A note to Torontoist readers from an artists' group with some impressive collective activist-power: NO CUTS TO OUR ESSENTIAL SERVICES because it's tough as hell to swim in empty pools On WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH, 4-6 p.m. we are calling on ALL MEMBERS OF THE ARTS COMMUNITY AND ANYBODY ELSE to convene at NATHAN PHILLIPS SQUARE to make it clear that we will not tolerate cuts to our essential services and that we support the... [continue]

"Bookstore on Queen" by Trachsi from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. Since August is perennially the quietest literary month, LitTO will take the rest of it off. We look forward to the fall launches, and are planning book reviews, author interviews, contests, and more coverage of lit news. Did you hear? In October, Open Book: Toronto will launch its first annual celebration of new books by Ontario publishers, with events and “special initiatives” geared to... [continue]

Hanging out in the city with Torontoist's Summer Reads. LitTO continues this week with a few summer reading picks. These are literally reading choices for the season, as we haven’t read them yet, but plan to take them to the cottage. Films and Poems by John Barlow, LyricalMyrical. John Barlow’s poems have a habit of looking at this crazy world, not agreeing with it, and finding their own peace and happiness. He has a... [continue]

Author/artist Douglas Coupland is in town Thursday at the Monte Clark Gallery for the opening of a new exhibition of collages, The Penguins. The promo material says, “This is one of several shows he has prepared (and is preparing) looking at the relationship between books and visual culture.” We could argue that almost all of his work walks that line, and even while we wildly applaud, it’s the reason why he doesn’t garner props from... [continue]

LitTO Summer Reading Pick: check out Prose Karen from Neitzsche’s Brolly. Remember LitTO’s plan to help author Natalee Caple and Jeremy Leipert win a contest to marry on the midway at the Calgary Stampede? The couple received 177, 000 online votes, and as they say at The Stampede, “got hitched,” last week. The bride and groom wore cowboy boots, and their first act as marrieds was a ride on the ferris wheel. Congratulations to... [continue]

Last night, one of Torontoist’s adolescent fantasies came true … no, not that one…we finally saw synth pop group The Spoons in concert! After a few technical glitches onstage at the Parkdale Arts and Crafts Festival, they launched into their 1984 hit, “Tell No Lies,” a song that is almost painful to mention without blurting, “Dit dit ditditdit DIT!” The thirtysomething crowd’s inner tweens sang along, and some sang out loud to their young... [continue]

Torontoist apologizes for her failure to find words to tell you about Christopher Dewdney’s book length dinner reading of The Natural History (ECW Press) last Friday night at The Brickworks. We can tell you that the sold-out event was part of The Scream Literary Festival and that guests dined on delectable courses of locally grown foods—just go stab a cube of watermelon and a cube of havarti with a toothpick, roll the thing in... [continue]

Tonight, The Fifteenth Annual Scream Literary Festival launches its six-day festival with readings by Dennis Lee and Souvankham Thammavongsa at The Gladstone Ballroom. Performances by George Elliot Clarke, and robots belonging to Shapour Shahidi are also promised, and it sounds like audience members are invited to make art with weird, old science textbooks. This year's festival “considers the strange alchemy of poetry and science, through readings, panels, and performances.” On July 9th, the festival... [continue]

For the last three years, Active Healthy Kids Canada has graded the physical activity levels of Canada’s young people. For the third straight year, Canada has received a dismal D grade. The group states that each time they measure physical activity levels among children and youth more accurately, they find that the issue of child and youth physical inactivity in Canada is an even larger public health concern than previously believed. They’ve found that inactivity... [continue]

Photo of Post Porn Modernists Annie Sprinkle and Elizabeth Stephens by Julian Cash. It must be nice to write a column for The Globe: you can pass judgment on artists’ work without attending to pesky trivialities like seeing their shows, and project your own insecurities and feelings of lack onto people who are actually changing the world. Herein is a review of a recent show by Annie Sprinkle and Elizabeth Stephens at Buddies in... [continue]

Michael Winter's next novel, The Architects Are Here, is set for serious serial hype on Facebook. Beginning today, Michael will make forty-seven posts with chapter summaries, commentary, and notes until the book’s publication in September. Each installment will include videos and photos of the people and places that inspired the novel's characters and settings. To access the serial, contact Michael with a friend request via The Wall at Penguin Canada's Facebook page, and you’ll be... [continue]

Next in our series of Torontoist Poetry Contest poems of Honourable Mention is “In Transit” by Peter O’Donovan. Other poems that received Honourable Mention are “Velocity,” by Jenny Sampirisi and Matthew Tierney's "The Man who Knew from Cool"; Prathna Lor’s “((de)fragmentation.)” is coming soon. Our winning poem was "Eaton's Effluviad" by Gregory Betts. Peter O’Donovan grew up in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. He completed a Computer Science degree in 2005 at the University of Saskatchewan, and... [continue]

The Toronto Book Awards were established by City Council in 1974, and have honoured Torontoish books of literary or artistic merit ever since. The Awards Committee, Camilla Holland, Brian Jantzi, Winona McMorrow, Sarah Rotering and Herman Silochan, recently announced this year’s nominations. Your 2007 shortlist is: Sally Gibson’s Inside Toronto: Urban Interiors 1880s to 1920s (Cormorant) Geoffrey James’s book of photographs, Toronto (Douglas & McIntyre) Vincent Lam’s novel, Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures (Doubleday Canada)... [continue]

MP Peggy Nash and MPP Cheri DiNovo protest the closing of Toronto's swimming pools. At 8:30 this morning, hundreds of protesters gathered at the corner of Keele Street and Glenlake Avenue to save their community pool slated for closure next month. Extremely fit-looking senior citizens with youthful energy wore bathing suits, goggles, and swim caps. Young children, chanting “Save our pools! Save our pools!” waved signs which read, “Swim skills save children’s lives,” and... [continue]

Photos of trey anthony, Dawn Whitwell, and Gein Fence courtesy of Get Your Lit Out. Dear readers: please help give an author a chance to get married on the midway at this year’s Calgary Stampede. Really! While living in Toronto, Scarborough-raised Natalee Caple wrote many fine books, among them The Plight of Happy People in an Ordinary World (Anansi), and Mackerel Sky (Thomas Allen). We are sad we’ve lost her to Calgary, but thrilled... [continue]

If last week’s key word on the literary scene was “big,” as in prizes, galas, festivals, sold-out readings, visiting writers, and BookExpo, we get back to normal-ish this week. In fact, we’ve not had such a low-key stretch since March. Fear not. The Scream Literary Festival is adding more information to their website every week. On July 3rd, the festival kicks off with readings by Dennis Lee and Souvankham Thammavongsa, films by Shapour Shahidi, and... [continue]

Buzz about the Seventh Annual Griffin Poetry Prize began when its 2007 judges were announced last November. Anticipation grew when the shortlist was unveiled two months ago, and on June 5th, the nominated poets performed for an enthusiastic sold-out crowd at The Macmillan Theatre. And finally! The winners were presented during a vibrant awards gala last Wednesday evening at the Stone Distillery. As you’ve probably heard by now, Charles Wright’s Scar Tissue and Don McKay’s... [continue]

Photo of Griffin Nominees by Poetography.ca. Please forgive! The listings are a day later than scheduled. Blame it on the rain or blame it on The Griffin Poetry Prize. Last night, six of seven poets nominated for The 2007 Griffins—and one actor—read to a sold-out house at the Macmillan Theatre. Imagine: 800+ people clapping ecstatically for poetry, and a standing ovation for lifetime achievement winner Tomas Tranströmer (people wept). Nominee Ken Babstock, who has... [continue]

Have you seen the handsome true-blue posters that proclaim “Love Is” on Queen Street between Spadina and Bathurst, and on Bathurst Street from Queen to College? They've also been spotted in The Annex. Underneath the words, white rectangular boxes invite interaction from passerby. Empty as a “Hello, My Name Is” badge waiting for an identity, the posters are part of an upcoming film's viral marketing campaign. Thanks to Chris Tindal, who spotted the posters,... [continue]

Health Canada reports that over half of Canadian kids aged five to 17 are not physically active enough for optimal growth and development. The number of overweight boys ballooned from 15 percent in 1981 to 35.4 percent in 1996; the percentage of overweight girls expanded from 15 percent to 29.2 percent. In less than a generation, obesity in children tripled. As anyone who has tried to lose a few kilos knows, it is easier to... [continue]