Results tagged “torontoreferencelibrary”

Douglas Coupland could have taken better stock of his surroundings before he spoke. The writer of Generation X and jPod was on stage in the Toronto Reference Library's new event space, the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon, for the space's inaugural event on September 23, the first of three planned installments of The Writer's Room, a series of author interviews hosted by the Globe's Ian Brown. The event was styled as a gala opening for the Salon, complete with a cash bar. The public had turned out in droves, drawn by Coupland's celebrity, and also by free admission. But there were career librarians in the room as well, basking in the Reference Library's beautiful new gathering space. And Coupland had to go and poke their collective sore spot.

The Watchmen movie has been released to moderate success and every other person on the street has a copy of the graphic novel in their low-slung messenger bag. Michael Cera, the quirky playboy of lady hipster hearts, is in town filming the Scott Pilgrim movie. Now is a better time than ever to come out and let your comic flag fly. Side-by-side with a documentary festival, book festival, and photography festival, the fourth Toronto Comic Arts Festival (or TCAF) animates the city this week.

DANCE: A taunting line from R. Lee Ermey’s sergeant character in Full Metal Jacket (“Only steers and queers come from Texas, Private Cowboy. And you don't look much like a steer to me so that kinda narrows it down.”) is turned on its head in the fifth installment of Steers and Queers, a gay cowboy dance night at the Dakota Tavern. This is a typically sold-out event with dirty line-dancing lessons and DJ Sigourney Beaver spinning. The Dakota Tavern (249 Ossington Avenue), 10 p.m., $5.

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.

THEATRE: Back by popular demand, Monty Python's Spamalot is having a month-long return engagement at the Canon Theatre. The Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Spamalot follows King Arthur (played by the hilarious Gary Beach) and his knights on their quest for the Holy Grail. The show is a must-see for Monty Python fans, but will still be lots of fun for everyone else, even if they don't grasp the multitude of subtle Python references. Canon Theatre (244 Victoria Street), 8 p.m., $69–$175.

ART: There are two cool art openings today. The first is StreetSpeaks, a new photo exhibition by May Karp, a 30-year advocate of expression through street art. The exhibit showcases the street art photographed by Karp while travelling through France, Portugal, Miami, New York, Spain, the Canary Islands, and Toronto. Until September 27 (The Moore Gallery at 404-80 Spadina Avenue, 2 p.m., FREE). The second is The Artillerist, an installation by Pixel Immersive Gallery, featuring many artists including Neil Collyer, Derrick Hodgson, Niko Stumpo, and Janis Kun, among others. The show boasts an interactive premise, with visitors using Nintendo Wii controllers aimed at digital canvases in order to output graphics previously created by the show's artists. Each visitor will be able to view their unique composition on the exhibit's Flickr gallery, and will also be able to purchase hi-res prints of their work. Until October 4 (Pixel Immersive Gallery at 156 Augusta Avenue, 7 p.m., $5).

From April 19 to June 28, the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street) hosts From Hanga to Manga: The Graphic Art of Japanese Storytelling—hanga being the Japanese art of woodblock printing, and manga being your otaku nephew's reason for living, that is. The exhibition features a collection of rare illustrated books, woodblock prints, and comics from the libraries of the TPL Special Collections, the ROM, and Japan Foundation Toronto.

Panel from Emily Pohl-Weary and Willow Dawson's Violet Miranda: Girl Pirate #4, courtesy of Willow Dawson.

Detail of photo by the Frankfurt School from the Torontoist Flickr Pool..

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.

Carol Schwartzott, A Brief History of the Fan, Lilliput Press, c2003.

In addition to some upcoming online renovations based on some questions they are asking, the Toronto Reference Library has announced a revitalization project that will physically transform the library throughout the next five years. Being the first renovation of its kind since the library opened its doors in 1977, the project will cost $30 million. Original architects Moriyama and Teshima will be responsible for the library's redesign.

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...

Photo by ilkrender.

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. (No word on whether they'll get naked onstage again.)

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.

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 and Bloor is turning 30 and wants to hear your stories.

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.

A happy National Poetry Month to you!

Next time you visit the library, take a look at the carpeting and furniture. Does it make you want to linger with a good book or run through the checkout as fast as possible?

We're a little late with this week's music listing--blame the election! Er, okay, maybe someone just got immersed in learning a bit of Flash and let it slip. It won't happen again.

Monday

Excuse me for the lateness of this week’s listing. I’m still on Nuit Blanche time. And yes, I made it until 7am. This is an absolutely fantastic week for word nerds. And check this – if one of your friends is more into sports, you can bring them to a literary event disguised as a boxing match. For a boxing fan like me, it doesn't get any better.

Earlier this week in the concert listings, we briefly told you of the upcoming free shows that the Toronto Public Library were holding. Now that the full details have been released, here's the low-down.

Everyone sufficiently recovered from Word on the Street? Over 200,000 people braved the wind and rain and descended upon Queen’s Park for a celebration of books. I have a book hangover, thus the lateness of this week’s listings.

. If you haven't read it yet, you should.

Having come to terms with that fact, we still like the Sherlock, but we were wondering how Conan Doyle's masterful stories can be relevant to modern audiences. Good thing the Toronto Reference Library is presenting a lecture on how Sherlock can be relevant to modern audiences. As presented by Author Les Klinger. 7 pm. The library boasts a most extensive Arthur Conan Doyle collection, but sadly it's not open on Friday night.