The TAXI Project - a play about exile

Join as at The TAXI Project play's public performance in Toronto.

The TAXI Project - an initiative of PEN Canada and the Art for Real Change Collective - is an original play exploring issues of freedom of expression and the complex realities of living in exile.

Written by four members of PEN Canada's Writers in Exile Program - Emma Beltran, Martha Kuwee Kumsa, Sheng Xue, and Goran Simic, with Weyni Mengesha and Erica Kopyto - the play follows four characters forced to leave their home countries and their struggle to create a new life in Canada.

Directed by Weyni Mengesha

Starring Miranda Edwards, Patrick Garrow, Mayahuel Tecozautla and Diana Tso

Reserve tickets in advance as seating is limited.
$10 (or PWYC)
Available at PEN Canada.

Co-presented with the China Rights Network.

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

The play will be followed by readings and discussion.

	Saturday, May 2, 2009
	7:00pm - 9:00pm
	Cecil Community Centre
	58 Cecil Street
	Toronto, ON

Phone:	416703844823
Email:	kward@pencanada. ca

http://www.pencanad a.ca/programs/ community/ taxi.php


Sponsors: Ontario Trillium Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council

The Mussorgsky Project - Obsidian Theatre

Obsidian marks the beginning of spring with The Mussorgsky Project - our third annual staged reading series celebrating the work of our Playwrights Unit.

What makes each Obsidian event a success is the presence and constant support of our community. Come and join us for an afternoon of readings, a talk back session and great company. Take the opportunity to indulge in complimentary treats and meet the playwrights at the post-show reception.


The
Mussorgsky
Project

Sun May 3rd, 2009
2:30 p.m.
Factory Theatre Studio
Part of the CrossCurrents Festival 2009
Tickets: PWYC

Featuring new works by Obsidian's 2008/2009 Playwrights Unit:

Toast
by Laurence Anthony
Directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa

Group
by Aisha Sasha John
Directed by Joan Kivanda

Aneemah’s Spot
by Motion
Directed by Dian Marie Bridge

http://www.obsidian -theatre. com/muss2009. html

page to stage workshop brought to you by adt! and theatre archipelago

	Saturday, May 2, 2009
	12:00pm - 3:00pm
	anitafrika! dub theatre
	62 fraser avenue (2 blks south of king and 2 blks east of dufferin)
	Toronto, ON

Phone:	4164341823
Email:	village@anitafrika.com

This is an interactive workshop with youths drawn mainly from anitafrika dub theatre and other youths from the Liberty Village and Parkdale neighborhood in the west end. Efforts will be made to add a venue in the East.

Under the guidance of the Our Lady of Spills production team, headed by Rhoma Spencer, our youths would take part in a three hours session to uncover the mysteries of taking their written work from the page to the stage.

You would learn how to solicit your script to a theatre company, what is the role of the director, the set, costume and lighting designer when working on your script.

You would also get to speak with Our Lady of Spills playwright, Edwige Jean-Pierre and hear from her first hand, how she was able to get her play produced by Theatre Archipelago. For your participation in this workshop, you will be given two complimentary tickets to see a matinee performance of Our Lady of Spills on Sunday May 3 or Saturday 9.

The purpose of this exercise is for us at Theatre Archipelago to give back to our community by fostering another generation of theatre practitioners, especially those youths who may not have the means to see a play in performance.

It is our goal to foster and encourage intercultural understanding, especially among the 15-24 year old through our plays. Our vision is to contribute to an inclusive Canadian society by celebrating the rich traditions of Caribbean heritage storytelling.

oppreshun awareness workshop with tomee sojourner

	Saturday, May 16, 2009
	10:00am - 1:00pm
	anitafrika! dub theatre
	62 fraser avenue (2 blks south of king and 2 blks east of dufferin)
	Toronto, ON

Phone:	4164341823
Email:	village@anitafrika.com

as our social/political/economic/personal environments change/transform, we are confronted with ‘new’ challenges that disrupt our core. out of these disruptions, we may ask ourselves about our ability to identify, understand, and address different forms of oppresshun. this innovative 3 hour workshop creates a space for folks to explore the impact of oppresshun on their everyday lives. in addition, folks will engage in a series of interactive oppresshun awareness activities to develop different strategies to challenge oppresshun. this workshop is designed and facilitated by tomee sojourner, m.a. in social justice and equity studies. refreshments will be provided. to register contact tomee sojourner @ powersojourn1@yahoo.ca or (416)951-0154

$25 sliding scale

*limited to 20 people.two fully subsidized spaces for under/unemployed youth involved in creative grassroots community development projects.

May/ June Writing Workshop at the Toronto Women's Bookstore

The Truth Will Set You Free: A Five Week Autobiographical Writing Workshop for Indigenous women, Two-spirited folks, women of Colour and Trans folks of Colour

with Dianah Smith

MONDAY evenings in MAY and JUNE

MAY 4, 11, 25 and JUNE 1 and 15 from 6:30pm to 9pm @ TWB

Fee: $60 (No Refunds). Pre-registration and payment required.

**Please call to register. Enrollment limited to 15 participants.

Limited sliding scale spots available.

All our courses and events are trans inclusive.

We regret our bathroom is not wheelchair accessible.

Writing is a courageous act. Telling the truth about our lives requires courage. People of colour and Indigenous people have had our histories denied and our cultures appropriated by the dominant culture. Through exploring our lives and telling our stories in a safe and supportive environment, we will begin to reclaim our histories, cultures and voices. This course will include in class writing exercises, weekly homework assignments and ongoing opportunities to give and receive feedback. Emotions may surface that leave us feeling vulnerable. But after a while we may begin to feel lighter, less afraid and perhaps even liberated.

Although this course is geared towards those at the beginning of their writing journey everyone is welcome.

Note: For the first class, please bring a picture of yourself at a time when you felt free/happy or an image of someone or something that represents this to you.

About Dianah Smith:

Dianah Smith is Jamaican-born, Ottawa-raised writer, teacher and arts educator. She is the Founder of ‘A’ is for Orange (www.aisfororange.org) a reading series featuring queer Caribbean emerging writers, and the former curator of When the Rainbow Isn’t Enough a monthly reading series sponsored by the Toronto Women’s Bookstore featuring queer and trans emerging writers of colour and two-spirited emerging writers. Dianah is the recipient of several grants including an emerging writer’s grant from the Toronto Arts Council (2005) a Writing Mentorship grant from the Ontario Arts Council (2007) and a grant from the Writer’s Reserve program (Ontario Arts Council, 2009). Dianah has been published in Siren, Flirt and Shameless Magazines. She says ‘Writing is a way to grieve/retrieve the past, make sense of the present and leave a legacy for the future’ (www.dianahsmith.com).

MONDAY evenings in MAY and JUNE

MAY 4, 11, 25 and JUNE 1 and 15 from 6:30pm to 9pm @ TWB

Fee: $60 (No Refunds). Pre-registration and payment required.

**Please call to register. Enrollment limited to 15 participants.

Limited sliding scale spots available.

All our courses and events are trans inclusive.

We regret our bathroom is not wheelchair accessible.

MAYWORKS FESTIVAL APRIL 25 - MAY 3

Mayworks Festival kicks off this year on Saturday, April 25 for 9 days of multi-disciplinary, socially engaged, provocative arts programming! Below are some highlights from the week, for the full program check out our website at www.mayworks.ca.

PERFORMANCE In the Red: Revolution for Our Hearts Saturday April 25, 8 pm, $10-$15 s/s

The Blue Moon Pub, 725 Queen Street East

This year’s opening night features a medley of artists and performers who are guaranteed to pick up your spirits in this economic downturn. As independent artists these performers are intimately familiar with making the most out of lean times. Bring your friends, your loved ones, even your ex-boss and enjoy an evening of performances that will make you feel like you’re in the black again! Featuring: LAL, a collective of musicians that include vocalist Rosina Kazi, laptop musician Nicholas “Murr” Murray and bassist Ian de Souza. The group fuses South Asian roots, West Indian fruits, and melancholic vocals with jazz sensibilities, hip-hop influences, down tempo grooves, broken soul and electro. Prepare to be intoxicated! Born in the town of Limbé in Northern Haiti, hip-hop artist Vox Sambou has been writing and performing since age 14. A founding member of the international crew Nomadic Massive, he desires to bring light the injustices taking place worldwide and particularly in Haiti. Critical, powerful, fulfilling: just some of the words audience members have used to describe Climbing PoeTree’s performances. With roots in Haiti and Colombia, Alixa and Naima reside in Brooklyn, and their flawless cadence and impeccable lyricism tell powerful stories. Poet and spoken word performer La Loba is an educator/agitator/artist whose work aims to challenge and provoke community discussion on gender, the environment and the ‘visible minority’ experience. Shameless writes and performs hip hop because music and poetry sustain us and connect us to each other across differences. She explores everything from anti-racism and queer identities to sex-positivity and conquering hopelessness. MataDanZe is an independent Toronto based interpretative dance group that will perform La Raza Cozmica (The Cosmic Race), an anti-racism choreography with live music that interprets the European conquest of Latin America. Not to be missed!

anitAFRIKA! dub theatre update on events

this week thursday apr 23rd 8pm, we'll be joined by alixa and naima, www.climbingpoetree.com, in from bk, nyc for an evenin of exchange from words to beats to brandspankin new ideas.

and saturday apr 25, the uhuru movement will be droppin a free da mic open mic nite 8pm, email shemica at ald.toronto@yahoo.ca for more.

adt! connects outside the space coming up -
>devon the split jones is launching her cd 'pleasure in pain' monday apr 27th at lula lounge, http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=85776952760&mbox_pos=0#/event.php?eid=68915791729

>tovaco productions is running a mad fresh essential environmental project, get involved, http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40059986258&ref=ts next event may 3rd

... the month of may holds big tings at the adt! space:

may 2nd & 3rd page to stage weekend workshop, presented by theatre archipelago, free, email village@anitafrika.com to register

fri may 8th doors 7pm contact photography launch of 'still revolting' by kalmplex seen (both photography and beats) http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40059986258&ref=ts#/event.php?eid=88891911680&ref=ts

sat may 14th 10am-1pm oppreshun awareness workshop 'beyond words into actions' $25 sliding scale, contact tomee at powersojourn1@yahoo.ca or (416)951-0154

weekly course, thursdays 7-9pm, launching first week of may ISIS circle led by grace diaz to rebirth and reclaim your inner goddess through ritual, discussion, art, meditation and more. $300 12 wks contact gdccarmel@hotmail.com for more

hope to see you tonight! this week! next week! in may!

more love,
--
jamilah malika
operations director (wombanager)
anitAFRIKA! dub theatre
village@anitafrika.com
www.anitafrika.com
62 fraser avenue
toronto, on m6k 1y6
416.434.1823

anitAFRIKA! dub night - April 21st.

anitafrika! massive,

hoping this message finds you real well, real real well. the sun is making her way back to us and we are all ready...

please note that this month we'll be running the dub nite once, tues april 21st doors at 8pm, and resuming every first and third tuesdays thereafter throughout the summer. i look forward to seeing more folks there as well as our more familiar faces, come down, connect, collaborate!

also this month the uhuru movement returns with another free da mic open mic event sat apr 18th doors 7:30pm!

finally, our audre lorde raw works festival will be postponed until the end of may; new and updated summer calendars will be available very soon on our new website currently in development.

upcoming programming for you and you and you -

ISIS CIRCLE wkly weds 7-9pm starting apr 16 $300 - 14 wks
join grace diaz as she guides you into a process of self -reflection and healing. Through ritual work, dialogue, journaling and art making, participants will be
given a safe space to more closely examine the self . This course will also help women in gaining more knowledge of some indigenous and ancestral spiritual practices and how to use these practices for healing, regaining access to their
personal power, and overall life transformation.
email gdccarmel@hotmail.com to register

PAGE TO STAGE workshop with theatre archipelago - free
sat may 2nd 12-3pm under the guidance of the our lady of spills production team, headed by rhoma spencer, our youths would take part in a three hours session to uncover the mysteries of taking their written work from the page to the stage. you will learn how to solicit your script to a theatre company, what is the role of the director, the set, costume and lighting designer when working on your script. email village@anitafrika.com to register

OPPRESHUN AWARENESS moving beyond words into action
sat may 16th 10am-1pm $25 sliding scale
as our social/political/economic/

personal environments change/transform, we are confronted with 'new' challenges that disrupt our core. out of these disruptions, we may ask ourselves about our ability to identify, understand, and address different forms of oppresshun. this innovative 3 hour workshop creates a space for folks to explore the impact of oppresshun on their everyday lives. in addition, folks will engage in a series of interactive oppresshun awareness activities to develop different strategies to challenge oppresshun. this workshop is designed and facilitated by tomee sojourner, m.a. in social justice and equity studies. refreshments will be provided. to register contact tomee sojourner @ powersojourn1@yahoo.ca or (416)951-0154
*limited to 20 people.two fully subsidized spaces for under/unemployed youth involved in creative grassroots community development projects.


remember, i love when folks get at me with programming and event ideas, our space is your space, ase and have a lovely day!

Diaspora Dialogues: Call for Submissions

DIASPORA DIALOGUES ISSUES 2009 OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Looking for emerging writers of short stories, poetry and drama in the GTA.

(TORONTO) Diaspora Dialogues invites submissions to its annual publishing/mentorin g program from emerging GTA writers of short stories or creative nonfiction less than 3,000 words in length; plays of any length; or up to 5 poems, with each poem being no more than 75 lines. (See below for definition of “emerging.”) Applicants are welcome to enter more than one category, but no more than one submission per category, please.

Diaspora Dialogues is committed to supporting a literature of Toronto that is as diverse as the city itself. Writers are encouraged to keep this mandate in mind, but addressing this theme directly is not essential in the submission. The setting of the works must be, at least in part, the greater Toronto region. First and second-generation immigrants and First Nations writers are especially welcome.

Through an adjudicated process, a shortlist of approximately 15 writers will be chosen and each assigned (free of charge) to an established writer or dramaturge in a mentoring capacity to gain feedback on their work. All short-listed writers will be given an opportunity to read their work in Diaspora Dialogues’ popular multi-disciplinary performance series, which takes place across the city throughout the year in partnership with venues like Luminato, The Word on the Street, Nuit Blanche, Harbourfront, Toronto Public Library and others. The plays chosen for the program will be given a workshop reading using professional actors and directors.

A selection of finished pieces will be published in the annual Diaspora Dialogues anthology, TOK: Writing the New City, available in bookstores across the country.

The 2009 Diaspora Dialogues mentors include Marjorie Chan, Anthony De Sa, Emma Donoghue, Nalo Hopkinson, Lee Maracle, Shyam Selvadurai and M G Vassanji.

Diaspora Dialogues supports the creation and presentation of new stories, poetry and drama that reflect the complexity of the city through the eyes of its richly diverse writers. Please see www.diasporadialogu es.com for further details about us.

Submission Guidelines

• The greater Toronto region must exist in the story, poem or play in some way. This can mean using the city as a physical setting. It can mean exploring what the city means to you in a psychological or metaphorical way. It can mean writing about a person, issue or geographic location that is Toronto-specific. The definition is broad, but Toronto must be somehow present in the work.
• The work must be original and not previously published or produced.
• Submissions must be in English.
• Fiction or creative nonfiction must be 3,000 words or less.
• Up to 5 poems may be submitted, with each poem being no more than 75 lines.
• Plays can be short or full length. A staged workshop reading will be part of the dramaturgy cycle.
• Only one submission per category, but you may submit to more than one category. (Example: You cannot submit two short stories, but you can submit a short story and a play.)
• Submissions must include a short biography in paragraph form.
• The writing sample must be free of any identifying marks (no name or contact information) as applications are read blind by the jury. Please DO NOT staple or bind in any way as the submissions are photocopied for jury members. A completed submission form must be included.
• Submissions will not be accepted electronically or by fax. If you wish your submission returned, please include a self-addressed envelope with correct postage.
• Commentary/feedback is not available on submissions not selected for the short-list.

Eligibility

• Writers and poets must not have been previously published in a full-length manuscript of their own (although appearances in magazines and/or anthologies are acceptable).
• Playwrights must not have had a full-length play (greater than 75 minutes) professionally produced.
• You must not have participated in the Diaspora Dialogues mentorship program within the last 2 years.
• You must be living in the greater Toronto region, which includes York, Halton, Peel and Durham.

We welcome your submission! Deadline is May 8, 2009. Submissions will not be accepted after the deadline. All applicants will be notified of results by the end of May.

Please mail or drop off submissions to:

Diaspora Dialogues
170 Bloor Street West, Suite 804
Toronto, ON
M5S 1T9
416-944-1101, ext 277

Download submission form

“LIT” up your Friday Nights with Diaspora Dialogues: April 17th kicks off a return of this popular Keep Toronto Reading series

(TORONTO) Diaspora Dialogues and Toronto Public Library team up for the fourth year in a row to jam the Palmerston Library theatre with fantastic writers and performers as part of Toronto Public Library’s Keep Toronto Reading.

This quirky community-based theatre space has played host to the city’s arts groups for decades, watching hipster venues comes and go, as all the while the subway rumbles underneath. Once a year, Diaspora Dialogues returns to this iconic venue in the Annex, bringing with them a lineup of Toronto’s best writers, dramatists, poets and actors with an audience determined to have fun. Come early, as the seats fill fast on these nights.

April 17 features fiction by Griffin nominee Priscila Uppal (To Whom It May Concern) and emerging writer Michelle Da Cruz; nonfiction by Martha Baillie (The Shape I Gave You); spoken word by Amani; and comedy by the hilarious Fade to Brown, Toronto’s first and only "brown" sketch comedy team.

April 24 brings fiction by Giller nominee Anthony De Sa (Barnacle Love) and emerging writer Cesar Polvorosa Jr; poetry by Sonja Ruth Greckol (Gravity Matters); spoken word by the M.A.D. Poet; and drama by emerging playwright Sarena Parmar.

May 1 caps off our series with readings by Governor General Award winner Nino Ricci (The Origin of the Species), Lorna Goodison (From Harvey River), Sherri Vanderveen (Absent) and emerging writers Yvette Trancoso and Leah Jane Esau; and spoken word by Eva Rose Tabobondung.

WHAT: Friday Nights with Diaspora Dialogues (part of Keep Toronto Reading)
WHEN: Fridays, April 17, 24, and May 1 – 7:00 pm
WHERE: Palmerston Branch – 560 Palmerston Avenue (Bloor & Bathurst)
COST: Free
CONTACT: Julia Chan, julia@diasporadialogues.com, 416-944-1101 x 277

Come celebrate the book in all its forms. This April, join Toronto Public Library for Keep Toronto Reading, a month-long showcase of books and culture including Everybody's Reading One Book (Glen Downie's Loyalty Management). Enjoy an exciting line-up of free events, performances and discussions at library branches and partner locations throughout the city. www.keeptorontoreading.ca

Call for Submissions - South Asian Review

Call for Submissions
The 2009 Creative Writing Issue of the South Asian Review
Short Stories and Creative Nonfiction­: Writing from the Margins

South Asian Review invites submissions for the 2009 Creative Writing issue, Volume 30, Number 3. The issue will showcase South Asian writing that either focuses on or emerges from the “margins,” which creative writers may interpret broadly in terms of class, caste, gender, sexuality, or geographical location (for example, the North East Indian states, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Union of Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, among other such heretofore under-represented locales).
Creative writers from any background are welcome to submit original short stories or creative nonfiction, provided these are on South Asian subjects. English translations of short stories and creative nonfiction from Indian languages are also welcome.

Submissions must be received by Friday, July 30, 2009. A work must not be longer than five thousand words. Each submission must be accompanied with a statement that the work or translation has not appeared elsewhere in any other format, either in print or online. Translators must have in hand the copyright permission from the original authors or their estates. Manuscripts should be double-spaced and prepared as Microsoft Word documents. They may be sent via e-mail as attachments. Manuscripts sent via surface mail should include three printed copies and an electronic copy on a floppy or compact disc. In addition, authors should send a brief biographical note and their mailing address. Manuscripts will not be returned.

South Asian Review, the refereed journal of the South Asian Literary Association, is a representative, international forum for the scholarly examination of South Asian languages and literatures in a contemporary cultural context. The journal is published four times a year: the Special Topic issue (June/July); the Regular issue (October); the Creative Writing issue (November); and the Conference issue (December).

Inquiries and manuscripts should be sent to:

Dr. Rajender Kaur, Guest Editor
The 2009 Creative Writing Issue of SAR
Department of English
William Paterson University
300, Pompton Road
Wayne, NJ 07470

Electronic submissions and inquiries may be sent to Dr. Kaur at kaurr@wpunj.edu.

2009 De Colores Festival of New Works

It's coming at you! 4 hot new plays by Latin Canadian playwrights! 2009 De Colores Festival of New Works Bread & Circus, 299 Augusta Ave. (in Kensington Market) April 24 & 25, 2009 The De Colores Festival of New Works is just around the corner. That means that on April 24 and 25, you, your friends and Alameda Theatre Company are going to crowd Kensington market to hear powerful stories of loss, identity and strength. Mark your calendars! You don't want to miss this! April 24, 2009- 8pm The Intruder by Amaranta Leyva Directed by Guillermo Verdecchia Dramaturged by Stephen Colella Featuring: Rosa Laborde, Juan Carlos Velis Lizardboy by Victor Gomez Directed by Ruth Madoc-Jones Dramaturged by Erica Kopyto Featuring: Paula Rivera Musical intermission featuring Jeronimo Acuña April 25, 2009- 8pm My Secret Romeo by Michelle Amaya-Torres Directed by Bea Pizano Dramaturged by Erica Kopyto Featuring: John Blackwood, Carlos Gonzalez-Vio, Anita La Selva Coyoté by Emma Ari Béltran & Catherine Hernandez Directed by Nina Lee-Aquino Dramaturged by Stephen Colella Featuring: Alex Castillo-Smith, Jefferson Guzman, Juan Carlos Velis, Sigrid Velis, Osvaldo Sepulveda Musical intermission featuring Edgardo Moreno Cabaret style, cash bar, live music at intermission. Tickets $12, $10 for Students & Seniors Call (416) 428-7638 for tickets & information. www.alamedatheatre.com Watch our video trailer! Generously supported by: Canada Council for the Arts Ontario Arts Council Toronto Arts Council Join Our Mailing List! Alameda Theatre Company 392 Winona Dr. Toronto, ON M6C 3T5