Events

Housing crisis brings community organizations together

On November 29, within the backdrop of the increasing housing crisis that affects both Canada and the city of London, a collection of leftists organizations in the city, volunteers and community members, all came together to find concrete solutions to a problem that has been affecting the city of London for several years. With the passing of the controversial Bill 60 by the Ontario Provincial Government led by Premier Doug Ford; that housing crisis has expanded in scope and complexity in the last few years.  The Democratic Socialists of Canada, Forest City Solidarity, Spring Socialist Network, the East of Adelaide…

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“Out of this World!”: Alien-themed Sapphic night seeks to provide safe space for underrepresented segment of London’s queer community  

On August 29th, London’s vibrant sapphic community gathered downtown at the Honey Dip Bar for our city’s first ever “Sapphic Invasion” event. Organized by Sapphire 519’s Theresa Hayes, the highly anticipated alien-themed event was met with overwhelming enthusiasm, with many attendees saying that it provided a much-needed safe space for the often-underrepresented community to connect.   “I am so tired of sapphic people getting breadcrumbs when it comes to events and dedicated groups for them in London,” said Hayes. “We’re a city of over 447 000 people, yet we’re seriously lacking in representation for queer women and nonbinary folks.”   Following the…

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Crowd of people sitting on the floor of Poacher's Arms surrounding the stage as Whine Problem prepares to play their final song of the evening

MAGICAL Evenings: June 18, 19 Music Show Reviews

Last week I went to two music events at a local bar, Poacher’s Arms, 171 Queens Ave. The first one was a free event on Wednesday called “Queerrr Jam”. This was held in collaboration with “Grrrls Jam”, a free event held at Poachers Arms once a month, where femme and gender-nonconforming people can go up and jam on the Poacher’s stage.  In this case, it was for anyone within the queer community to perform at. Queerrr Jam was run in collaboration with MAGICAL 519, which stands for Multicultural Accessible Gatherings Improving 2SLGBTQIA+ Community Affirmation in London, a collective that aims…

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“Portrait of Elliot”: Painting of brain cyst stars at neuroscience conference

At Museum London on February 20th, a painting of a glowing brain is displayed on an easel. The stylized MRI brain scan, from the back-of-the-head view, is aflame in yellows and reds that form a hazy halo around a starburst of highlighter-green brain fluid. Folds of pale coral-coloured grey matter coalesce into cranial nerves bordered by a streaming blue-violet neck. In the right hemisphere drifts a ghostly cyst.  The piece is called “Portrait of Elliot”, painted by artist Natasha Beaudoin. It is based on a real MRI scan of her boyfriend, Elliot Tomlinson, who was diagnosed with an arachnoid cyst. …

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Poetry and Prose, Roots and Rhythm: Black History SLAM

As the state of the world continues to change around me, it’s been hard to decide how to respond to it. There’s an endless list of things that need attention and many systems to fight to create any sort of change. When responding to a capitalist status quo that places profits above people and the environment at large, it’s hard to feel sane in any one form of response, so I’ve been able to find solace in multiple things at once. Protesting with the community; promoting and engaging in mutual aid; and, most recently through journalism, sharing underrepresented stories and…

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