Author Marq De Villiers became the envy of a few dozen writers here in Halifax when he turned up to give a reading in a T-shirt that blared: "Ask me about my book." De Villiers, whose stylish and multitudinous nonfiction books include the G-G-award-winning Water, said he first wore the T-shirt to a reading by Margaret Atwood. He contrived to sit in the front row, but Atwood declined to take the bait. De Villiers, recently awarded the Order of Canada, is set to join next year's roster of mentors in the new MFA program in Creative Nonfiction at the University of King's College.