Recent Work
Experience Aufguss, Austria's Spectacular Sauna Ritual
EnRoute, Sep 25, 2019
Show aufguss is full-sensory overload, a strange combination of health and entertainment that is sweeping across north and central Europe. Link
EnRoute, Sep 25, 2019
Show aufguss is full-sensory overload, a strange combination of health and entertainment that is sweeping across north and central Europe. Link
'Judy' Biopic Speaks to the #MeToo Era
Xtra, Sep 27, 2019 An interview with Renée Zellweger, a review of the film and an analysis of Judy Garland's role in LGBTQ2 history and culture. Link |
Round Up of LGBTQ2 Offerings at TIFF
Xtra, Sep 17, 2019 Sexy 18th-century lesbians, riled up seniors and the triumphant return of the queer sociopath... it was a wild ride at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. Link |
Tales of the City Gets a Millennial Makeover
Xtra, June 3, 2019 Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City remains one of the best-loved works in all of LGBTQ2 literature. I preview Netflix' new TV adaptation to see how it connects to the series' historical significance. Link Check out my blog post on why Tales of the City is must-see TV Blog |
Most Innovative Chef 2019: Antonin Mousseau-Rivard
Canada's Best 100, April 2019 Inventiveness and irreverence: I profile the founding chef of beloved Montreal restaurant Le Mousso. Link |
Bruce McArthur Wasn't the Village's First Killer
Xtra, April 1, 2019 Journalist Justin Ling has been doing terrific work on a horrible beat: investigating cases of murdered and missing gay men in Toronto, including the eight killed by Bruce McArthur. I interviewed Ling just prior to the launch of his podcast on CBC called Uncover: The Village. Link |
The Island of Hawai'i
PAX News, Nov 19, 2018 Hawai'i's Big Island really is a world apart. Two stories, plenty of photos and social media postings kept me busy while touring Hawai'i for this must-read industry mag.... It's a hard life. Link |
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. Boldmagazine.ca Story 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. “Giddy and silly… a delightful concoction.” Drew Rowsome blogspot “My favourite show so far at the 2018 Toronto Fringe. It’s got everything I love: talented cast, great songs, fabulous costumes, excellent book and a tap dance number.” Mooney on Theatre “A thrilling and promising beginning for a show that needs a post-Fringe, full-length production to give it the afterlife it so richly deserves.” David Bateman, Bateman Reviews 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 |
Block Magazine
I have two Alberta stories in the Fall 2015 issue, a profile of Edmonton's Overhaul Media and a history of Calgary's Leeson and Lineham Block. See the Issuu version here. |
Homegrown Glory
Fashion, October 2015 My profile of Canadian actress Christine Horne, star of Hyena Road. Sadly, her use of a quintessentially Canadian phrase in the line "I'll give 'er," to describe her acting style, didn't make the final cut. |
Into the Light
In Magazine, 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 |
John Boyne
Daily Xtra, April 2015 I interview John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, about his latest book, A History of Loneliness, a searing look at the Irish Catholic Church. Link |