picks

Booktalking: Kristyn Dunnion—Write it Like You Mean it

The extraordinarily talented Kristyn Dunnion offers a unique writing workshop that connects an author reading to an entertaining set of writing exercises. For all of you that don’t know Kristyn, she has broadcasted her talent over time as a writer, musician and performance artist. Currently having published three novels and a short story collection, she has much to offer to any aspiring young writers. Don’t miss this triple-threat opportunity!!!

When: December 4, 2012; from 6:30 pm-8:00 pm
Where: Kennedy/Eglinton TPL branch; 2380 Eglinton Avenue East

Author’s Spotlight: Boneshaker Reading Series

Poetry is everywhere. It’s in the damp asphalt we walk on; in the glimmers of light we see through the decaying boughs of trees. It’s even within the subtle undertones of your most recent dialogue. More importantly though, poetry is making its way to the St. Clair/Silverthorn library.

Sonia Di Placido and Guy Ewing will be reading from their own works, to show you that poetry can truly be found in the grandest of things, or maybe the most seemingly insignificant of places.

When: December11; from 7:00 pm-8:30 pm
Where: St. Clair/ Silverthorn TPL branch; 1748 St. Clair Avenue West

Booktalking: Red Maple Award and White Pine Award Reading Program @ OLA

If you haven’t heard me preach this principal before, I am sure you have been told from any writer you have ever known, that “constant reading is the writer’s most beneficial tool in his/her toolbox.” And is it not?

Bask in some of the most recent triumphs in young-adult fiction and non-fiction. Kenneth Oppel will be discussing his novel Half Brother, which won the Red Maple Award. Kelley Armstrong returns to the events blog yet again, with The Gathering, a recipient of the White Pine Award for fiction. And finally, Neil Pasricha will be discussing The Book of Awesome, a bestseller and recipient of the White Pine Award for non-fiction. So dive in for some new reads and insights by these authors.

When: November 22, 2012; from 5:00 pm-6:00 pm
Where: York Woods TPL branch: Teen Area; 36 Brentwood Road North
Register: Call 416 395-5980

Author’s Spotlight: Colonel Mustard in the Library: Author Sheila Dalton

Never have I seen so many fantastic opportunities to hear author’s discussions so close together. The Colonel Mustard in the Library series returns with author Sheila Dalton, who will be discussing her mystery novel, The Girl in the Box, the story of a Guatemalan girl who is suspected of murder after being traumatized by the violence all around her.

When: November 27; from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm
Where: Mount Pleasant TPL branch: Program Room; 599 Mt. Pleasant Road

Scholarly Discussions:Writing the East End: Authors Discuss their Works

And if you can’t make either of the two above events, don’t fret! Yet another slew of author’s thoughts will be coming your way during the beginning of December.

Jennefer Laidley and Gene Desfor will discuss the award winning book Reshaping Toronto’s Waterfront, a look at how the waterfront is poised as a crucial economical point.

Shawn Micallef presents Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto and Full Frontal T.O., an analysis of what Toronto’s modern “look” truly is.

And Mark Osbaldeston concludes with his Unbuilt Toronto: A History of the City That Might Have Been and Unbuilt Toronto 2: More of the City That Might Have Been. Both have been noted as revolutionary additions to the concepts of architectural analysis.

When: December 4; from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm
Where: Queen/Saulter TPL branch: Program Room—Ralph Thornton Centre; 578 Finch Avenue

Groovy Groups: Canada: My New Home—Literature, Art, Culture and Traditions

Hopefully these explorative blogs have thus far reached out to a vast audience, because this week I bring a writing opportunity that targets writers that are fairly new to the country. Run by the YMCA Newcomer Information Center, all newcomers are invited to the library to discuss the culture of Canada, and even bring stories from their own culture. Help diversify Canadian literature with your own take on creative writing.

When: Every Monday; from 4:00 pm-6:00 pm
Where: Centennial TPL branch; 578 Finch Avenue

Author’s Spotlight: Author Reading. Grace O’Connell reads from Magnified World

Released earlier this year was a particularly inspirational story of a daughter recuperating after her mother committed suicide by walking into the Don River, pockets filled with zircon. The author, Grace O’Connell, will be reading and discussing her novel in more detail. Hopefully this story will inspire all attendees, as it draws from a seemingly raw pain that many other great novels contain.

Upcoming dates: November 6; from 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
Where: Deer Park TPL branch: Program Room 2nd Floor; 40 St. Clair Avenue East

Inquisitions and Insights: The Curiosity of Schoolwith Author Zander Sherman

How have we been formed in our lives? Are there any particular moments that we can recall with which someone or some institution has tried to mould our future?

These are a few questions that Zander Sherman analyzes in his latest book. The educational institutions from the early-mid 19th century are analyzed, all the way to current standardized testing, and are brought together in a clever and rational light that will question the very idea of having an education. And just to be clear, he will not be saying that the education system is to warp our minds into stationary robots—no matter how bold and hilarious that would be. Hoping to one day become a teacher, I think that what Sherman has done is a great way to see how our society has viewed education over time, and how much the education process has actually developed over time.

When: November 13, 2012; from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm
Where: Brentwood TPL branch: Program Room; 36 Brentwood Road North