Favourite Stories
Redefining Advocacy, Research, and Funding in the Arts Sector
The Philanthropist, November 6, 2023 My profile of Mass Culture, the national arts service organization guided by concepts of participatory governance and bottom-up decision-making. It's long-term goal is to fundamentally change Canadians’ relationship to the arts. Link |
Claude Vivier Is the Most Famous Composer You've Never Heard of
Xtra Magazine, November 28, 2021 Killed by a trick in Paris at age 34, the Canadian composer's tragic end is perhaps the least interesting thing about him. The Toronto-based music ensemble Soundstreams has made it their mission to promote Vivier’s work and foster a critical reappraisal of his oeuvre. Link |
Pedro Almodóvar Gets Personal in Pain and Glory
Xtra Magazine, Oct 3, 2019 Almodóvar's latest masterpiece is his most personally-revealing film yet. It inspired me to get personal, too. Link |
Trade Winds
Bold Magazine, December 2019 Check out my cover story on Antigua, the tiny Caribbean island with an outsized attitude. PDF |
Montreal's Taste Revolution
Bold Magazine, Winter 2018 What happens when you send a historian to write about restaurants? A fun dive into Quebec history as refracted through Montreal's delicious and dynamic food scene. PDF |
The Ding Dong Girls
2018 Toronto Fringe Festival I co-wrote and co-produced with Dora-winner Christopher Richards a hilarious drag musical inspired by Richards' time running a drag troupe in early 1990s Toronto. The songs are by Tony-winner Lisa Lambert (The Drowsy Chaperone). Starring Graham Conway, Joel Schaefer, Nic Mencia, Oscar Moreno, Miss Fiercalicious and Mama Dominatrix; with direction by John Mitchell and musical direction by Sean Fisher. This was an abridged showcase production of a full-length, two-act musical. Winner: 2018 Patrons Pick Award |
Curios and Conundrums
Mysterious Package Company, January 2016-December 2017 National Geographic meets Mad magazine by way of McSweeny's and H.P. Lovecraft...? I was editor in chief of this unique entertainment publication that featured serious essays on history, mythology and the arts, combined with fiction, black humour, off-kilter satire, esoteric mysteries, alternative realities, brain-busting puzzles and more. The quixotic quarterly was produced with thematically relevant ephemera and objects and delivered in beautifully designed packaging. I was responsible for a wholesale revamp at the beginning of my tenure and a significant retooling at the start of the second year. I contributed a significant portion of the content, as well as leading the packaging design and much of the product design. A project like no other. Please check out my blog for samples of my work on this beguiling publication. |
Queers Were Here
Biblioasis, June 2016 I wrote an essay about falling into the clutches of an outrageously irreverent troupe of drag queens when I was a neophyte gay. Part of a fascinating anthology exploring how queer culture is transmitted through personal connections. Other contributors include Ian Young, Derek McCormack, Nic Sheehan, Karleen Pendleton-Jiménez, Alec Butler, Anne Fleming and Maurice Vellekoop; edited by Richard Gilmour and Robin Ganev. “An absorbing and emotional historical document.” Maisonneuve “There are flashes of greatness in this compendium.” Literary Review of Canada |
Into the Light
In Toronto, May 2015 Soaring in its ambition, beautiful in its mission, stumbling in its execution. My review of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Story / Link |
Cue Cumbermania
Fashion, November 2014 My story on the sartorially splendid actor Benedict Cumberbatch and his moving performance in The Imitation Game appeared in the November issue of Fashion. |
Author, Author
Daily Xtra, October 2014 As part of ongoing coverage of the International Festival of Authors, I caught up with the amazing Colm Tóibín to discuss his novel Nora Webster, a beautifully moving, deceptively simple fictionalized account of his mother dealing with grief following the death of his father when Toíbín was just a child. Link In a second segment, Tóibín shares his insightful — and hilarious — thoughts on the Catholic Church under Pope Francis. Link |
Crumbling Beauty
In Toronto, June 2014 Havana is like no city on earth. Discover this vertiginous wonder city and Cuba's paradoxical record on human rights. Story |
No One See the Flower Falling
In Toronto, February 2013 My interview with dancer Laurence Lemieux and choreographer James Kudelka on the sorrows haunting From the House of Mirth, the unique opera/dance/theatre production from Coleman Lemieux & Company. PDF |
Remedial Class
In Toronto, July 2011 In the wake of a controversial story in The Grid, the community acts up and speaks out in my Pride issue main feature. Our wonderful satirical cover, mimicking The Grid's, was shot by David Hawe. PDF |
I Know Where I Come From
In Toronto, May 2011 My interview with Indigenous theatre artist Waawaate Fobister prior to the remount of his amazing one-man show, Agokwe. PDF |
Nirvana
Xtra Magazine, March 29, 2009 A travel feature on Thailand with forays into the country's political troubles and bewitching cultural codes. Story Pairs with an editorial on The King and I and the real Anna Leonowens. |
Fragile Beauty
Azure, March/April 2008 My back-page story on Shary Boyle's macabre ceramic figurines. PDF |
Shimmering Melancholy
Xtra Magazine, September 13, 2007 A review of Guy Maddin's historical fantasia, My Winnipeg, premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2007. As a Winnipegger, myself, the screening was a vertiginous experience. Story |
The Giants
Report on Business Magazine, Apr 2002 This wide-ranging business feature on Canadian ports was illustrated by celebrated photographer Edward Burtynsky (he won an award for it). PDF |
Jane Rule on Grief
Go Big, May 2001 I commissioned this moving essay from novelist Jane Rule less than a year after the death of her partner, Helen Sonthoff. It's one of the pieces I'm most proud of as editor. Story / PDF |
Mary Walsh on Satire
Go Big, May 2000 A photo spread featuring comedian Mary Walsh and underwear from the late great Will Munro. I wrote the story, art directed the shoot and even supplied Mary's long underwear. (Apologies for the roughly assembled scans) Jpeg |
Humming Bird
Xtra, May 20, 1999 An entertaining piece of comics reportage from the world premiere of James Kudelka's Swan Lake at the National Ballet of Canada. The illustrations are by the incomparable Maurice Vellekoop. PDF |