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Urban Planner: February 17, 2010
Urban Planner is Torontoist’s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. 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].
Photo of Ora Cogan by Billie Woods.
MUSIC: West Coast songstress Ora Cogan is making a stop in town tonight before heading south en route to Austin for SXSW, to be followed by a European tour in support of her new record, The Quarry. Cogan, an ambrosial vocalist and self-taught multi-instrumentalist who hails from British Columbia, continues to dole out stories of heartbreak and sorrow through an experimental jazz and folk fusion on her latest release. Tonight is also Holy Oak’s weekly board games night, so arrive early for some old classics and new favourites: Scrabble, Monopoly, Dirty Minds: the Game of Naughty Clues, or Thinking Man’s Golf. Holy Oak Cafe (1241 Bloor Street West), 10 p.m., PWYC.
FILM: The National Film Board is harnessing some residual Valentine’s Day cheer to present eleven saccharine, sensual, and sexually provocative films as part of “Slap ‘n’ Tickle.” Tonight’s R-rated program, which is part of the World of Shorts series, is comprised of films culled from the Canadian Film Centre’s 2009 Worldwide Short Film Festival. Some highlights of the program include porn fantasies coming to life in David Tamkin’s An Evening with Mike and Jessica at the King’s Head Inn, a twentysomething woman who experiences difficulty assembling a sexbot in Bernhard Pucher’s Human Assembly, and a hot and steamy afternoon at the pool in Edoardo De Angelis’ Beach Body. NFB Mediatheque (150 John Street), 7 p.m., $6 ($4 for students, seniors, and NFB members).
FEMINISM: Ladyfest Toronto is an organization that’s dedicated to promoting urban feminism through grassroots and DIY initiatives. Tonight they are addressing the topic of feminism and money with the question, “Can Feminism Pay the Bills?” The event will be hosted by Kim Katrin Crosby of Les Blues and will feature a variety of guest speakers and artists including sex-work activist Wendy Babcock, self-titled “imagitator” Carly Stasko, Airheart’s Stacey Be, and Janet Romero-Leiva from the Toronto Women’s Bookstore. There will also be a feminist fair with more than twenty vendors including Boardwalk Chocolates, Bits of String Press, McClung’s Magazine, and Knotted Nest. Tranzac (292 Brunswick Avenue), 8 p.m., $5 or PWYC.
YOUTH: The Toronto Public Library is helping youths channel their teenage angst into creative pursuits and hone their writing skills with a series of workshops. Today’s event, which is the second of three workshops, is entitled, “Unleash Your Inner Poet.” The session, which is suitable for youths aged twelve to nineteen, will give young adults the opportunity to work with Toronto poet and Ryerson University professor Camille Martin. Participants in today’s workshop, along with all local teens, are encouraged to consider submitting pieces to Young Voices, the TPL’s magazine of teen writing and art. Centennial Library (578 Finch Avenue West), 4 p.m., FREE.