For some, November is the month to begin bundling up against the inevitable bombardment of the holiday season. For others, November is the time to anxiously welcome the frenzy of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. In just a few short days, thousands upon thousands of NaNoWriMoists from all over the world—both new and veteran—will take the plunge and attempt to write a full-length novel (about 50, 000 words) in just 30......

Torontoist loves local artists, and we love short films, so naturally we try to support local artists who make short films. This Tuesday, recent York film grad Nick Butler is organizing the Annex Film Party, a fundraising event for his new project, A Thing of the Past. Butler has assembled an impressive lineup of performers, including thespian David Tomlinson, actress-singer Alsion Jutzi, and TVOKids host Nicole Stamp. Stamp is also remembered for her 2005 one-woman......

Think you can write, draw and finish a 24-page comic book in 24 hours? Next Saturday, October 20 is 24-Hour Comics Day, an all-night comics exercise held all around the world and at The Burrow Art Centre in Toronto. The pencils will commence their sketching at 2:00 p.m. and won't stop until 2:00 p.m. the next day. The idea originated in 1990 when future comic book theorist Scott McCloud (who we interviewed back in......

Fans of the Colbert Report need no introduction to Tek Jansen. He's the intergalactic swashbuckling alter-ego of Stephen Colbert who is the subject of a sci-fi book and cartoon series called Alpha Squad 7. Oni Press is releasing a five-part comic book serial based on the Tek Jansen adventures called Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen in Alpha Squad 7. Although Colbert is credited as the comic's "Galactic Overlord," writing credits have also been benevolently awarded......

The best things in life are free: long walks on the beach, make-outs in the dark and, for one day a year, comic books. Comics nerds around the globe will unite in spirit this Saturday to celebrate Free Comic Book Day, which means a trip to your local comic book store will result in a handful of free stuff and a general sense of well-being. As part of the festivities, The Beguiling will be giving......

Robert Priest performing at a 2004 fundraiser for the construction of the Gwendolyn MacEwen Park Memorial. Torontoist Poetry Contest Reminder! Two weeks ago, we at Torontoist launched a poetry contest to encourage the penning of new poems about our fair city. To inspire you, we now begin a series of previously published Toronto poems that will run until the final week of the contest. Our first poem is by Robert Priest, who is one......

We've got an invite to pass along for a launch party, exhibit, and book signing for photographer Geoffrey James' newest effort, Toronto, on Thursday night. James has travelled around the city taking shots of some of the underappreciated places in the city with his wide-angle panoramic camera. Torontoist's favourite local philosopher, Mark Kingwell, provides the introduction. The exhibition that accompanies the book launch features large black and white prints by James and some other......

As the summer slowly makes way for what seems to be an early fall, pretty soon we'll all spend more time huddled around the fireplace for the... holiday season. That's right... Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Kwanzaa are just around the corner, and the family is coming over to your place for dinner. They will come by and sit in your living room as you pass around some celebratory glasses of wine or nog. How......

Sure, there are a thousand other things demanding your attention this evening, but how many of them are free and will only take up an hour of your time before you hit the club/gallery/spooktacular house party? The comic store The Beguiling (which just got a nod from NOW as the best in the city) is holding two impromptu signings this weekend featuring Charles Burns, Chip Kidd, and Chris Ware. Tonight is your chance to meet-and-greet......