Blissful and Proud

Last week was a very gay week in Halifax indeed.

No, it wasn't Pride or anything like that.  But the Youth Project, Halifax's LGTBTQ youth advocacy and support servies organisation did have it's 20th anniversary party.  The Youth Project has had a big impact on the lives of youth throughout the province, a which was echoed in this story in The Coast.  

Also in the city, noted performer/drag queen/viral sensation Panti Bliss was invited to come and speak on homophobia, a story which I covered for Daily Xtra.   An excerpt:

“The idea that a 10-minute speech about homophobia and oppression would have resonance for so many people around the world is still astounding and delightfully unexpected to me,” O’Neill says.  

But more than anything, O’Neill wants people to take all of this seriously.

“People imagine that if you are not being beaten up in the street or having ‘faggot’ screamed at you, then it’s not homophobia,” he says. “Just because homophobia is worse in other places doesn’t mean we have to accept lower levels of homophobia.”

Speaking of homophobia, I recently spoke at the ARCUP 2014 conference in Fredericton, New Brunswick.  The conference is aimed at journalism students and was hosted at St. Thomas University. I was asked to speak on reporting on social justice issues, namely LGBTQ issues.  

I have to say it was a little humbling to participate, especially the part where my talk was being live-tweeted.  

The talk I did focused on respect in journalism, with a focus on telling stories without being exploitative, using the example of the recent Katie Couric/Laverne Cox debacle.  

It was a great experience, and many thanks to those who invited me to participate.

Eat It Up!

I'm lucky enough to write about food, yet sometimes this career path can take me to other places in culinary storytelling.

Enter Devour! The Food Film Fest.

Festival organisers Michael Howell and Lia Rinaldo asked me a few months ago to be one of the programmers for the festival, helping view the over 200 film submissions to the festival.

We narrowed it down to seventy films which screened over five days in November at the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. (You can see a list of my faves over here at Passable).

Still on the writing side of things, I had the chance to talk with Costas Halavrezos on the publication of his first book, "Seasoned". 

News - August 25th, 2012

I’m pretty lucky to get to write about food in Nova Scotia.

I recently had the opportunity to write about Sledding Hill for The Globe and Mail, and their lovely lavender products.

Over at The Coast, I’ve recently written about little bits of culinary adventure in Halifax, such as local tasting tours, and how (and where) to order off the menu in this city.

Meanwhile, in terms of arts reporting, I published a story in Halifax Magazine about a young filmmaker who is looking to document the local drag scene, and the family bonds that are formed within it. Back at The Coast, I wrote about the history of pride parades and protests in this city.

I also have a couple more stories for East Coast Living which should be online soon, as well as an interview with Naomi Duguid, co-author of Hot Sour Salty Sweet over at Passable in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

News - June 18th, 2012

It’s one of the first things you ask someone when you find out they’re visiting Halifax: “Have you had a donair yet?”

Donairs are quintessentially Haligonian, they are the stuff that both dreams and indigestion are made of. They are also a point of pride, which leads to discussions (and even arguments) as to what is the best way to make them and why you can’t (or can) get one outside of the Maritimes.  I recently had the opportunity to write about this very topic in the pages of The Globe And Mail.  The story itself soon found itself on Reddit and within two days of it being on the website,it had been shared over four thousand times. I guess people really do love donairs.

Speaking of all things Halifax, this past weekend was the first OUTeast Queer Film Festival. I had the chance to sit down with the organisers, as well as one of the filmmakers who was screening his short at the festival.

Also this past weekend was the Halifax edition of the World Naked Bike Ride. I went down to the event to speak with some of the participants and shot a short video about it.

News - May 28th, 2012

It’s been a good month.

First, I began a new series of podcasts over at Passable, starting with a story about the resurgence in the art of butchery.

In other good news, Passable was recently honoured with a Best Local Food Blog prize from The Coast’s readers in their annual Best Of Food competition. Hooray!

I’m also still flexing my muscles over at The Coast, with two recent food articles, including one on the recent fad of Titanic-themed meals. The second was inspired by the recent Bluenose Marathon, where I asked: what do you eat when you’re in training?

Still in food, in late April, I had another piece published in OpenFile Halifax, this time asking about the importance (and difficulty) of anonymity amongst restaurant criticism.

Over at Xtra.ca, I’ve had the occasion to write a couple of profiles on some interesting artists. The first is on Vincent Chevalier, whose work deals in questions of disclosure in the age of the internet. The second is about Graham Kolbeins, a multidisciplinarian who works in everything from blogging to curating to video editing. Check them both out, you won’t be sorry.

And one piece I am especially proud of was published in Halifax Magazine about the HFX 50, a project and list undertaken by a local entrepreneur who is more interested in social currency than financial ones.