Recent Work
Trade Winds
Bold, December 2019
Check out my cover story on Antigua, the tiny Caribbean island with an outsized attitude.
PDF
Bold, December 2019
Check out my cover story on Antigua, the tiny Caribbean island with an outsized attitude.
Pedro Almodóvar Gets Personal in Pain and Glory
Xtra, Oct 3, 2019 Almodóvar's latest masterpiece is his most personally-revealing film yet. It inspired me to get personal, too. Link |
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'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 |