Maybe it's because I'm a Canadian Jewish girl who has many ties to Montreal (including a four-year undergraduate stint at McGill.) Or maybe it's because of who my non-publishing industry-related friends are, but when I mentioned a little while ago that I'd be attending BEA and Leonard Cohen would be signing copies of the US edition of THE BOOK OF LONGING, his first new collection of poems in 22 years, said friends regarded me with utter, unadulterated envy. "I love Leonard Cohen!" one of them said. "I listen to his CDs all the time>" Another just couldn't stop squealing. I don't totally get the whole sex appeal aspect, but there's no denying he's a hell of a good songwriter and poet.

So it comes as no surprise whatsoever that this new book is now one of Canada's top selling books, according to the CBC. Indigo president Heather Reisman said it was the first time that a book of poetry has become a bestseller in the country. But considering that in giving a free concert in the Toronto neighborhood of Yorkville (aka my old stomping grounds) the throng of fans was so great they shut down Bloor Street, that's saying something...

So the moral of this particular tale? The lines are going to be long for his BEA appearance. Count on it.