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Urban Planner: May 4, 2009
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 [email protected].
Illustrations by Reif Larsen from The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, courtesy of Penguin Group (Canada).
WORDS: Last year, debut novelist Reif Larsen sent the publishing world into a bidding war over his manuscript The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, with Penguin finally acquiring the copyright for nigh a million dollars. Needless to say success stories like this don’t happen every day, and it’s rumoured the book—a story about a twelve-year-old boy who maps everyday experiences—is worth the hype. At the book launch tonight, Larsen, along with literary personality Claudia Dey, Torontoist’s own Jerad Gallinger and Stephen Michalowicz, and others, will hold forth on cartographic topics related to the book. The Steam Whistle Roundhouse (255 Bremner Boulevard), 8 p.m., $5 or FREE with book purchase.
FOOD: The Parkdale Potluck, an ongoing fundraising project, is launching a cookbook comprised of recipes from west-end residents. Artists, activists, restaurants, businesses, musicians, and families all contributed recipes, so the final product will span the many tastes and cultures from that chunk of the city. The donations and proceeds raised from book sales are going to the Parkdale Community Food Bank. The launch tonight includes a $5 potluck dinner, a tour of the food bank, film screenings, and music. Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (1499 Queen Street West), 7 p.m., $5 suggested donation, $3 with book purchase.
PHOTOGRAPHY: If you can pull yourself away from Hot Docs for one night, the Kodak Lecture Series at Ryerson University is hosting a lecture by Spanish photographer, artist, and curator Jorge Ribalta tonight. The event, which is presented in conjunction with CONTACT, will use montage, documentaries, and still images to address the big questions facing documentary media today. Ryerson University Library Building, Room LIB-72 (350 Victoria Street), 7 p.m., FREE.
MUSIC: Mogwai performs at The Phoenix tonight, alongside fellow Scotsmen The Twilight Sad. Known for having an impossibly loud live set (pants are reported to have vibrated from the sound waves), for a Mogwai concert you may wanna leave the earplugs at home and enjoy every eardrum-melting second. Tickets from the postponed September 2008 show will be honoured tonight. The Phoenix (410 Sherbourne Street), 8 p.m., $27.50 at Rotate This and Soundscapes, $30 at door.