Facilitating Change

One-dollar books and why reading history matters

31. August 2010

I'm loving Orlando Figues's A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891–1924. This summer, I read it to Liam at night before bed. How do I get my teenager to listen, you ask? Trust me: plenty of blood and guts in here to keep any 13-year-old happy. Then along comes an Economist story about Chinese workers — full of the same themes. Uncanny.

Make music in the kitchen, the back seat of the car, wherever

7. August 2010

1 Comment

Think about it: Wouldn't it be so nice if making music was something mostpeople did? Like writing and reading. Not something you consume. Not something veryspecial verytalented people make for you. Instead an everyday creative, collective act. A joyous togethering, washing away for a moment pain and discord. I would like that so much.

Germaine Martin, 1937

23. November 2009

2 Comments

I hate Facebook. And yet I love Facebook. Because some distant cousin sent my mom several photos of my grandmother, Germain Martin, from the late 30s. This one is my favorite. It was taken in Clarence Creek, Ontario, in 1937. She was about 19.

Rite of passage for Liam as he turns 13

20. November 2009

9 Comments

So many of us now are hybrids. In between. With that comes freedom. But also the loss of a sense of connection to something bigger and that can contain us in a comforting way. Like a parent's embrace. The rituals that marked passage and grounded and gathered communities are fading away. I believe that acknowledging and celebrating the milestones in our lives is important and can help us transition and accept change.

Porte Parole at Pecha Kucha

18. November 2009

Comments Off

Annabel Soutar, co-founder of the amazing Porte Parole, will present at Pecha Kucha Montreal tonight. Care about democracy? Citizen engagement? Clear your schedule and be there!

L’accompagnement

16. November 2009

4 Comments

What's important is the ability to gather with others and the possibility to be accompanied in your work. To be able to ask questions and bounce around ideas. I've been thinking for some time that public-access venues and coworking spaces are connected. This is why. They provide access to helpful people — librarians, dinamizador@s, infomediaries, the-guy-sitting-across-the-table-from-you.

Naada Yoga: Something for my nothing

19. October 2009

5 Comments

So somewhere in June everything fell apart. I was falling and falling. Shattered. Scattered. Lost. Yes, that's the main feeling: loss. Layers upon layers of it — some new, some old. Accompanied by self-loathing, deep deep sadness, hopelessness, and rage. All combining into a perfect dizzying downward spiral.

Archive | Essays & Opinion RSS feed for this section

One-dollar books and why reading history matters

Make music in the kitchen, the back seat of the car, wherever

Germaine Martin, 1937

Rite of passage for Liam as he turns 13

Porte Parole at Pecha Kucha

L’accompagnement

Naada Yoga: Something for my nothing

Audio

Images

Bites