Columns

Music Review—You Liked This (Okay Computer!)

Multimedia artist, Will Wood, will be releasing a new sound project on June 6th.  The sound project comes with an animated video and looks like it will be released on YouTube and perhaps Wood’s patreon, although finding information about Wood and his projects is difficult—it seems that he has a minimal online footprint despite being… Read more »

Dear Barb—Doing it All

Dear Barb: Hi, I am a mother of three children.  My husband and I work full time and have very demanding jobs and my kids are involved in a lot of sports and other activities.  We are both so tired all the time, we just want to relax on the weekends, but our kids want… Read more »

Fly on the Wall—Dog Ate Your Homework?

Have you ever dreamed you saw your reflection in a mirror?  What would our imagined other self say that we cannot say for ourselves?  The closest moment to contact with the universal nature of being alive might be a momentary gaze into a beloved pet’s eyes.  Interactions with animals special to us can teach us… Read more »

Music Review—Stand Alone

Artist: Brand New Lungs Single: “Stand Alone” Montreal, Quebec’s Brand New Lungs, have released their new single “Stand Alone”.  The song is their first new music since their debut album, Like Wildfire, and is available anywhere you get your music. Brand New Lungs describes themselves as “four dudes from Montreal, Canada having fun doing some… Read more »

Beyond Literary Landscapes—Recent Reads 2022 – Literary Memoir

From my early beginnings as a young introvert, the public library has always been a bit of a refuge.  Years later, not much has changed, albeit with an additional affinity for endless hours spent scouring second-hand bookstores to add to my ever-growing “to-read” pile. From one bookworm to another, this column will be underscoring and… Read more »

Dear Barb—COVID Crashes Easter Dinner

Dear Barb: I hosted Easter dinner this year and what a fiasco! The COVID divisiveness is still with us.  Some of my family members are vaccinated and some are not.  No one came in with a mask or did any social distancing.  I personally didn’t social distance or wear a mask either.  Everything seemed to… Read more »

Fly on the Wall—Mother’s Day in Context

While distance education can be the mother of all struggles, it probably can’t compare to the challenge and adventures of motherhood.  With that in mind, Mother’s Day is a thing.  Expressing gratitude to our mothers is what the day is all about and, being academically inclined, it’s worth considering the context of progeny from a… Read more »

Beyond Literary Landscapes—Indigenous, Inuit, and Métis Memoir

From my early beginnings as a young introvert, the public library has always been a bit of a refuge.  Years later, not much has changed, albeit with an additional affinity for endless hours spent scouring second-hand bookstores to add to my ever-growing “to-read” pile. From one bookworm to another, this column will be underscoring and… Read more »

Music Review—The Log Driver’s Waltz     

Artist: Handheld Album: A Canadian Tragedy Single: The Log Driver’s Waltz Ontario-based skate-punk band, Handheld, has released their second single from their upcoming album, A Canadian Tragedy, which will be available on June 14th, 2022.  The single titled “The Log Driver’s Waltz” is currently available for streaming anywhere you get your music. Of the upcoming… Read more »

Dear Barb—Reaching the End

Dear Barb: Hi, my mother has suffered from mental illness her whole life and it is getting worse.  Also, she has recently been diagnosed with MS and it is progressing very quickly.  My brother and myself are struggling with her situation.  She wants to end her life and my brother and I support her decision. … Read more »