Over the past little while, Torontoist has been quietly absorbed in The Alphabet Game: a bpNichol reader. Edited by Darren Wershler-Henry and Lori Emerson, The Alphabet Game is an essential anthology for any reader of bpNichol, and is a great starting point for those who have yet to discover his work. Nichol, who is probably most well-known for his concrete and visual poetry, had achieved many things before dying at the age of 44. He......

The Toronto Public Library is an undeniably important public space in this city. Beyond offering a sanctuary for quiet study and learning, library branches provide after-school programming for youth as well as settlement information and language resources for newcomers. It’s little wonder that this fall, even as he was threatening budget cuts, David Miller remarked: "Our libraries are where people become Torontonians." Striving to remain relevant and innovative, the public library constantly introduces new programs,......

Will people ever appreciate the fine architecture or heritage value of such widely-detested buildings as Robarts Library or the Sheraton Centre? If history is any guide, they will—but only if the buildings manage to survive our collective hatred (or apathy) for another 40 years or so. As the Star's Christopher Hume has written on several occasions, buildings are most at risk of demolition when they are 40–60 years old. That's when their architectural styles are......

Photo courtesy of WordFest. This Thursday the Toronto Reference Library will host a LongPen event with Margaret Atwood—inventor of the device—who will interview BBC personality and author Kate Mosse (not the model), who will be in Sussex, England. Conducted via video conferencing, Mosse will read from her newest work, Sepulchre, and answer audience questions, and will be able to sign books with the LongPen. Mosse's book will be available through Nicholas Hoare Books at......

Are you tired of study sessions completely uninterrupted by YouTube clips? Have you resorted to reading books and periodicals rather than maintaining a constant vigil over your Facebook profile? If this behaviour sounds familiar to you, and you live near one of these locations (that is Agincourt, Albion, Albert Campbell, Bridlewood, Centennial, Eatonville, Flemingdon Park, Gerrard/Ashdale, Lillian H. Smith, Mimico, Morningside, North York Central, Parkdale, Parliament, Richview, Riverdale, Toronto Reference, Woodside Square, and York......

Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, the fourth volume in the popular comic book series by Brian Lee O'Malley, hits stores across the city today. We feel confident in saying that there has never been a person in the history of time who hasn't liked this series. The fact that Scott Pilgrim is set entirely in Toronto only makes it more appealing: live vicariously through the characters as they eat dynamite rolls at New Generation......

It is a peculiarity of our city that its grandest monument was erected to honour a largely forgotten and misunderstood war. Yet, the life of the South African War Memorial—the tall granite column overlooking the intersection at Queen and University—reveals a great deal about how the city’s priorities and values have evolved over time. Although University Avenue terminated at Queen Street at that time, it acted as a stately boulevard connecting the new government buildings......

Recalling an exciting time in Canadian indie rock when bands sounded less like accordion-totting balladeers and more like Dischord Records discography-totting caustic rockers, Republic of Safety are easily one of the most exciting bands currently making music in this city. Fronted by the charismatic (and Torontoist interviewed!) Maggie MacDonald, the band boasts the creative, angular guitar work of scene veteran Jonny Dovercourt, along with bassist Marlena Kaesler, saxophonist Martin Eckart, and former Quebexico drummer Steve......

Holocaust Education Week, running from November 1 to 11, is the annual time of remembrance to honour those who suffered in humanity’s darkest chapter, and an opportunity for the lessons of history to be reaffirmed for future generations. The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and the Holocaust Centre of Toronto have organized far more—over 150 programs in total—than can be listed here. An impressive breadth and diversity of events and speakers will thoughtfully examine......

Photo by ilkrender. The Toronto Reference Library will be celebrating the big 30 this Friday, and you're invited to its open house birthday party. Beginning at 10:30 a.m. with Breakfast Television host Kevin Frankish, Mayor David Miller, and architects Raymond and Ajon Moriyama, the event includes poetry readings, music, artist demonstrations, library tours, workshops, etc. The library will also launch Your Stories, a collection of personal narratives about the library's role in the lives......

Photo by EIFF. Next week on October 17th, the International Festival of Authors will kick off its 28th year since its inception in 1980 at the Premiere Dance Theatre (207 Queens Quay West). Incorporating some of the best contemporary world literature, the festival is comprised of eleven days and nights of readings, interviews, round-table discussions, lectures, and book signings—not to mention special event readings by Scotiabank Giller Prize and Governor General’s Literary Awards finalists.......

Autumn is upon us, and with it the fall leaf colours that epitomize the season. It is said that the dry summer will dull the foliage this year, but that's no excuse to stay indoors. Elliott Katz's book, Great Country Walks Around Toronto, is packed with hikes of varying lengths in all areas of the city. One of the walks follows the Cedarvale Ravine. This easy 2.5 km walk over paved and packed-dirt trails......

For the past couple of years, The Toronto Zine Library has been one of the better-kept secrets of the city’s literary set. And we’re not talking about the shoddily maintained zine collection at the Reference Library either. Holed away in the rehearsal hall of The Tranzac, the TZL's den of independently published materials currently holds over 1000 zines (and counting, donations are encouraged) ranging from semi-popular stuff like Montreal's Fish Piss to more obscure personal......

"Skeletons Out for a Walk" by emcnamee. There is a lot of madness to look forward to this week. Nuit Blanche madness (covered very soon by Torontoist), book sale madness, and literary events madness spread throughout the city. Torontoist will give you the lowdown on everything we can this week so you can sort it all out in your head. To settle down pre-Nuit Blanche jitters, you can check out the Art Aloud: Scotiabank......

Originally published by Viking Press in 1957, Jack Kerouac's On the Road has been wearing holes in the back pockets and floppy canvas knapsacks of gaggles of come-find-yourself road trippers and college-aged who-am-I types ever since. To coincide with the 50th anniversary of its publication, Wednesday night will see the Gladstone play host to something of a symposium on the life and legacy of their main man, Kerouac. Authors Ray Robertson and David Creighton will......

The grand dame of Toronto's performing arts venues, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, celebrates its 100th birthday tomorrow. To mark the event, the Mirvishes have organized a free open house from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., during which you can go on a self-guided backstage tour, eat free grub at the BBQ in front of the theatre (weather permitting), or catch a tribute performance from the original members of the 1969 Canadian cast of Hair.......

From mid-September through year-end, all City Community Centres will be closed on Mondays. Skating rinks won't open until January. Fewer potholes will be repaired. Snow won't be cleared unless there is at least 15 cm of it (the current minimum is 8 cm). New materials from Public Health will only be available in English. Welcome to the new Toronto, where you get what you (and the provincial and federal governments) pay for—or won't get what......

Cost containment measures designed to save 1.2 million dollars by year-end were recently announced by the Toronto Public Library. Included in these measures is the cancellation of Sunday service at sixteen branches for the remainder of the year. Torontoist feels now may be a good time to visit your local branch and pay any overdue fines. Illustration by Kevin McBride.......

Proving that New Democrats actually are allowed to have a sense of humour, former provincial cabinet minister and federal candidate Marilyn Churley commented on the dearth of women in the Ontario legislature by suggesting that there were not enough Janes and too many Dicks in provincial politics. You go, girl. Speaking of dicks at Queen's Park, Citizenship Minister Mike Colle has resigned after the Auditor-General revealed that his office had awarded more than 32......

Stage Struck: 100 Years At The Royal Alex, a free exhibition commemorating the Royal Alexandra Theatre's centennial, opened yesterday at the Toronto Reference Library. Torontoist was at the opening to oggle at the rare playbills, posters and other paraphernalia that would make any theatre geek weak in the knees. Organized by the Toronto Public Library, the Stage Struck exhibit features photos, design sketches, scripts and souvenir books that highlight the long history of the......

Vancouver Central Public Library photo by lindn. Bad Buildings has always looked around this town of ours and bemoaned its lack of architectural cojones. For the most part, our buildings are safe, functional and dull (Four Seasons Centre, we're looking at you). Now and again, though, we've been graced (or cursed) with real bursts of boldness—risky designs that challenge the monotone drabness that pervades our built environment. The question is, though, is it enough......

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......

In light of Montreal’s Fraser Hickon Library’s recent shutdown, it’s good to know Toronto’s own book havens are as strong as ever. On top of the newly introduced Museum and Arts Pass, the summer kids' programs and all the help the library gives to incoming immigrants looking to get familiar with the city, the Toronto Reference Library provides a varied wealth of hard-to-wrangle books along side wireless, air conditioned luxury. Now this oasis at Yonge......

Robarts is sinking. And no, we're not talking about Sam, the actor, and the dwindling of his already-iffy reputation since a stint on the stinkiest of stinky TV shows, CSI. Besides, he's spelled Robards, but if we must stretch for the metaphor, we'll do it. No, we mean John P. Robarts, as in the awful main humanities library on the otherwise (largely) splendiferous University of Toronto campus. We mean not to dogpile on poor Robarts,......

When you're stuck in a prison tower in Northern Ireland, sometimes all you want is a call from home. Since June 30, Toronto-based performance artist Astrid Bin has been living in Curfew Tower, a 19th century building that once housed the criminals of Cushendall, County Antrim. Curfew Tower is the property of music industry icon Bill Drummond, who formerly managed bands like Echo and the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes. Drummond has also had......

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......

Ontario Environment Minister Laurel Broten will not build a two-storey garage for their home after all. Not that Torontoist doesn't think that the garage was a bad idea, because we do, but one of her neighbours is trying to get the court to make her pay him back the $10,000 he spent preparing for the municipal board hearing. Isn't that kind of excessive? Dude, you got what you wanted. Torontoist does not see where in......

The Toronto Public Library is the only good thing to have come from amalgamation. One of the worst things to have come from amalgamation, on the other hand, is City Council's insistence that everything that it doesn't do is a result of not being able to afford to do it, and that everything that it does do is a result of not being able to afford not to do it. Last Wednesday morning, June......

Telus announced on Tuesday that it’s pulling out of the bidding war for BCE, Canada’s biggest telecommunications company, after citing "inadequacies" in the bidding process. The remaining bidders are backed by U.S. private-equity firms, which analysts say might be a problem since foreign companies can’t own more than 46.67 percent of telecom providers. And even though almost half of Canadians are against a Telus-BCE merge, 65 percent still prefer it to foreign takeover of......

A great haircut will make you feel cute, sleek and sassy. An even better haircut will make you feel cute, sleek and sassy and help children in Peru learn to read. On Sunday, June 24, Evoke Salon at Yonge and Eglinton will donate 100% of profits from all services to Para el Mundo, a non-profit organization that works with the community of Máncora, Peru. Para el Mundo organizes and facilitates education, health and social......