Paul Quarrington - In Memory

With the passing on January 21 of author Paul Quarrington, The Word On The Street lost one of its most unique voices and one of its most supportive advocates. By our count, Paul officially appeared at the Toronto festival more times than any other author (at least six times). Beyond that, he attended almost every year whether he was reading, sitting on a panel, helping out at the PEN Canada booth or bringing his girls to share the joy of reading.
Paul and I joked that he was a person who just couldn’t say no to anyone who asked a favour of him, but that’s one of the most touching and wonderful things about him. Those of us who knew him well only asked him to do things for us when we really needed him (and often had to beg him to ask us if he ever needed anything – In fact I think he had no idea how many favours were sitting on the table for him to cash in at any time.)

So when I applied for the position of Festival Director at The Word On The Street Toronto, who better to ask to be a reference than my old friend Paul? And when I got the job, he and I corresponded constantly about it and how great it was for me to be back in the publishing world. So when the board decided to create a 20th Festival Patron’s Council, and we wanted an author to become its honorary chair, we agreed that Paul would be the right person for the job. He was well-known, well-liked and well-placed in the arts community to represent this special endeavour.

I approached him about it in early May. He said yes right away (as I knew he would) then we drafted talking points for him to use to create a personal letter to be sent to potential donors. When I didn’t hear back from him for a while (and that was never unusual when working with Paul) I chased him down and he told me he’d been hospitalized but not to worry, he’d be all better soon. We made a date for him to come by the office and sign the printed letters. He showed up, signed the letters, singing to himself and commenting on who he thought might, should or wouldn’t come through with support, personalizing some of the letters with lines like “I know you’ve got it, so fork over the cash…”

Then we went out for lunch. He broke the news of his cancer to me with humour but I could tell he was still struggling to deal with the fresh information and its implications. We held hands across the table, and I suddenly had no appetite. He cheerfully abandoned his risotto (I warned him it was watery and not to order it), proclaimed my meal the better choice and proceeded to eat the rest of my food (also not an uncommon Quarrington action). The 20th Festival Donations Campaign went on over the summer and Paul kept cheerfully signing letters and supporting the festival.

I invited Paulie, and some of the members of his band Porkbelly Futures, to open our kick-off event on September 22. I didn’t get an immediate answer (see comment above) but phoned him and caught him in the car on the way to a gig in Haliburton and, after a moment conferring with his band mates, he said they would love to do it. That was the highlight of our kick-off event for me and, I think, for quite a few of the people in the room who were there to share the experience.

The Word On The Street has lost a literary icon, a friend, a supporter and a magical entertainer. On a personal note, I have lost a long-time friend and mentor. On behalf of the board, staff, performers, exhibitors and friends of The Word On The Street, I would like to say thanks, Paul, for being there for us all those years. I know you will be with us in spirit at future festivals and we’ll celebrate that even as we mourn our loss.

Love,
Cindy Goldrick
Festival Director, The Word On The Street Toronto