Many British Columbians are aware that Sir Bob Geldof began his career as a part-time music writer for the Georgia Straight but few know the current president of the Republic of Estonia, Toomas Ilves, was once involved in the management of Vancouver's Literary Storefront.

Under Ilves' presidency, Estonia has become the first country in the world to introduce voting via the internet for national elections. Estonia has also declared access to the internet to be an unalienable human right.

Mona Fertig, the main founder of the Literary Storefront, recalls Tom Ilves co-managed the Literary Storefront with Wayne Holder following her departure in the early 1980s. "In his CV,"; says Fertig, "he says that he was director of the Vancouver Art Centre, which didn't exist. I guess The Literary Storefront sounded too unofficial for a political candidate.";

During the early 1980s, according to Fertig, Robert Bringhurst was also involved in Literary Storefront-related readings that were held at a Duthie's bookstore outlet in the West End, on Robson Street. Rumours circulated at the time that Ilves could be involved with the CIA. Coincidentally, the current president of Latvia, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, is also someone who lived in Canada for an extended period.

[BCBW 2007]