Results tagged “thisis”

Photo of d’bi.young.anitafrika and her son, Moon, courtesy of Women’s Press.

Next Monday, February 4, Keep Toronto Reading will launch its One Book program at the Toronto Reference Library. There will be performances by Soprano Mary Lou Fallis, who will sing popular songs from the 1850s, and Ross Manson who will perform two dramatic readings from Consolation. The event will be hosted by Tina Srebotnjak, who will interview Michael Redhill, author of Consolation. You can check out all One Book events here.

As part of the always interesting (and now delicious) This Is Not A Reading Series, U of T history professor Steve Penfold and noted food writer Christine Sismondo are joining forces this week to discuss snack food patriotism and Canada’s unofficial deep-fried culinary icon, the donut. All this in celebration of Penfold’s new book, The Donut: A Canadian History.

Photo by Stig Nygaard.

As the subject for a serious music book, Céline Dion––amazing or not––seems like an odd choice. In the latest book in the 33⅓ series, however––a series which typically looks at albums like the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds or Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures or the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St.––Carl Wilson, probably Toronto's pre-eminent music critic, takes it upon himself to "[strive] to understand Céline's global popularity," in the process "fac[ing] the question of what drives personal taste––and whether it's possible to change it." Wilson, needless to add, is a brave, brave man.

When Austrian company Wiener Stadtwerke approached Owen Pallett/Final Fantasy about using the song "This Is The Dream of Win & Regine" in a commercial, Pallett declined (probably nicely). So, naturally, Wiener Stadtwerke used the song in a commercial in June of this year anyway––or, at least, the most similar re-recorded version of Final Fantasy's song possible, changing a few notes in the violin part, adding some guy awkwardly singing "can you feel it?" and crediting...

No Film Friday again today, as we’re still too busy with the festival A few of the films that played at the festival are out already, with Neil Jordan’s The Brave One, David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises and Julie Taymor's Across the Universe all on general release. Not even new release Mr. Woodcock escapes a connection—it’s directed by Craig Gillespie, director of festival film Lars and the Real Girl.

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 be in conversation with CBC Radio One’s Jian Ghomeshi to discuss our ceaseless cultural infatuation with the famed Beat writer.

"Bookstore on Queen" by Trachsi from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

Photo of Cadence Weapon by David Topping.

Photos of trey anthony, Dawn Whitwell, and Gein Fence courtesy of Get Your Lit Out.

The good news: tonight, there are three great literary events happening in our fair city. The bad news: you’re going to have to choose.

In 1969, during one of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's three visits to Ottawa, a 14-year-old named Jerry Levitan snuck into their hotel, tracked them down, and snagged an interview on a reel-to-reel tape recorder. (You can read a written account of the story here.) Years later, the audio has been set to animation and the result is a short film entitled "I Met The Walrus." It should be amazing, if the trailer is any indication.

You still have a few hours left, but Torontoist's Poetry Contest closes tonight! At the beginning of the new year, Torontoist launched a poetry contest to encourage the penning of new poems about our fair city. After judges Carly Beath, Stephen Cain, and Jay MillAr deliberate, we'll announce the winner plus five honourable mentions on April 10.

Admirers and connoisseurs of adult films mark this down on your calendar: Ron Jeremy, the “hardest working man in showbiz” brings his, er, talents, to Toronto tomorrow evening.

Wednesday evening, join This Is Not A Reading Series, musical guests Stella Panacci and The Michael Brennan Band, and Toronto Star books columnist Phil Marchand as they celebrate the launch of Brad Smith’s newest novel, Big Man Coming Down The Road.

Although it may be Valentine’s Day – don’t worry, there’s still time to buy flowers or chocolates - Christopher Moore still thinks you suck.

Tomorrow night promises to be a great time for book lovers in Toronto. This Is Not A Reading Series presents what is perhaps their most anticipated event of the season as author Vendela Vida comes to town.

If you happened to read The Toronto Star on Sunday, you may have seen a short excerpt from novelist, historian, and journalist Lawrence Hill’s new novel, The Book of Negroes.

With the National Bridal Show just around the corner, there have been a number of literary tie-ins in the city this month. Tomorrow night, This Is Not A Reading Series helps Siri Agrell launch her new book, Bad Bridesmaid: Bachelorette Brawls & Taffeta Tantrums, What We Go Through for Her Big Day, published by HarperCollins Canada.

Fresh from their holiday break, the fine folks at This Is Not A Reading Series kick off the Winter/Spring 2007 season with…a film? Well, partly. This evening, join TINARS at the Royal Cinema as they celebrate the launch of Annabelle Gurwitch’s new book, Fired! Tales of The Canned, Canceled, Downsized & Dismissed. As the title would suggest, the book is comprised of tales of getting the axe from a host of contributors, from Bill Maher to Bob Saget.

This Is Not A Reading Series wraps up 2006 with its final two events of the year. With the temperature dropping every day and water soon turning into ice, what better topic than hockey?

When Coach House Books launched uTOpia: Towards a New Toronto last year we were absolutely, positively thrilled. The book brought together a group of people in love with the city and its potential.

Simon Houpt, New York correspondent for The Globe and Mail's Review section, is in town this evening to launch his new book with the help of This Is Not A Reading Series. Museum of The Missing: A History of Art Theft explores the shady and secretive world of art theft and chronicles “some of the most audacious and fascinating art heists of our times.” The book features a section entitled “Gallery of Missing Art” which focuses on stolen masterpieces. Houpt is more than qualified to write on the subject, having written about art and the auction world for a number of publications.

Apologies for the lack of listings last week. The combination of the previous night’s Halloween party and an encroaching deadline on another project left little time for me to gather all the literary happenings in the city.

No time…Must get back down to Harbourfront…IFOA in full swing…Here are some other literary events taking place this week….

The week starts off with another instalment of Pussy Pen, an evening of readings and performance focusing on women, trans, and queer perspectives. It takes place at Tango and Crews, 508 Church St, beginning at 8pm. Free.

Or was that I went to a boxing match and a reading broke out? Or both? Torontoist thinks you should wander over to Florida Jack's Boxing Club (782 Yonge St) tonight (7:00) to find out which one.

Those new Toronto Star "Why" ads are the best "slice-o-life-in-Toronto" Torontoists has seen in a while. A gay couple, the ugly art across the street from the Star's own offices, rowdy soccer fans, sick beaches (or is that "beach"?) and a muzzled pit bull! Damn, they even have a shot of the slowly disappearing Regent Park in it! How summer of '06 topical!