Picture of TIFA booklet during the festival dates

TIFA Small Press Market and The Arts: Community and Personal Fulfillment

As a new initiative in the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), I tabled for Augur Magazine (along with Terese Pierre and Lawrence Stewen!) at the Small Press Market in Harbourfront Center last Saturday. It was a very low-key area,…

U of T’s first Afro-Caribbean dance workshop: 10/10 would go again and again

This past Monday, Move U and U of T’s Black Students’ Association hosted the university’s first Afro-Caribbean dance workshop. It was one of many highlights of my four years at U of T. Seriously. A moving image generated from a clip from the workshop which shows everyone dancing hand in hand.   The hour-and-a-half long workshop was a total blast! It was led by Arsenio Andrade, who was born and trained in Cuba and has performed internationally, and accompanied by the wonderful drumming talent of Richard “Popcorn” Cumberbatch who has been playing Caribbean indigenous drums since the age of 11. There was a great turnout and every single person seemed to be having the time of their lives – I know I was.
Hart House exterior

Getting Some Good Reminders at Mindfest 2016

Taking care of your mental health can be a bit of a chore if that's not something you're already mindful (ha ha) of. To be honest, taking care of your health in general can sometimes be a chore. I think it's hard to self-discipline yourself when you don't feel the immediate consequences of your actions. It just doesn't feel like not sleeping well or not eating healthy is going to affect you right. now. and so it's easier to just give in sometimes. So it's nice to have reminders every once in a while to keep yourself on track, especially during times when things are going relatively well and you think you don't actually need those reminders. This past Wednesday was Mindfest, a "festival to create awareness and gain appreciation for mental health." I had missed out on Mindfest last year (check out Madelin's blog from last year if you missed out as well), and so I was glad I had a chance to go this year.
Hart House, U of T
Most of the day events and presentations were hosted at Hart House.