Results tagged “thisisnotareadingseries”

With the closure of Pages Books a couple of months ago, Toronto lost one of its great literary institutions. As we reported at the time, however, the news wasn't entirely grim: "There is, fortunately," we said, "the silveriest of silver linings, which is that Pages' much-loved programming, run under the banner This Is Not A Reading Series (TINARS), will continue."

THEATRE: Theodore Bikel is a veteran of the stage, screen, and recording studio. He's been nominated for an Academy Award (for his role in The Defiant Ones) and two Tony Awards, performed with Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger, and is a founder of the Newport Folk Festival. With this outstanding list of accomplishments behind him, tonight he returns to the stage in Toronto for a preview performance of his one-man show, Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears, which he both wrote and is starring in. Sholom Aleichem was a Yiddish author in the late 1800s whose short story about Tevye the milkman inspired the musical Fiddler on the Roof. Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre (189 Yonge Street), 8 p.m., $40–$75.

WORDS: Let's be honest. Book launches can be a bit dry. Sometimes not even some free wine can spice up an event that's, more often than not, only interesting to industry types who want to network. And then there's This Is Not A Reading Series. They take each of their literary events to a level that any above-average book-lover can enjoy. Tonight, TINARS outdoes itself with the launch of Lisa Pasold's first novel, Rats of Las Vegas at the Gladstone. The book follows a poker prodigy who learns to play poker in Vancouver during the Depression. She starts working her way through high-stakes games on the railroad, eventually making her way to Las Vegas and the Flamingo Hotel. For the launch tonight, singers Alejandra Ribera and Bremner Duthie will start off the Vegas-themed party with some lounge singing, followed by a discussion between Pasold and writer (and sometimes poker player) Craig Davidson. The night really gets interesting when Skin Tight Outta Sight members CoCo La Creme and Sauci Calla Horra put on a burlesque performance, and then you can ante in for the night's biggest event, a "legal points-run poker tournament" hosted by Davidson. Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West), 7:30 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), $15 (free with book purchase).

It isn't every day that you go to a wake for a bookstore.

The end of an era. It's a cliché, an easy writer's trick whose use far exceeds its real application. We stand by it in this case, however. After thirty years curating the indie set's reading list and nurturing Toronto's newest and freshest literary voices, Pages Books and Magazines will be shutting its doors for good in August. As reported in this week's issue of NOW, and confirmed privately to Torontoist, in the end there simply wasn't a choice. Rent is growing faster than sales, and for all that Pages is deeply loved (the Save Pages Books! Facebook group has upwards of 2,300 members), the cash crunch got to be too much.

Urban Planner is Torontoist's daily guide to what's on in Toronto, published every morning. If you have an event you'd like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you've got any—to events@torontoist.com.

ART: Today is the last day to catch Of All the People in the World, the eye-opening and visually compelling installation that we reviewed on Friday. Created by the U.K.-based theatre company Stan’s Cafe, the show brings fifteen tons of rice to the Harbourfront Centre, with each grain of rice representing one person. Throughout the exhibit, performers count and weigh different quantities of rice to convey a range of statistics, including the populations of various cities, the number of Canadians who eat fast food every day, and the number of military currently serving in Afghanistan. York Quay Centre (235 Queens Quay West), 11 a.m.–6 p.m., FREE.

THEATRE: For the next few weeks, internationally renowned Irish dance extravaganza Riverdance will be playing at the Canon Theatre, as part of their North American touring company's current farewell tour (insert appropriate Cher or Celine Dion farewell tour joke). Leads include Marty Dowds, Liam Ayres, and Christina Havlin. Riverdance is part of the Mirvish 2008–2009 subscription season, and runs until June 21. Canon Theatre (244 Victoria Street), $20–$99.

WORDS: Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk will be appearing at the Isabel Bader Theatre this evening to promote his latest release, Pygmy. Palahniuk will read from the novel, followed by an audience Q&A, and a book signing for the first 150 people to pick up a wristband. Wristbands can be picked up on a first-come-first-serve basis from 5 p.m. onward at the theatre, and anyone who gets one is required to buy a copy of the book. Those who don't get wristbands in time will still be able to buy pre-signed copies of the book (Mr. Palahniuk is very generous). Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West), 7 p.m., $10.

POLITICS: Toronto City Hall is hosting a town hall meeting tonight about the Beautifulcity.ca initiative, which would implement stricter billboard bylaws, and fees. The proposal, which will be voted on in a few weeks' time, will not only give a 53% increase to the current annual municipal funding for artists and art institutions, but will also provide, annually, three hundred thousand dollars for each of the thirteen identified "priority neighbourhoods" and one hundred thousand dollars for each of the city's forty-four wards, as well as the ability to hire "seventeen dedicated staff to enforce the new billboard bylaw, create a public inventory, direct removals, and collect fines," according to organizer Devon Ostrom. For more information on how to get involved, check out the Facebook event, and keep your eyes on Torontoist this week for further coverage. Toronto City Hall (100 Queen Street West, Council Chambers), 6:30–9 p.m., FREE.

MUSIC: Brooklyn experimental electronic duo Mountains will be playing at the Music Gallery this evening. The drone duo, whose pastoral soundscapes and vivid melodies draw from influences like Brian Eno and Fennesz, will be playing songs off their recently released third album, Choral. Also performing tonight are avant-garde rock veterans Ayal Senior's Spacechurch, as well as eclectic guitarist/pedal steel guitarist Matthew "Doc" Dunn. Music Gallery (197 John Street), 7 p.m., $10 ($5 for members, students, and seniors).

Toronto poster boy John Sewell has been hard at work. Building on the research that he conducted for a 2005 lecture series, he has written a new book, The Shape of the Suburbs, that attempts to explain how Toronto's suburban communities have spread over time and how they have shaped Toronto. Because of its insight, the work has been selected for Pages Books and Magazines’ This Is Not A Reading Series, and on Tuesday night at the Gladstone Hotel, Sewell had the opportunity to not read his book.

BENEFIT: Canadian international art quarterly C Magazine will host their annual benefit tonight at the Birch Libralato Gallery, in support of C The Visual Arts Foundation, a sister organization dedicated to promoting Canadian art on an international level. The event, a live art auction entitled "Spring Fling," will feature works from more than fifty of Canada's top contemporary artists, including artist Corwyn Lund's above-pictured piece, (Bouquet for) Baghdad, April 20th, 2006. Birch Libralato Gallery (129 Tecumseth Street), 5:30 p.m. (live auction starts at 7:30 p.m.), $50 at the door/$40 in advance.

WORDS: Tonight’s This Is Not a Reading Series event celebrates the launch of Six Months in Sudan: A Young Doctor in a War-Torn Village by emergency medicine practitioner and University of Toronto professor James Maskalyk. Dr. Maskalyk will talk about his memoir and his first tour of duty in Sudan for Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders with journalist and broadcaster Avril Benoit, also at MSF/DWB. The Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West), 5 p.m., $5 or P.W.Y.C., all proceeds go to MSF/DWB.

FILM: Tonight, join #1 cutest couple ever (Olivia Chow and Jack Layton) at the Bloor Cinema, where they're hosting the Toronto premiere screening of Academy Award–nominated director Leslie Iwerks's latest endeavour. The film, a short documentary called Downstream, follows the controversy surrounding Alberta's multi-billion dollar oil sands industry. Following the screening, Chow will moderate a panel discussion regarding the environmental and social impact of tar sands, featuring Layton, Iwerks, Academy Award–nominated producer Phil Alberstat, and Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaign Coordinator Christie Ferguson. Although tonight's screening is free, you need to RSVP to chowo1c@parl.gc.ca or by calling 416-533-2710 in advance, with your name, phone number, address, and number of tickets requested. Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor Street West), 7 p.m., FREE.

Does your Canadianness matter to you? And what does it even mean to be Canadian? The old joke, of course, is that Canada is NotTheUnitedStates, that we define ourselves as America's inverse, or perhaps her kinder, gentler cousin, but have no substantive notion of what our identity is absent that contrast. On the other hand, lots of us vehemently reject that trope, arguing that Canada does have a distinct sense of itself. Just what that identity consists in though (Multiculturalism? Socialized medicine, or a broader concern for social welfare? Our climate and geography? The sheer course of historical events?) isn't always entirely clear.

THEATRE: Theatrical art troupe Small Wooden Shoe, whose previous artistic installments have appeared at both the Harbourfront Centre and the Toronto Fringe Festival, will open their new show tonight at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Dedicated to the Revolutions will explore the effects of seven different scientific revolutions through the use of witty whiteboard presentations, clever songs, and other intriguing demonstrations. Dedicated will run five nights a week until April 12, and you can purchase advance tickets here. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander Street), 8 p.m., $15–25.

FILM: First Weekend Club, a non-profit Canadian organization dedicated to promotion of Canadian films in order to keep them in theatres longer, is hosting an advanced screening of RiP: A Remix Manifesto tonight in the Drake Underground. In the film, web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores copyrighting issues in the age of information, in particular through his study of musician Gregg Gillis, better known as Girl Talk (also pictured above). Does Gillis shatter copyrighting boundaries through piracy, or will he create them? What does this mean for the future of the music industry? The pre-show wine reception kicks off at 7 p.m., followed by a screening of video mashup artist Jonathan McIntosh's latest film, So You Think You Can Be President. RiP will screen at 8 p.m., followed by a panel discussion featuring Gaylor himself, along with McIntosh, film distributor Robin Smith, and Marcus Bornfreund. Drake Hotel Underground (1150 Queen Street West), 7 p.m., $12 (Buy advance tickets here).

WORDS: As part of Freedom to Read Week, This Is Not A Reading Series is proudly presenting the Canadian launch of Michael Muhammad Knight's The Taqwacores, a controversial novel about the Muslim punk-rock movement. Knight will appear this evening in conversation with Montreal filmmaker Omar Majeed, whose still-in-progress documentary Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam will feature the real-life punk bands whose stories inspired Knight to write his novel. Advanced footage from the film will be shown at the event, and Knight will partake in an extended Q&A session with the audience. Gladstone Hotel Melody Bar (1214 Queen Street West), 7 p.m., $5 (free if you buy the book).

DANCE: Improv Everywhere enthusiasts and ex-ravers unite! Improv In Toronto is throwing their second annual Subway Dance Party. Participants are told to bring their own music and headphones, meet in Queen's Park at 3 p.m., and proceed to get on the subway one by one until the train unites in an epic but silent dance party. If you're interested in participating, check the Improv in Toronto site for further instructions. The statue in the middle of Queen's Park, 3 p.m., FREE.

ART: "Building Storeys: A Photo Exhibit of Toronto's Aging Spaces" opens today at the Gladstone Hotel's second floor gallery. The free exhibit, presented by Heritage Toronto in association with the Shadow Collective, aims to serve as a visual documentation of the city's cherished yet often overlooked heritage buildings and sites. "Building Storeys" is sponsored by Spacing Magazine and will run daily until February 22. Gladstone Hotel Second Floor Gallery (1214 Queen Street West), 12–5 p.m., FREE.

MUSIC: Tonight at the Beaver, Gentleman Reg is throwing an advance listening party for his upcoming LP, Jet Black. The free event will also feature a screening of two music videos (shot from songs off Jet Black). If you can't make it, you can hear Reg play the songs live when he performs at Soundscapes on Tuesday, February 24, the album's release date. The Beaver (1192 Queen Street West), 11 p.m., FREE.

FOOD: Tonight at Coupe Space Event Gallery, author/chef Jennifer McLagan and Cumbrae Farms proprietor Stephen Alexander will team up to present "Fat: A Misunderstood Ingredient." The fat-, meat-, and wine-tasting event complements McLagan's new book, Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes. McLagan and Alexander will guide patrons through a history of different lard and meat styles. There will also be a guest appearance from Martin Malivoire, proprietor of the Malivoire Wine Company, presumably to give advice on wine-tasting. Coupe Space Event Gallery (998 Queen Street East), 7-9 p.m., $75.

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.

POLITICS: It's Federal Election time! Torontoist will be liveblogging the results this evening, so make sure you've read up on all of our election coverage in advance. Go vote! Seriously! Various locations (find yours here), 9:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m., FREE.

FILM: War/Dance, winner of the 2007 Hot Docs Audience Award, will be screened tonight at the Bloor Cinema. The documentary follows a children's dance troupe from northern Uganda invited to compete at an annual dance and music festival. The screening is presented in association with GuluWalk and AMREF Canada. Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor Street West), 7 p.m., $10 ($5 for students).

MUSIC: Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner will make a rare solo appearance tonight: the Nashville alternative-country singer is playing at the Drake Underground. The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West), 8 p.m., $15.

MUSIC: Today, War Child Canada is presenting "Busking For Change," a day-long busking event featuring a number of reasonably successful Canadian performers. Among those performing are Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida (a fervent supporter of War Child Canada), Chantal Kreviazuk, Zack Werner, The Waking Eyes, and Neverending White Lights. Expect to see lots of teenaged girls unable to control their excitement, and a slough of disgruntled buskers who've had their spots stolen by real musicians with stable income. Various locations in the downtown core, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.., FREE (plus the donation to War Child Canada you'll inevitably end up making).

MUSIC: The Polaris Music Prize Gala is happening tonight at the Phoenix Concert Theatre, where the winner of this year's best Canadian album will receive $20,000. The gala will include performances from nominees Holy Fuck, Shad, Two Hours Traffic, Basia Bulat, and Plants and Animals—but it's also invite-only. Those of you who can't get in have still got a number of options, though: CBC Radio 3's Grant Lawrence will be hosting a live broadcast of the gala, which you can listen to on both CBC Radio 3 and Sirius Channel 86. You can also head over to the Drake Hotel, where there will be a free official after party open to the (of age) public. Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh from Holy Fuck will be DJing, along with Shad and DJ T-Lo (1150 Queen Street West, 10 p.m., FREE).

WORDS: Zoocheck Canada founder Rob Laidlaw wants your kids to be as jaded as possible from an early age. To implement this idea, he's releasing Wild Animals in Captivity, a new non-fiction kids book that examines animal life in decidedly un-Disney-like settings. Laidlaw will be speaking to elementary students this morning at the Yorkdale Indigo (3401 Dufferin Street, 10 a.m., FREE). Later tonight, he's giving a lecture at the George Ignatieff Theatre called "The Bond Between Us: Reflections on the Human-Animal Relationship." Polar bear expert Else Poulsen and author Elizabeth Abbott will also be speaking at the event. All proceeds and book sales will go towards Zoocheck Canada. George Ignatieff Theatre (15 Devonshire Place), 7 p.m., $8.