Staying in with ... Michael Christie
With galleries locked, concert halls closed and theatres dark, Postmedia has reached out to B.C. artists of all types to find out what they are doing during these trying COVID-19 times.
Author Michael Christie, whose latest novel Greenwood has been nominated for literary awards, lives on Galiano Island and is the latest artist to take part in our isolation questionnaire.
Q Where are you spending most of your time?
A Within the walls of my house, and, I suppose, in my head? Q Who are you with? A With my wife, Cedar Bowers, who is also a writer, and our two sons, aged six and 10. Q Where are you getting your information? A The spread of falsehood and unfounded speculation is rampant right now on social media, so I avoid reading anything virus-related. I’m getting my information from Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer for B.C. She’s been handling this crisis with incredible empathy and expertise, and our debt of gratitude to her and all our health care professionals will be impossible to calculate after this nightmare is over. As a start, how about we change B.C. Day to Dr. Bonnie Henry Day? Or Health Care Worker Day? It’s the least we could do! Q What is something you are doing that you don’t normally do? A I’ve been baking lots of Mark Bittman’s no-knead bread, which is the perhaps greatest home bread recipe in the world. And also, in order to stay in touch with family and friends, I’ve been using video conference technology, which I normally detest! “Wait, I can’t see you now.” “Is this the latest version?” “Kids, stop touching the screen!” “Wait, I can hear you but I can’t see you.” “Sorry, it cut out and I missed that last thing you said ...”
Q What do you have lots of in your cupboards?
A Besides toilet paper? Kidding! Our family eats plenty of Mexican food, so we have lots of dried beans and rice in our cupboard. We also have a good amount of tea and coffee, which is essential to my brain function.
Q What have you been reading?
A I just read Souvankham Thammavongsa’s new story collection How To Pronounce Knife, and I thought it was incandescently brilliant.
Q When this ends, what will be different?
A Many people will have died, and there is nothing more tragic or more different than that. But on the upside, hopefully our conception of what is important will be altered. And simple pleasures like spending time with family, reading, and cooking will have greater value to more people than before.