Literary

In almost every art form, collaboration is integral, if not vital in inspiring and evolving an artist’s career. But most painters, printmakers and sculptors prefer to work in isolation. There is one exception to that rule—graffiti. In the world of street art, collaboration is pretty much the norm, with artists putting up pieces side by […]

In the first book of this series (The Smiths are next), 21 American and British authors were asked to pick a Sonic Youth song and write a short story inspired by its title. No rules. Some authors chose to evoke the band’s dissonance and chaotic noise in their language, or to play on lyrics, while […]

Toronto writer Zoe Whittall’s new poetry collection Precordial Thump packs a punch. It can be read back to front cover, beginning to end. Either vantage point showcases a divide: the honest and the dishonest. Both the liar and lied to emerge—action and reaction—all words have consequence. A fixation with medical language and the crucial aspects […]

Knock knock on the door and I got up from the sofa and walked from the living room through the kitchen and opened the door and who was there but my dead cousin Morgan. His head was shaved just as it was on the day of his wake. It was like that because when he […]

I argue with my mother over church. I can’t ruin a family tradition of going to church once a year, Christmas Eve, see, but I worry that my atheism might spoil the mood more. And later we go smoke cigarettes under the bridge, Mary and I, and she’s got her hair done up all loose […]

The Greek classic elements—earth, air, fire, water and aether—deeply influenced European thought and culture. Julia Kennedy believes the foundation of all art is based upon these five pillars. She compiled Sacred Texts, a patchwork of hand-scrawled and typewritten narratives from 10 local artisans, to commemorate five years spent creatively among friends. “The people included in […]

Gaby’s suicide threats had subsided since her blissful relationship with her dead husband’s former boss, John Orange. John insisted on being called Johnny to spite his thin grey hair, low hanging spectacles and Norm Drabble belly, all of which collaborated to spite his status as a principal at a prestigious law firm. But life’s cycles […]

Stack the stores from the fronts to the backs of stores Packed on racks, wrapped, tacked up, and stacked on floors Open glass doors, attract the masses, jack the middle class n poor It’s Black Friday Eyes are fried ’til they black, burn cash like crack n glow Getting high off desire, n injecting flow […]

Swallow Me WholeNate PowellTop ShelfComic book artist Nate Powell has made his name on quasi-surreal tales of punk lifestyles, which has garnered some criticism from reviewers who like his illustrations but find those stories tedious. With Swallow Me Whole, he moves into the mainstream with his first full-length story from a bigger publisher and a […]

Drop-InDave Lapp(Conundrum Press)The story of the well-intentioned teacher working in a cross-cultural environment appears often in North American pop culture. We’ve seen the idea mined for both its cheesily dramatic possibilities (Dangerous Minds) and its satiric potential (Hamlet 2). But Toronto artist Dave Lapp captures the experience at its most genuine. For 10 years, Lapp […]