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Urban Planner: January 13, 2009
WORDS: Toronto writers take it to Shakespeare tonight at This Is Not a Reading Series. Steven Beattie—editor at Quill and Quire and blog-writer of That Shakespeherian Rag—speaks to Priscilla Uppal about her new novel, To Whom It May Concern, and her use of King Lear as its starting point. Sri Lankan–born Toronto novelist Shyam Selvadurai and actor/playwright Linda Griffiths join in the discussion by addressing the question of the current relevance of Shakespeare. Gladstone Hotel Ballroom (1214 Queen Street West), 7:30 p.m., $5 (refunded with purchase of To Whom It May Concern).
WORDS: If you’ve been saving that epic poem you wrote in grade four for a special occasion, this may be it. Grownups Read Things They Wrote as Kids is an open call for, well, grown-ups who’d like to read out loud the things they wrote as kids, now in its sixth edition. Most readers have signed up in advance, but a few spots are being held for drop-ins the night of. Tranzac Main Hall (292 Brunswick Avenue), 8 p.m., FREE.
AWARDS: The Firkin Group of Pubs are giving back a little to all those students who spent their OSAP money on beer. The company put together a unique funding program called “Say F.U. to Student Debt” that grants $5000 to qualifying graduating students to help clear some of their debt. This year’s five winners were chosen from among hundreds of applicants, all of whom wrote a five hundred–word essay on why they deserved the money. The cheque-granting ceremony happens tonight, with this year’s recipients in attendance. Frog and Firkin (4854 Yonge Street, North York), 6:30 p.m., FREE.
MUSIC: A musician we were speaking to this weekend was musing that some bands get together in a quest for fame, while others get together to play music. See if you can tell the difference tonight at Dave Bookman’s Nu Music Nite. Bands playing are A Thousand Cures, Woodward Co, Aidan, and Saint Even. Horseshoe Tavern (368 Queen Street West), 9 p.m., FREE.