Jeanne Robinson — dancer, choreographer, Soto Zen monk and wife of Spider Robinson, with whom she co-authored the multi-award-winning book Stardance and its sequels — has been diagnosed with a rare and virulent form of biliary cancer. She’s beaten it back so far but now will require therapy, dietary changes, and a stress-free lifestyle, and none of those are cheap. So her friends are helping her out.
A benefit concert and silent auction is happening on Bowen Island, BC, at the Cates Hill Chapel at 7:30 pm, Friday, Sept 18 (see above). There’s also an eBay auction here (with more stuff coming). You can donate items to auction off or send money by check or PayPal, head to WeDreamForJeanne for more details.
Spider Robinson has been one of my favorite authors for many years now (only for about as long as he’s been writing) and Stardance remains one of those books I have to pull out and reread every year or so. There’s a different kind of depth and, in places, a tranquility in Stardance that isn’t in his other works, and I have to assume that’s Jeanne. They’re one of science fiction’s great and lasting love stories and it shows in their work.
You can see what Jeanne’s done towards finally realizing zero-G dance in the Stardance Project, and you can hear Spider and Jeanne talk about their collaboration (and their courtship) here.
If you can, please do what you can to help out. Thanks.