*homegrown events and updates

After a bit of a break for the holidays and the start up of school, the local art and lit world is back up and running at full force!

in art...

Brock University's OPIRG (Ontario Public Interest Research Group), is an off-campus info-centre dedicated to the spread of social activism not only to Brock students, but to the community at large. It's located on 10 Summer Street, St. Catharines, Ontario, and features a free weekly documentary on Tuesdays! :) Tonight (January 18th), OPIRG is playing pieces from the Royal Society of Arts' Animate: a series of shorts using animation to explain complex theories. It looks pretty darn interesting actually! It starts at 8pm, and you can see a summary of the documentary on the facebook event page.
To learn more about the info-centre, you can visit their website! If you've got any questions, you can email the group at opirginfoshop@gmail.com 

in lit...

The Grey Borders Reading Series (GBRS) NUMBER FIVE is finally here! This edition is taking place at Pan Cafe (120 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, Ont.) on Thursday, January 20th at 7pm! Numero cinco features a pretty sweet line-up of poets and playwrights including Beatriz Hausner, Kemeny Babineau, and the founder of One Little Goat Theatre Company, Adam Seelig. The GBRS is always an awesome time-- co-ordinator Eric Schmaltz maintains an intimate and down-to-earth environment throughout the events, making it easy to approach the poets, and have a good time. :)
You can check out more about Grey Borders and their events on their blogspot.

The Brock University Creative Writers' Club (BUCWC) presents the first of their 2011 reading series' this Friday, January 21st at 7pm!! The reading is taking place at the always laid-back Fine Grind (37 James Street, St. Catharines, Ont.), which is a cash-only venue! Some of the readers include Ed Edmonds (co-creator of Words Radio Station), Helen Tran, Robert Dimmers, Matt Currie, Steven Greenwood, Jacob Hounsell, and Lindsay Cahill.
There's going to a 50/50 draw too! I was pretty jealous when I missed out on the last one, I could've won thirty bucks! Gah, but that money is MINE this time... okay... maybe it can be yours too, BRING YOUR LOONIES.
If you've got any questions, you can email the president of the BUCWC, Phil Miletic, at pm07iv@brocku.ca, and you can keep updated on BUCWC events/submission deadlines on their tumblr page.

Words Radio (103.7 FM)-- the literary-based radio station-- was founded by Ed Edmonds and Duncan Allosaur Griffiths. The station not only brings you the newest of the literary news, but also sets out to revive the old classics of the poetic universe. (Words Radio features creative writers from the area as well, so if you're interested in appearing on the show, contact Ed and Duncan at wordswordswords@hotmail.ca) The show airs every Tuesday from 3-3:30pm (or you can listen to the episode archive online at wordsradio.tumblr.com).

in music...

As has been proven by our multiple posts about their events, local band Elk is definitely a dead (g)end(er) favourite, so we thought it was only appropriate to spread word about their latest update: Elk, along with Indoorshoes Record Label, are pleased to announce the sneak-peak of their upcoming album, Balm Beach, set to come out on February 17th, 2011. You can listen to the new release here. The new song, 'Sheldon', implies yet another wicked album from the band! Also, if you're interested, you can read an awesome blog-post on Quick Before it Melts that promotes Elk and their distinctly unique sound. :)


GO HOMEGROWN.