History:

We are not here subscribing to the "big bang" theory, but rather would like to build on and acknowledge the important history of other Leonard Cohen fan events that bear a resemblance to what we are proposing here (although they lack the idea of replicating the event around the world, Cohen food and drink etc.).

Intensity Fan Club in Holland used to have a gathering every Fall for 12 years in the 1980's and 1990's:
http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/amsterd2.html

Mean Larry has been running Chelsea Hotel Tribute nights in Minneapolis every year since 1998: http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/minneapolis.html

Our Australian friends have organized Birthday Tribute Night on Leonard's birthday every year since 1992:
http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/twmb.html

The organizer, Andrew Darbyshire, is planning an event in Toowoomba, Australia on Sept. 14 and 15, 2002, just a week before our prototype event in Edmonton.  We are trying to stimulate maximum interest in attending the Toowoomba event so that this year there will be a least two highly successful events being held almost simultaneously at opposite ends of the earth!

It is of course possible to attend both events 8,250 miles apart and there is much to see in both locations.  For world travelers in intermediate locations trying to decide between the two events, here are some approximate distances:

From Moscow 5,500 miles to Edmonton, 9,000 miles to Toowoomba
From Capetown 10,500 miles to Edmonton, 7,250 miles to Toowoomba
From Tel Aviv 6,750 miles to Edmonton, 9,000 miles to Toowoomba
From Dehli 7,000 miles to Edmonton, 6,500 miles to Toowoomba

And there have been numerous one-time events in Red Deer, Montreal, Lincoln UK, Paris, Crakow, Poland and so on.

Larger fan events have also been held at other times of the year:
Montreal 2000
Hydra 2002

In the next link you will find the suggestions we have received so far.   The rest of the website text describes our synthesis of a provisional plan of the event.  Together we solicit your thoughts on
the further evolution of these ideas!  Please write to leonardcohennights@hotmail.com with your suggestions or to register early for the event.

Remember that we are not talking about a single Cohen event here but rather a prototype for thousands of local Cohen events that would spread all over the world eventually, just as Robert Burns nights have.  So please let us have your ideas so the prototype can evolve further!

Kim Solez, M.D.