Burlington Author Lesley Megarry Tells Her Brother's Story at Library Talk

Burlington Public Library hosted local author Lesley Megarry on November 7 for a talk about her latest book, Let Me Introduce You to My Brother. The event ran as part of the Burlington Literary Festival, which the library describes as a celebration of all things literary.

Megarry spent the first half of the hour on how her books got made. She self-published her first, Let's Be Friends Who Haven't Met Yet, in 2023 after submitting the manuscript to a publisher and disliking the feedback. "I write like I speak," she said. "Run-on sentences, all that stuff. Well, guess what? A traditional publishing house, they really didn't like that." She eventually published through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing.

She has kept a journal since she was eleven, and said a single entry written after her daughter was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 convinced her that friends who called her a natural encourager were right. Her favourite places to write are the library's Central branch, coffee shops, and a spot on Lakeshore between Guelph Line and Walker's Line that overlooks the water.

The second half

The rest of the talk was about her late brother Johnny, who lived in supported independent living through Community Living Burlington for most of his adult life. Megarry said a typical day for Johnny rested on four things: purpose, people, routine and supervision.

Paid work rarely held. Megarry described Johnny being fired on the spot for cleaning windows beside diners at a restaurant where his regular supervisor was away, and leaving a shelf-stocking job by bus and cab after being asked to sweep. Volunteering was a different story. Johnny spent 15 years at the Ron Edwards Family YMCA, which Megarry called a true success, because the people there took the time to get to know him.

Both of Megarry's books can be borrowed from Burlington Public Library or bought on Amazon.ca.