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Never Mind the Musicians: Toronto’s Bill Wood
In this series, Trevor Abes sits down with local lights in the Toronto music scene. Since 1986’s hit album Just In Time To Be Late, former Eye Eye vocalist Bill Wood has had a family and started a successful renovation business. Yet his dedication to music has never waned. In 2007, he released a solo…
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CanLit Canon Review #15: Mordecai Richler’s The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
In an attempt to make himself a better Canadian, Craig MacBride is reading and reviewing the books that shaped this country. Mordecai Richler’s The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, published in 1959, is a hilarious and rambunctious novel that gives little space to scenery or introspection. It is the story of Duddy Kravitz, a smart-ass kid…
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Hipster maps, Penguin Random House’s GDP, and flying typewriters: Bookishness for Jul. 8, 2013
The earnings to go with those tuxedos Countries whose GDP is below the projected revenue of the newly formed Penguin Random House Accio Diagon Alley Unable to transport yourself into the pages of Harry Pottery (or Orlando)? Summon Diagon Alley with Google Street View. Flock or flee as you see fit Yelp introduces a hipster map of Toronto (and elsewhere).…
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Atwood’s BookTweetables No. 2
Margaret Atwood’s best tweets, every two weeks. [View the story “Atwood’s BookTweetables No. 2” on Storify]
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Young writer workshops, Mad Pride, and George Elliott Clarke’s Beat Café: T.O events for July 4-July 20, 2013
Repair Café Toronto gives household items a new lease on life. Visitors can bring in broken computers, small appliances, small furniture, lamps, clothes, and jewelry and learn how to fix them with the help of volunteer professionals. 10AM-2PM. July 6. Skills For Change (791 St. Clair West, 2nd floor). Free. The 20th Mad Pride Toronto Festival revels…
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Culture Hawker Chronicles: Patrick Grant and Kops Records
In this series, Trevor Abes gets to know the people behind the counter at Toronto’s music stores, book shops, and art galleries. Patrick Grant has his hustles. He’s been the general manager at Kops Records going on four years and he sings lead in Patrick Grant and the FleshVignettes, an indie rock sextet with soul and funk influences. He…
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Beginning With a Diminished Thing: Marilynne Robinson’s When I Was a Child I Read Books
Reviewed in this essay: Marilynne Robinson’s When I Was a Child I Read Books (2012). Part social and cultural critique, theological dialogue, and literary exegesis, When I Was a Child I Read Books is comprised of ten short essays Marilynne Robinson refashioned from lecture tours and lessons over the past decade. Long-time readers of her work…
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Be kind to your librarian, send a telegram, and sue Lady Gaga: Bookishness for June 24, 2013
How not to be a dick to a librarian “Don’t tell us you can ‘just Google it’ or find everything you need to know on the Interwebs. We hate that.” Still alive STOP The telegram industry is – well, maybe not booming, but certainly still kicking. (Image via.) Not born that way? French artist Orlan sues Lady…
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Khaled Hosseini in Toronto: Author discusses Afghanistan, inspiration, and Afghan-American guilt
And the Mountains Echoed needed no introduction to the audience at Indigo’s Bay and Bloor location. Copies of the book were flying off the shelves only minutes before the author, Khaled Hosseini, arrived for a Q&A with the bookstore chain’s CEO, Heather Reisman. The Afghan-American physician-turned-writer was articulate and had a strong stage presence. He…
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Literary Celebrity, Question of Art, and Canoe Nation: New Books of Note
Much-anticipated, curious, or simply thrilling, here are some new and notable books out this month. Margaret Atwood and the Labour of Literary Celebrity (University of Toronto Press) by Lorraine York — York’s in-depth study examines the process by which a “literary celebrity” is created, specifically considering renowned Canadian author Margaret Atwood and her team of…
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Fringe, Florence, and the Female Eye: T.O. Events for June 20-July 4, 2013
Book Self-Publishing: Production, Marketing, and Distribution is a crash course for writers looking to bypass the traditional trade publishing route. Learn about design, E-books, ISBN registration, and the legal avenues available to protect written works. 6:30-8:15 PM. June 24. Brentwood Library. Free. The 2013 Fringe Festival is a theatrical spectacular that stages 148 performances ranging from…
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CanLit Canon Review #14: Donald Creighton’s John A. Macdonald: The Young Politician
In an attempt to make himself a better Canadian, Craig MacBride is reading and reviewing books that shed fascinating light on Canada’s history. Of all the books I’ve read as part of this project, John A. Macdonald: The Young Politician has most improved me as a Canadian. Published in 1952, this book explores Canada’s beginnings…