News - April 4th, 2012

As much as I love writing about food and queer issues, I am still a big lover of the arts.

Luckily, I have had the opportunity to write about the subject and some rather interesting individuals in that field.

The Coast recently published an article I wrote about a series of lectures on contemporary sculpture happening here in Halifax. Over at Xtra, I had the chance to interview photographer/publisher Amos Mac.  Mac publishes Original Plumbing, a magazine about and for trans men, but it’s his photographs that I can’t get enough of.

Crop Top Soldiers, by Amos Mac

I’m a big fan of Michael Cyril Creighton’s Jack In A Box webseries, so it was great to have the opportunity to talk to him. On the international side of things, I had the chance to interview gay jazz crooner Steven Gallavin.  I even wrote a quick blurb about a wonderful short film called“This Is What Queer Looks Like” for my Down East blog.

I’m still writing about food of course.  I had a great time writing about what to eat for under $12 for The Coast.   As I had mentioned in a previous post, I recently interviewed Michael Ruhlman on the topic of charcuterie for East Coast Living.

News - Jan 16, 2012

One of the best things about working in journalism is gaining access to the people you admire, whether they be artists, writers or just plain fascinating.

I recently was asked by East Coast Living to write an article about charcuterie, so I thought, “Why not talk to the man who has helped make charcuterie so popular lately?”

And so, I had the chance to interview Michael Ruhlman, author of “Charcuterie” as well as various other wonderful books, and the co-author of Thomas Keller’s cookbooks. Ruhlman’s book on the subject was so popular that he created “Charcutepalooza”, an online event where bloggers around the world discussed their own charcuterie escapades.

The upcoming issue of ECL hits newsstands this spring.

Over at Down East, I had the occasion to interview an artist named Jaime Carrera, whose videos I enjoyed so much, I wrote about them twice.

Down East also accords me the chance to talk about pop culture happenings, as in the case of a recent book by bon vivant Simon Doonan, entitled Gay Men Don’t Get Fat. Um, sure?

Image from “Passing” by Jaime Carrera and Tyler Jensen.

News - November 28, 2011

One of the great things that my recent position as a blogger for Xtra has given me is the chance to write on a daily basis. I’ve had the chance to write on a number of topics, from pop culture to current events.

I’ve taken to organising the posts thematically on the blog, with such categories as Popping Culture and more. Here are a few examples.

Op-Eds
Op-eds are pretty self-explanatory. I recently posted an editorial about the Transgender Day of Remembrance. I also wrote about the RCMP officer who is blowing the whistle on improper behaviour in the handling of the Pickton case in B.C.

Queer Halifax
Halifax has a lot of interesting queer stories. I recently had the opportunity to talk with Lyn Murphy, who is part of a group of LGBTQ elders called Elderberries. I also wrote about how Halifax’s Youth Project created a mosaic to celebrate transgender individuals’ lives.

Love Letters To The Past

I firmly believe in revisiting and embracing the past, especially in terms of understanding cultural (and sexual) identities. I am a huge fan of the film and love how, 20 years later, it’s still a landmark of documentary filmmaking and queer culture. In the same vein, I also am a fan of oft-forgotten queer icons, such as Sal Mineo.

Arts
One of my favorite things about writing online is the immediacy in which people have access to certain things, such as art and artists themselves. We now have access to scenes that before,we would only hear about. For example, there is an artist based out of Los Angeles who has created a worldwide queer art phenomenon called Homo Riot. Films have also become much more accessible, in the case of artists like Jaime Carrera, who recently helped to create a silent film about the culture of online dating and cruising.

Open Letters
And lastly, I’ve also always been a fan of the open letter. It allows a more personal and often anecdotal way to speak to, rather than of a subject. I’ve written them to Scott Thompson andJohn Waters.

Stay tuned for more updates.