"If we destroy nature, we destroy ourselves" - Edward Burtynsky One of my favourite artists is award-winning Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky. His introduction to photography began at 11 when his father bought a darkroom and cameras from an amateur photographer's widow. Since then Edward Burtynsky has been photographing the environment,... Continue reading

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." - Maya Angelou People gazing up at, admiring and photographing the beautiful and heartfelt Toronto Love Project quilted banners (above left) gently swaying from the rafters of the North York Centre, provide tangible evidence of the healing... Continue reading

So incredibly beautiful is the current exhibition of Itchiku Kubota (1917 - 2003) kimonos at the Textile Museum of Canada, I just had to walk around the exhibition twice! The 41 kimonos on display are the most exquisite handmade objects I have ever seen. Kubota designed and produced these kimonos... Continue reading

"A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life." ~ Lord Illingworth in A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde With autumn approaching, and the accompanying feeling of taking another serious step forward in life, I think it is a great time to think about men's tailoring, whether... Continue reading

Maureen Jennings / Dead Ground In Between Tuesday, December 13 at 7:00 p.m. Toronto Reference Library Atrium Please call 416-393-7131 for more information. Meet the writers everyone’s reading! Acclaimed author of the “Murdoch Mysteries” series, The eh list Author Series presents Maureen Jennings on her latest novel, Dead Ground In... Continue reading

When I read that a massive mural by British street artist Phlegm had been painted on the west side of an office building on the south side of St. Clair, just west of Yonge Street, I just had to go and take a photo of it! From a distance, it... Continue reading

Come and Join Us for Poetry Through Music with Diana Braithwaite, Chris Whiteley and Dr. Michael Johnstone Thursday, November 24, 2016 7 to 8 p.m. North York Central Library Auditorium 5120 Yonge Street Please call 416-395-5639 to register for this free program. Don't miss a beat! Enjoy an evening of... Continue reading

North York Central Library Talk: The Art of Dale Chihuly 7 to 8 p.m., Thursday, November 10, 2016 North York Central Library Auditorium Please register for this free program by calling 416-395-5639 Discover the art and career of Dale Chihuly, a pioneer of the studio glass movement and considered to... Continue reading

North York Central Library Talk: Miles Ahead: Portrait of a Changeling 7 to 8 p.m., Thursday, October 13, 2016 North York Central Library Auditorium Please register for this free program by calling 416-395-5639. Miles Davis was the quintessential seeker living his life by the Dylan maxim, "He not being born... Continue reading

Just for fun, recently I have been watching, in order, all of the James Bond films. I have been a fan of the debonair yet deadly English spy ever since I was a child, and played with my brother's model gold Aston Martin DB5 car with its ejector seat, based... Continue reading

Come to North York Central Library this fall and meet the writers everyone's reading! The eh List Author Series presents a great lineup of Canadian writers at North York Central Library this fall: Cordelia Strube on Tuesday, October 4; Ami McKay on Tuesday November 1; Teva Harrison on Tuesday, November... Continue reading

There is so much toil and trouble in Shakespeare's Macbeth that I think it will continue to captivate audiences forever! Recently, I went to the Stratford Festival to see their excellent 2016 production of Macbeth, starring the mesmerizing Ian Lake as the power-mad Medieval Scottish general Macbeth. Macbeth is spurred... Continue reading

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ~Henry James (1843 to 1916) I have noticed that free outdoor screenings of movies in Toronto have been opening up like wildflowers in the sun! From Mel Lastman Square to... Continue reading

I recently read about a five-year-old boy, Jackson Ryan Bennett, who plans to visit, with his father, all 100 branches of Toronto Public Library this summer, on public transit! His father said that Ryan picked the first branch, Fort York, out of Daniel Rotsztain's adult colouring book, All the Libraries... Continue reading

On May 24, North York Central Library welcomed Farzana Doctor, award-winning author and past Writer in Residence for Toronto Public Library, as part of The eh List Author Series. One of CBC's Ten Canadian Women Writers You Need to Read Now, Doctor is also the author of three novels. Her... Continue reading

Thursday, June 30 from 7 to 8 pm North York Central Library Auditorium (Please call 416-395-5639 to register for this free program) Join members of the award-winning staff of Chronic Ink tattoo studio as they describe the process of getting a tattoo. Marvel at beautiful illustrations inspired by Asian and... Continue reading

"In creating, the only hard thing's to begin..." - James Russell Lowell I enjoy making things, and I have always been interested in the creative process. I find it fascinating how people nurture and make space for creativity in their lives: philosophically; time-wise; and by finding a location where they... Continue reading

Canadian Opera Company Talk: Dying for Love in Rossini's Maometto II Thursday, April 28, 2016, 7 to 8 p.m. North York Central Library Auditorium In one of his most ambitious works, Rossini summons a historical clash between Islam and Christianity to frame the story of a young girl who is... Continue reading

On March 22, North York Central Library welcomed internationally bestselling author Linwood Barclay, as part of The eh List Author Series. Linwood Barclay joined the Toronto Star in 1981, became its humour columnist in 1993, and retired from this position in 2008 to work exclusively on his books. Barclay's first... Continue reading

Asian Heritage Month Concert: Tablix Thursday, May 5, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. North York Central Library Auditorium Please register for this free program by calling 416-395-5639. Gurpreet Chana, "The Tabla Guy," presents a groundbreaking fusion of tabla, a classical Indian percussion instrument, technology and electronic music. Join us in experiencing... Continue reading

Talk: Crossover Dreams: Motown Records in the 60s Tuesday, February 23 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. North York Central Library Auditorium Please register for this free program by calling 416-395-5639. Berry Gordy Jr. established Motown/Tamla Records in Detroit in 1959 with a clear goal in mind: to present the music... Continue reading