in an interview Tuesday. The 32-year-old plans to talk with real travelers and weave their stories into his own fiction. He hopes his work gives them something to think about. "You’re getting pushed down this line and that line. You’re getting shaken up, you’re getting felt up, you’re getting asked for money, you’re having to dump out your coffee, you’re having to turn your shoes out. It’s this sort of perpetual suffering where you think everybody is out to destroy you," he said of the airport experience. But he’s hoping his project allows passengers to step away from that airport mayhem. "Even though it’s the thing that connects us to everybody else, it seems like it’s an obstacle. So, for the travellers, it will maybe give them a little moment to think about where they are. It’s not just sort of landless territory," he said. "These are people who are in Halifax for some reason, even if it’s just to change planes." Mr. Tattrie approached the airport with the idea. He’s following in the footsteps of Alain de Botton, a philosophical writer whose works include The Art of Travel and How Proust Can Change Your Life, who spent a week writing in London’s Heathrow Airport. "We’re going to have signs up so that people can approach me," Mr. Tattrie said. "I’m going to try to make it clear that even if I’m writing, I’m still happy to talk to people." His short story will be available on the airport’s website by 4 p.m. on Dec. 23. |
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