Hello and welcome! We are here once more with a roundup of a few stories from our neighbourhood that we wanted to make you aware of, it’s your Weekly WEP.
xo
WEP
Neglected For Years, Black Business Owners in Little Jamaica Are Saving Themselves
“For much of Little Jamaica’s history, Black business owners felt they couldn’t count on the BIAs that cover the neighbourhood. Now, things are finally changing”
From our most recent issue, looking into the world of west end B.I.A’s
Written by Stacy Lee Kong, photos by Brianna Roye
Read the whole story HERE
City of Toronto 2024 Budget Consultations
For the month of November, the City of Toronto is looking for input on ways to save money, and they’re seeking public input. Let them know what you think by going HERE.
If you were one of the lucky folks who attended our recent event at WEP Central, the launch of David McPhersons’ 101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts , featuring David in conversation with
, we want to make sure you subscribe to his newsletter, Airplane On The Highway!Michael regularly writes thoughtful and engaging pieces about what’s going on in Canadian music scenes from coast to coast, a beat oft-ignored by the music press at large and in addition to all that, also features a regularly updated list of upcoming and ongoing events in and around the city and you would be wise to subscribe!
Coming Up at WEP Central:
Poetry At The Phoenix returns November 14th for a warn and cozy evening of poetry to warm the heart.
Our poets for this month; Phoebe Wang and Chris Banks!
Chris Banks is a Canadian poet and author of seven collections of poems, most recently Alternator from Nightwood Editions (Fall 2023). His first full-length collection, Bonfires, was awarded the Jack Chalmers Award for poetry by the Canadian Authors’ Association in 2004. Bonfires was also a finalist for the Gerald Lampert Award for best first book of poetry in Canada. His poetry has appeared in The New Quarterly, Arc Magazine, The Antigonish Review, Event, The Malahat Review, American Poetry Journal, Prism International, among other publications. He lives and writes in Kitchener, Ontario.
Phoebe Wang (she/her) is a writer and educator based in Toronto. She is the author of two collections of poetry, Admission Requirements (McClelland and Stewart, 2017), which was nominated for the Trillium Book Award and Waking Occupations, (McClelland and Stewart, 2022). Currently she is working on a collection of creative nonfiction about sailing, writing and identity titled Relative to Wind. She serves as a mentor in the University of Toronto MA in Creative Writing program and works as a Writing and Learning Consultant at OCAD University.
We are blessed to be able to host poets of such immense talent at our lovely space at 3 Bartlett, we hope you’ll join us!
Doors open at 7 PM, show starts at 7:30 PM tickets are Pay What You Can at the door, no one turned away for lack of funds!
All funds raised will be split between the poets and the house.
Please RSVP to reserve a seat as there is limited space available: hello@westendphoenix.com
Jim Bryson Live At WEP Central
On Thursday, November the 16th, we’ve got the one and only Jim Bryson gracing the stage at WEP Central for a beautiful evening of music to warm our hearts as the days cool around us!
A beloved musician with long, deep ties to the Canadian music scene, Bryson has toured extensively as a side player for beloved artists like Kathleen Edwards, The Weakerthans and The Tragically Hip, is a National Folk Award nominated musician and records with artists from all over at his home studio in Stittsville, Ontario.
His most recent release, 2022’s “Country Wifi”, is a hushed pile of beautiful whispers and gently considered lyrical ruminations. As our own Dave Bidini wrote in his review, “the emotional acrylic of the and the swanning beauty of Lambchop or Iron and Wine.”
We’re beyond the moon to host Jim in our space at 3 Bartlett, but seats are limited and you’ll want to move quickly before they fill up!
It all happens Thursday, November 16th at 7 PM.
Tickets - $25 plus HST
An Afternoon with Art Bergmann!
On Saturday, November 4th, we are pleased to present you with a one-of-a-kind afternoon at WEP Central with the legendary Art Bergmann!
As Canada’s punk poet laureate, Art Bergmann has been tearing up stages, and terrifying the music industry, for half a century. Often referred to as “Canada’s Lou Reed,” Art’s story is one of rock and roll’s great tales untold. Until now. From his days helping to lay the foundation of the Vancouver punk scene with The K-Tels, to his acclaimed solo work in the ’80s and ’90s, and a late career resurgence that has culminated with being named to the Order of Canada,
Working with veteran music journalist Jason Schneider, The Longest Suicide chronicles every unlikely twist and turn Art’s life has taken. With dozens of people who took part adding their own voices to corroborate (and sometimes dispute) the often-incredible chain of events. With cameos by John Cale, Bob Rock, The Clash, Bob Geldof and many others, The Longest Suicide is both a triumphant story of personal survival, as well as a unique glimpse inside the rise of alternative rock. Above all, it is a tribute to Canada’s most unheralded singer-songwriter, whose greatness is only now being widely recognized.
Art will sit in conversation with author Jason Schneider and moderator Mary Dickie, a Toronto-based writer and editor. She has been publisher and editor of Impact magazine, editor of Music Express, music editor for Eye Weekly and music columnist for the Toronto Sun, and her interviews, features and reviews have also been published in Maclean’s, Chart, Elle Canada, In Toronto, SOCAN Words & Music and Musicworks, among others. She interviewed Art Bergmann for an Impact cover story in 1995, and counts it among her favourites.
Join us for a conversation on Art’s long career, his new album ShadowWalk out now on (weewerk), The Longest Suicide and everything in between! Following the chat there will be a Q&A and the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of The Longest Suicide!
It all happens at WEP Central (#3 Bartlett Ave) on November the 4th from 1 - 3 PM
Entry by donation at the door, pay what you can, no one turned away for lack of funds!
RSVP to reserve your spot: hello@westendphoenix.com