It is forgivable to forget that Toronto is the prevailing backdrop to the stories and poems collected in the anthology TOK: Writing the New Toronto. The anthology itself is not exactly about Toronto—devoid of any superficialities of Toronto pride and a "what Toronto means to me" mentality—choosing instead to showcase a continually shape-shifting Toronto. Edited by Helen Walsh, TOK is the first installment of the series—presented by Diaspora Dialogues and published through the Zephyr......

Once upon a time, at Once Upon A Time Books on Harbord Street, there lived a man with a beard. His beard, a scruffy white bushel that had not been trimmed or shaven in some time, was the longest beard on his street. All the little Torontoist readers used to walk by his bookstore at night, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mythical man and his long white beard. Sometimes, they'd even buy artwork......

All this dreary weather we've been having lately is enough to make Torontoist want a big cuddle until spring comes again. But for the Torontoists sans cuddling partner, you might be attending this - Toronto's next Cuddle Party For the cost of $25-$35 (it's a sliding scale) you can cuddle "in a safe, non-sexual workshop to explore affectionate touch boundaries and communication skills." It's organized by Cecilia Moorcroft, certified Cuddle Party facilitator (where would one......

Maybe celebrity architects are trying to tell us something when they come to our city and refurbish us with zany pole-vaulted matchboxes or a giant steel "O" looming over Harbord Street. TOist has always felt such examples of architectural swagger bring more good than harm despite being aesthetically distasteful, especially in the case of Thom Mayne's U of T Graduate House. Built in 2000, it was adored by critics for its boldness (Lisa Rochon,......