SHED , by Leah Jane Esau at SummerWorks

Shed runs Aug 5 - 14. Factory Theatre

Diapora Dialogues is proud to support a play by one of our past emerging writers, Leah Jane Esau.

Shed is based on the 2006 incident where a group of children, aged 8 to 11, pushed 14-year-old Brian McKay into a shed, closed the door, and lit the shed on fire. They blocked the door with heavy garbage bins and left him there to burn. Brian, who suffers from spina bifida
was an easy target for bullying, and was saved by a neighbour. Because the children involved were under the age of 12, they were protected by the Canadian Youth Justice Act, and, therefore, could notbe charged. The police gave them "a warning".

Shed was written by Leah Jane Esau, under the dramaturgy of Judith
Thompson and Brian Drader. Shed begins with Mitch, age 13, accused of
killing his friend, high on drugs, and on the roof of a two story
house, downtown Winnipeg, 40 below zero.

Shed

A play by Leah Jane Esau
Directed by Justin Madol

SEE IT AT SUMMERWORKS!!!

SHOW TIMES

Thurs Aug 5th: 5:00
Sat 7: 2:30
Sun 8: 7:30
Tues 10: 10:00
Fri 13: 5:00
Sat 14: 10:00

Factory Theatre Mainspace: 125 Bathurst Street. Corner of Bathurst and
Adelaide

For more information check out Les Novelles Theatre, SummerWorks and the Facebook event.

Meeting the Mentees

One of the loveliest pieces of being associated with Diaspora Dialogues are the parties to which I get invited. Helen Walsh, head of DD, and her trio of assistants, Julia Chan, Aisling Riordan and Natalie Kertes, have mastered the art of hosting soirees that are both casual and elegant. The food is always simple but edgy, the wine well-selected, and the locations both classy and comfortable.

But it's the conversations that happen that at these events that truly make them memorable.

The party to meet and greet this year's participants in the mentorship program was no exception. There, one of the mentees, Sarah (far right in the picture to the right), confessed it was her birthday that day, so a spontaneous cake - consisting of a slab of chocolate and a decorative candle (picture above) was fashioned to celebrate her day.

Rishma Dunlop, poetry mentor, did what poets do - at least as I imagine them. She entered gracefully, left her elegant imprint on each of the emerging artists she'll be working with as well as others among us, and then exited with equal style. Tara Beegan, drama mentor, was the antithesis of 'drama' (in the negative) as she unobtrusively circulated the room engaging in conversations that were pleasant and insightful. When I first spotted him with pen and notebook in hand talking to a mentee, I mistook fiction mentor, David Layton for a journalist. Although I didn't get a chance to talk with him, I did observe that as sole representative of the four mentors in that genre (Karen Connelly, Rabindranath Maharaj, and Martin Mordecai were out of town), he did hold down the fort with the questions from the fiction mentees, the majority of the emerging artists in the program this year. Perhaps that explains the note-taking?

In the following weeks, I will be blogging about each of the mentors

As well as the mentees. There are twenty in all, each of them a character unto his or her own right. Like Pradeep (fiction), an editor at Descant, who tells a hilarious story of how his visa to India was processed before that of any other member in his family because he has the same first name as the Indian consulate. And Tish (poetry) who teaches English as a Second Language to adult Tibetan refugees has done something I want to do - serve on a jury. Malikah (poetry) spoken-word artist of no-slouch fame casually mentioned that she has three children under the age of twelve. And Dorianne (drama) argued convincingly that working full time for the provincial government does not in fact suck the soul out of you.

Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta - Three

This year's final Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta evening featured First Nations (Delaware) poet and playwright, Daniel David Moses, reading from his book with the deliciously intriguing title, Sixteen Jesuses.

In the conversation with him, moderated by Moira MacDougall, Moses told of how wrote his first poem one weekend when he was in grade 11 when he bet his best friend - he believes it was ten dollars - that he could write a piece with an abab rhyme pattern after an English class in which they had studied a poem with that rhyme pattern - a poem that had impressed the best friend, but left Moses decidedly underwhelmed. However, in writing that poem, despite his disdain for the rhyme pattern, he discovered that something interesting was going on with the language, and so the poet in him was born.

Interestingly, though, he is much less cavalier with his work since, laboriously editing and re-writing until he is satisfied with each piece. In Sixteen Jesuses, Moses confessed, only one poem landed whole on the page: "Some Grand River Blues", and only because it had been swimming around in his head for a long time before he penned it.

When asked if it was difficult working across genres - playwriting and poetry - Moses responded with a succinct metaphor: "No matter what shape the jar is, that's my voice inside it."

Of course, the food at Grano was, as it always is, understated and exquisite, and all the more delightful accompanied by a glass of prosecco.

All in all, it was memorable sultry summer evening. We look forward to next year's Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta.

THIS WEEK IN TORNTO

Sing For Your Supper - Monday, July 26th at their new venue

Charlie's Gallery

Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta - Three

As Diaspora Dialogues' Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta winds down with the third in the three-part series taking place next Thursday, July 22nd, I finally find myself in familiar territory. The featured artist, Daniel David Moses, is someone whose name and work I recognize - as a playwright. Twenty years of accolades predominantly in drama, including Finalist for the 1991 Governor General's Award for Drama, winner of the 2001 Harold Award and a three-year stint, beginning in 2003, as Queen's National Scholar in the Department of Drama at Queen's University, suggest that in theatre is perhaps what he is best-known for.

What I was intrigued to learn, however, is that he has been publishing poetry since 1974, and produced two collections - The White Line and Delicate Bodies, before the one from which he will be reading next Thursday: Sixteen Jesuses.

To find out more about him, go here, from where I pulled this quote of his: “There was something mysterious about poetry…It’s an expressionistic way of using language that allows writers to think in different ways.”

Be prepared to be blown away. The man is both prolific and astoundingly accomplished.

Moira MacDougall, who will be moderating the conversation with Moses following his reading, is Poetry editor for the Literary Review of Canada. She began her artistic life began as a serious student of classical ballet and modern dance, but it is poetry that has wed her love of movement and rhythm with voice and linguistic performance. Her collection of poetry, Bone Dream, received rave reviews widely, but I most enjoyed this comment by Elizabeth Switaj in her review for the feminist blog, Gender Across Borders


"Bone Dream remains a strong meditation on the connection between the usual and the strange, the embodied and the physical. Moira MacDougall has found a distinct way to explore a life in all its strangeness and familiarity."

Promise of an interesting conversation, don't you think?

Add a glass of prosecco and great food at the fabulous Grano Restaurant, and there couldn't be a better way to spend a summer evening.


WHEN: July 22nd. Doors open at 6:30 pm


WHERE: Grano Restaurant, 2035 Yonge Street (at Davisville)

COST: $75 per evening - includes dinner, a drink, and a copy of the book under discussion. A $25 charitable receipt for single tickets can be issued upon request. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferrable. Contact Natalie or Aisling on 416 944 1101 to purchase tickets. Due to limited space, advance booking is strongly recommended.

The line up:

July 8: Molly Peacock and The Second Blush, with moderator Olive Senior
July 15: Erín Moure and O Resplandor, with moderator Priscila Uppal
July 22: Daniel David Moses and Sixteen Jesuses, with moderator Moira MacDougall

Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta - Two

Last Thursday's Poetry, Prosecco & Pasta event featured Erin Moure and her intriguing book, O Resplandor. Our moderator, the always excellent Priscila Uppal, helped us enter this complex work by picking recurring or signifcant words out of the poems and using them as a springboard for discussion, as well as taking "question-postcards" from the audience.

The discussion ranged from the art of translation, to the conceptual gap of a character in the book translating a Romanian text without actually knowing Romanian, to the limericks Erin started writing at a young age - one of which she kindly recited for our enjoyment.

Of course, the food at Grano was bellissimo! So all in all, it was a fantastic night and we're looking forward to our final one this Thursday July 22 - featuring Daniel David Moses and his book Sixteen Jesuses, moderated by Moira MacDougall.

THIS WEEK IN TORONTO

1) The next Trampoline Hall will take place on Monday, July 19, 2010. Kelly Jenkins is the curator of this show, and he has chosen these three lecturers:

Amanda Happe: Winging It
Buffy Childerhose: Lovesickness
Chris Reynolds: My Pet Worms

The show takes place at the Garrison (1197 Dundas St West), starting at 8:00 sharp.

For ticket information.


2) Fade to Brown's Daniel Stolfi is performing his one man show "Cancer Can't Dance Like This" in Toronto at the St Lawrence Centre on Thursday July 22nd.

Tickets available here or here

Check out the trailer for the show on Youtube.


3) July 23-25, 2010, Masala! Mehndi! Masti!, North America’s largest free South Asian festival, fires up Toronto’s Exhibition Place for a jam-packed weekend of lively entertainment, vibrant colours, savory dishes, majestic art, and star-studded performances.


4) Toronto's premier festival, Caribana, is already underway.


5) Writers Forum will celebrate the life and works of Prof Ahmad Ali, South Asia's iconic writer, scholar, diplomat, and co founder of progressive movement in Urdu literature, on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

For full information, go here.

When: Sunday July 25, 2010, 2p.m.
Where : North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street

This is a free event.

Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta - One

We had great fun last Thursday at our first Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta event at Grano Restaurant.

The night began with a few glasses of prosecco outside by the fabulous foundation in the courtyard. It was a really humid day - way too hot for eating outdoors - so we made our way inside for the three-course meal. DD president Helen Walsh welcomed everybody and introduced Molly Peacock, the featured poet, and Olive Senior, the moderator and poet in her own right. These two talented poets had engaging personalities that played off each other well and made us all laugh with their humour.

Olive really did her research on Molly's book The Second Blush. She was quite impressed with Molly's approach to form and structure. Molly was genuinely delighted with Olive's thoughts and read a number of poems - some which focused on her lovely partner who was sitting at the nearby table. She reassured us she had his permission to do so!

The food was great and everybody got their book (which was included in the ticket price) signed by Molly who was only too happy to meet and chat with everyone there.






Our next Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta installment is Thursday, July 15 featuring Erin Moure and her intriguing book, O Resplandor, moderated by Priscila Uppal.

THIS WEEK IN TORONTO

2010 BITE ME! Toronto Int’l Body Image Film & Arts Festival, July 16 - 18. Check out the flyer. For the full schedule, click here

TOK 5 is being talked about in In Other Words!

Judith Fitzgerald at the Globe and Mail's book blog - In Other Words - is a fan of Diaspora Dialogues latest anthology TOK 5.

Check it out what she says here

To get your copy of the book - or copies of TOK 1, 2, 3 and 4, contact Aisling at aisling@diasporadialogues.com or Natalie at natalie@diasporadialogues.com.

Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta - Two

If you're like me and intimidated by poetry, the two women participating in the second of Diaspora Dialogues' three-part poetry series - Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta - will do a lot to ease the pain.

Erin Moure, who will be reading from her collection, O Resplandor, writes poetry in English and Galician and translates poetry into English from French, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish. Check out her amazing resume right here

She also teaches Creative Writing at Concordia University in Montreal.

Priscila Uppal, who will be moderating the conversation with Erin Moure, is also a professor, but here in Toronto at York University. She is a talented poet as well. Check out her bio.

But, hey, even superwomen have to eat, right?

So why not join them for some fabulous Italian food at the elegant Grano Restaurant and figure out what makes them tick.

I'm figuring they'll be less daunting if I'm breaking bread with them.


WHEN: July 15th. Doors open at 6:30 pm
(Don't forget Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta - Three on July 22nd)

WHERE: Grano Restaurant, 2035 Yonge Street (at Davisville)

COST: $75 per evening - includes dinner, a drink, and a copy of the book under discussion. A $25 charitable receipt for single tickets can be issued upon request. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Contact Natalie or Aisling on 416 944 1101 to purchase tickets. Due to limited space, advance booking is strongly recommended.

The line up:

July 8: Molly Peacock and The Second Blush, with moderator Olive Senior
July 15: Erín Moure and O Resplandor, with moderator Priscila Uppal
July 22: Daniel David Moses and Sixteen Jesuses, with moderator Moira MacDougall

THIS WEEK IN TORONTO

You may not want to miss these fabulous events in Toronto this week.

(If the link isn't live - as sometimes happens - please copy paste it to search window.)

1) Tomorrow evening, July 6th at 7 p.m.

THE BROCKTON WRITERS' SERIES - a monthly PWYC event - showcases Mary Lou Dickinson, Faye Guenther, Perparim Kapllani and Heather Wood.

The evening closes with a few souls braving the open mic.

Show up! Sign up!

Click here for full details.

2) And please don't forget that the inimitable d'bi young's word! sound! powah! continues at The Toronto Fringe Festival$10

wed june 30th 10:30pm | fri july 2nd 5:15pm | sat july 3rd 5:45pm | sun

july 4th 1:45pm | mon july 5th 5:00pm | tues july 6th 3:15pm

theatre passé muraille. 16 ryerson avenue. fringetoronto.com