Results tagged “poetry”

See? See what we did there? We wrote a haiku in lieu of providing you with a proper headline. And did you see what else we did? We stuck in a jaunty "Tra la la la la" because we still had five syllables to use, and we couldn’t think of anything else we wanted to write. Now, before the mud slinging begins, let’s consider why we wrote such a terrible poem. Was it because the last time we attempted such a feat, we were in grade six, and our English teacher informed us that our poem—which saw the words "Jonathan," "Taylor," and "Thomas" arranged in three different ways on three different lines—was "abysmal," and our haiku-writing confidence was shaken? Yes! Was it also, in (most) part, because we wanted you to know about CBC Radio One’s Toronto-themed haiku-writing contest, and actually spent an hour trying to write a half-decent poem, but ultimately failed and decided to leave the "good" writing to you? Yes!

Pape Avenue's most intriguing poet (or non-poet, as the case may be) is back at it, recently adding the above cardboard sign to his collection of handwritten glory.

The finalists for the Griffin Poetry Prize were announced earlier today, and Torontoist was happily in attendance.

Several questions come to mind upon reading the above poem found taped to the window of an east-end home. First, what happened between the author and his wife to solicit this rage-filled verse? Second, are "water skin" and "green head" meant to be insults? And lastly, what do donuts and a family of pigeons have to do with anything?

Valentine's Day is nearly upon us, a day of happy lovers and happier chocolate purveyors. Back in 1954, two of the city's larger candy chains filled the newspapers with ads showing off their sweet suggestions. Beyond wolfing down bonbons, what else could sweethearts do that year?

Earlier this month, beloved Canadian book blog Bookninja asked its readers if they felt top literary novelists faced unfortunate book rebranding "to meet the purchasing habits of an embiggened sector of stupid readers." A cover contest was proposed by founding editor George Murray, where readers were asked to create and submit their own wildly inappropriate covers for literary classics, and general bookish hilarity ensued.

Just when you really thought you'd seen it all, Keep Six Contemporary curator Rafi Ghanaghounian brings us Explicit Fantastic. The brand new author series (accompanied by a recently opened art show) brings some A-list writers out of the bars and Brigantine Room and into the—wait for it—laundromat. Tonight, Hollywood Coin Lounge (180 Ossington Avenue) will play host to some scribes aiming to unload some dirty words. The idea behind the ongoing series is to bring NSFW literature into functioning laundries, creating an ongoing forum for Toronto talent to share "their most explicit sexual ink" and "pleasuring word efforts" with you. There's no cover, but you are asked to bring a couple of loads of dirty laundry to do while you enjoy the reading. Tonight's event starts at 7 p.m. and offers Greg Kearney, Tamai Kobayashi, Dwayne Morgan, Angela Rawlings, Steve Venright, and Zoe Whittall. Explicit Fantastic the reading is also accompanied by Explicit Fantastic the exhibition, housed at Keep Six Contemporary (938 Bathurst Street). The show, which runs until November 30, also explores sex and sexuality in contemporary culture with works by a variety of practicing contemporary artists, including Bruce La Bruce, Shary Boyle, Thrush Holmes, Kelsey Brookes, Richard Kern, CUM, Dan Witz, TILT, Junko Mizuno, Rikki Kasso, Allyson Mitchell, and Tomori Nagamoto.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

FILM: For the ninth year in a row, the imagineNATIVE film festival will feature videos and films by indigenous artists, alongside exhibitions and workshops voicing stories of survival and identity. You may have noticed their Indian Jane posters around—the festival's annual marketing campaigns cleverly deconstruct Hollywood stereotypes of natives (we've been informed that the awesome scene in Temple of Doom where the guy gets his heart ripped out didn't actually happen...sigh). Various locations, runs October 15–19. Tickets start at $7.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Photo by Jen Cooper.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city's literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry.

This Saturday, Pride Toronto has teamed up with The Word On The Street for the second annual Proud Voices Reading Series. It's a talent-packed day-long celebration of queer writers, showcasing the best of Canada's literary skill by bringing both established veterans and emerging authors to the James Canning Gardens Stage (Gloucester and Dundonald).

Photo by room929 from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

Photo by king_frankenstein.

Photo by kygp.

Photo of Emily Schultz from her website.

Photo detail of Shary Boyle's Ouroboros, courtesy of Conundrum Press.