[Jayne Osborn]

Hi all,
Julie Steiner and her daughter are meeting me for dinner at Strada (last year's venue for the UK summer Spherean gathering) on Saturday June 27th; it's an Italian restaurant right alongside the famous Royal Festival Hall and the London Eye.

Who else can make it? I'll book a table for 7pm and hope that several of the usual ''likely suspects'', plus others, can be there too.

Julie and I met in February, with Charlotte, in Los Angeles. These annual gatherings are totally informal but forge great friendships, and anyone is welcome. Just let me know if you can come (or even if it's only a possibility) - nothing's carved in stone so don't feel you're committed, but it's helpful to have a rough idea of the number of people who are likely to turn up.

Thanks. Hope to see both old and new friends there. It will be fun, I promise!

Jayne

[Julie Steiner]

I swear I'm not as annoying in person as I am online.

(Then again, there's only one way to find out whether that means I'm less annoying in person, or more.)

I'm looking forward to meeting some more of you...or only Jayne again, if no one else is feeling brave.

Oh, and my kid doesn't know my pen name and hasn't read any of my poetry, so if she asks how you know me, you are authorized to tell her whatever red herrings you please, so long as they are somewhat age-appropriate (she's sixteen).

[Mary McLean]

I think I'm free, and would love to meet Julie. Count me in.

[David Anthony]

I'll look forward to it.

[Jayne Osborn]

Update:

I'm bringing a friend I met at a poetry conference in Leeds, so that's 6 of us so far.
Strada is mega busy, especially on Saturdays, and they've changed their booking policy: i.e. they don't take bookings. However, I've sweet-talked them into reserving a table for us at 7pm. (Going there last year helped my case! )

I've made a guess of our party being 10 people, but they'll need a firmer confirmation of numbers soon, so if you think you'd like to come please let me know asap. We're not limited to 10, of course, but it's been about the average for our other Spherean gatherings.
So... check your diaries!

Jayne

[Michael Juster]

Durn! I cancelled my UK trip to London. Oxford (for the Late Antique Woodstock) & Leeds due to a nasty case of vertigo--otherwise I would have made it!

[David Anthony]

I'm mortified to hear that, Mike.
Can you un-cancel if the vertigo improves?

[Michael Juster]

Realistically, not at this point because the recovery has been much slower than advertised. Plus, I am not sure what a takeoff would look like, and then there could be six hours trapped on a plane.

We want to come before too long, though. We have a quasi-daughter there and much to see, and I just started receiving my early retirement checks.

[David Anthony]

Let me know when you're coming: we'd be more than pleased to put you and your family up.

[Michael Juster]

That's very kind, David. Thank you!