“Angel of NoirCon” by Ken Bruen

________________“Angel
_______________________Of
__________________________Noir
_______________________________Con”

________________Life throws up a variety of people who create a stir in your life
Some you have met in different guises, but they are basically the same model
But now and again and very very rarely, you are given a person who lights you up
In every sense
Deen Kogan was in my life for four days
Noir Con, 2008
When I met her, she was welcoming, warm but not someone who stood out as a special individual
As I was lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time with her, I realised, here was someone who made you feel better than you actually are
She had the gift of attentive listening, and I mean, you knew she heard every word you said
And laughed
Oh so much
And so deeply
We shared a mutual admiration for the heart wrenching Grave of the Fireflies
She’d said very quietly after we laughed, near wept on our favourite moments from the movie
‘When I see a firefly, I shall see you’

But always she had this unique talent of being quiet in a way that was re assuring, not that she had nothing to say but that she felt you had something of significance to add
I spent an afternoon in her garden, and she told me her life
In a soft gentle voice that emphasised I was someone worth relating it to
God, I sure hope so
She worked long hard hours, weeks, years on NoirCon and with Lou, made it a phenomenon
Because they loved Noir and the writers who practiced it
I’ve been fortunate to meet many people of  ability but few who lodged in my heart that way Deen did and does
Her passing is a terrible blow for Noir but she carved for her self, without ever planning it, to be the true angel of noir
I was blessed and graced to not only know her but to have shared what seemed like a unique gift of a glimpse into her soul
Oh that such beautiful souls were more abundant
Their rare to rarest presence is a joy to witness
Deen, we miss you so

Ken Bruen, 2018