First Impressions that Last

First of all, it was held in a sex shop. A lady and a transvestite greeted me at the door, accepted my five dollar donation, and ushered me to take a seat. Rows of chairs were jammed between the book shelves filled with Erotic Fiction and sex manuals. They faced towards the microphone and the backdrop was a wall of dildo’s. Initially, the unorthodox surroundings threw me off guard and made me question what exactly I had agreed to when I accepted the invitation, but at the same time I was intrigued with the refreshing scenery.

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Feature: Underground Optimism

On Wednesday, January 18th, 2012, I had the pleasure of meeting a fabulous poet and musician who is an active member of Ottawa’s spoken word community. Although our meeting was brief and I only had the pleasure of hearing one of his poems, it was obvious how self motivated and confident this individual was in a performance setting. His name is Loh El, and is a flourishing member of the arts community in Ottawa. I believe he demonstrates a perfect balance between his social and online network that reflects positively in both his personality and career.

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Fiction: Let's Escape Reality

Her family has lived in this suburb for five years now and she loves it for its idealistic beauty and the strict and organized community members. She smiles as she peers outside, 7 A.M. and already the neighbors are out with their lawn mowers and hedge clippers.

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So You Want To Be A Slam Poet?

To a poet, poetry is more than a clever play on words or a rhyming verse. Poetry provokes a lifestyle of observing, creating, expressing and searching within yourself and other people.

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Review: Alone Together

In the novel, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less from Eachother, Sherry Turkle investigates the growing social norm of substituting human relationships with social networking and robotic companions. Why is it that people feel the need to be in constant communication with each other and how does this effect the way society functions as a whole? Rather, with the overwhelming demand for social networking and the accessibility of smart phone’s, I-pad’s and laptops that have us constantly logged-on, when do we have time to reflect on ourselves and truly be alone?

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