Zorras!

If you missed Zorras tonight at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore, you missed a real treat.

I was excited to see Sandra again – it’s been 4 years since she moved to Edinburgh – but more than a In Other Words (CKLN) host reunion, it was a magical experience in sound and lyrics.

Sandra, as many of you know, is a gifted writer, poet, and spoken word artist. Toronto’s loss is Edinburgh’s gain. And she has teamed up with Y to create Zorras. In their words: poetry-music-video-weirdness-fusion. with megaphones. The weird is a good weird…the kind that makes you go hmm….and wish you knew more about the things they write and sing and speak about.

I was particularly curious about the megaphones (TWB isn’t that big). Turns out it’s very effective. And not very loud! Sandra’s words are just as powerful, just as thought-provoking and real as they have always been. Maybe moreso. Y adds the instruments (guitar and a type of percussion instrument from Peru that I can’t recall the name of) and an incredible singing voice. Together, their work is like a dialogue of sound, rhythm and music…and it’s extraordinary.

It’s hard to explain, but as soon as the video is up on the facingout.ca website Library page, you can check it out there.

In the meantime, you can find them on the web, and check them out when they come back to Toronto at the beginning of October at the Art Bar (and another venue I forget the name of at the moment) before they head back to Scotland.

Thanks Sandra and Y. It was great to see you! Come back soon.

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Rabbi Andrea Myers

Everything works out as it should.

Turns out, Andrea Myers will be in Toronto for one day only, and wants to spend part of it at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore! The date? September 15th. Go figure.

She will spend from 7-8:30 pm chatting with me about (and reading from) her new book The Choosing. It’s a compilation of stories from her life, and so far it’s a great read.

Andrea Myers was born in New York to a Sicilian Catholic mother and a German Lutheran father – then she left home for college, converted to Judaism, and eventually became a Rabbi. Oh, and she’s a lesbian.

That’s it in a nutshell. LOL. Intrigued?

I have laughed often in the 4 chapters I have read so far. Andrea’s writing is engaging and rich. And I had cause to make a few notes as well – inspired by her stories and their lessons.

Tune back in, I’ll be back with a couple more posts as I make my way through the book before she arrives on September 15th.

I hope you can join us at the TWB from 7-8:30pm EST. If not, we’ll be livestreaming starting at 7:30pm EST at www.facingout.ca/live-stream.html.

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Zorras at the TWB!

If you’ve been around the Toronto spoken word scene for a while – or if you were around it in the 90’s and early 2000’s, you will likely have come across Sandra Alland – a brilliant (and delightfully quirky) spoken word artist.

I had the pleasure of getting to know Sandra a bit when we both hosted In Other Words at CKLN. And then she moved to Scotland. Scotland? You may say, but then, at some time or another we move for love or to find our roots….

Since then, Sandra has formed Zorras with Y. Josephine.
Zorras is poetry-music-video-weirdness-fuzion. With megaphones. They have taken the UK by storm and are coming (back) to Canada for a mini-tour this Fall.

They will be at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore on Saturday September 24th from 5-7pm.  And it’s FREE! (and yes, we will livestream it for those of you who can’t be there!)

We are gonna have a wee chat, and then they will spend the rest of the time performing and then mingling.

Come on out! It’ll be a blast!

Day by Day – date change!

Right on the heels of yesterday’s post, we are changing the date for my conversation with Anne Day.

Wanted to let you know as soon as possible, so you can pencil in the new date of Thursday October 27th to come and hear Anne read from her book and talk about building a successful company supporting women entrepreneurs.

I will continue reading and blogging about the book towards the beginning of October, so it’s fresh in my mind for our chat.

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Day by Day – part 1

I may have to ask Anne Day how she came up with the title of her book (Day by Day).Of course it seems obvious, but perhaps there is more to it than one might assume (heads-up Anne, if you’re reading this).

Anne will be my In Conversation guest at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore on September 15th when we will talk about her book.

Sept 15 poster

So far, it’s a delightful read – starting with a bit about her life so we have a sense of the person behind the Company of Women.

I’m looking forward to continuing my read, so stay tuned!

And come and join us at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore or livestreamed on the web at http://www.facingout.ca.

Good energy a la Trey Anthony

OMG! After a series of technological challenges, the video is FINALLY up!

What an amazing evening at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore  on Thursday July 14th.

Trey Anthony joined me for a conversation – and the bookstore was packed. People were there an hour early, just to get a seat.

It should come as no surprise. If you know Trey, or have seen her speak, you will know what I’m talking about in the title. Few people begin an interview with a big and heartfelt thank you to the audience for being there…and mean it. But Trey does. She is real – in her life, in the work that she does in theatre and beyond, as a writer, a speaker, a business woman.

Thursday night was a flow of questions and conversation – mostly questions from the audience, some chatting between Trey and I, and a lot of honesty.

If you missed it, you can watch the video.

And then get your tickets for Da Kink in My Hair  – it’s running NOW in Toronto until August 21 at Harbourfront Centre. Buy  your tickets!

Thanks Trey. Blessings to you.

annemarie

In Conversation with Michelle St. John

I’m so excited!

I have just had a chat with Michelle St. John who will be my guest next Thursday, May 5th for an In Conversation session at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore.

Michelle is First Nations, and is a talented actor, singer and producer. We will be talking about a few of the amazing and touching projects she is (and has been) working on including the recent run of Tombs of the Vanishing Indians at Buddies in Bad Times theatre here in Toronto this past March.

Stay tuned for more blogs as I prepare for our interview!

And come and join us next Thursday night, May 5th, at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore (6:30pm – 8:00pm) or watch the livestream at www.facingout.ca starting at 7pm.

Annemarie