Defining love is a complicated thing - but three Charles Taylor finalists are up to the task

This Saturday Night at IFOA - the Topic is Love!

James Chatto

Over the past six years I have escorted all of the shortlisted authors for the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction to media interviews. History. Travel. Murder. Biography. Revolution. Time. Family. Art. Canada's top non-fiction authors have explored it all in their highly respected books.
Interviews are easy when the book topics are fact based. straight ahead questions lead to straight ahead answers. When it comes to love it is all a bit different. Love is not definable, at least not to most writers.
This weekend, three experts are going to give it their best. James Chatto. Elizabeth Abbott and John Terpestra.

James Chatto is an articulate writer who made a name for himself in the pages of Toronto Life where he wrote about wine and dining for years. I met him when his book Greek for Love, was nominated for the Charles Taylor Prize. It is a book about love, love between James and his wife as they escape from the hustle and bustle of Toronto in the sixties and seventies, and move to rural Greece. It is also the story of love and sorrow as their young son slowly dies from illness in what should have been their home in Eden.
Elizabeth Abbott was nominated for her book Sugar, which has little to do with love beyond issues of greed and sugar corporation's love of money. However, Linda Crane and myself assisted her with the promotion of her next book A History of Marriage. In this GG nominated book Abbott takes a clinical view towards love, especially when it involves marriage. Her History of Marriage points out that in the not to distant past love had very little to do with marriage at all.
John Terpestra, a Hamilton based poet talks about many types of love - the love he has for his wife and the love that three dying brothers (his wife's nephews)as they come to grips with death in his nominated book The Boys, or, Waiting For the Electrician's Daughter.
I sent out a Canadian News Wire release about the evening, with CBC host Mary Ito. I have printed it below because it gives the nuts and bolts of the evening. If you are media please drop me a note if you wish to cover this unique Idea City type discussion about Love.


Charles Taylor Prize Celebrates Love at IFOA
TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2011 /CNW/ -

Words of Love
Featuring Prize finalists from the past ten years: Elizabeth Abbott, James Chatto & John Terpstra. Moderator: CBC Fresh Air host Mary Ito

WHAT:

Round Table discussion about "love" with past nominees for
The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction
at International Festival Of Authors (IFOA)
Regular: $18. Members: $15. Students/Youth: FREE. Purchase tickets at the door or at:
http://www.readings.org/?q=ifoa/charles_taylor_prize_words_of_love
WHEN:
Saturday, October 22, 2011
5pm to 6pm
WHERE:
Toronto's Harbourfront Centre
York Quay - Lakeside Terrace
WHO: * Elizabeth Abbott is a writer and historian. Dr. Abbott's latest book is A History of Marriage, nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award; and A History of Celibacy, which won a Governor General's Award for Translation in 2002. She received a nomination for the Charles Taylor Prize in 2009 for her book Sugar: A Bittersweet History
* James Chatto is an award-winning food, wine and travel writer whose work has appeared in leading magazines and newspapers throughout Canada, England and the United States. His book The Greek for Love was nominated for the 2006 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction.
* John Terpstra is a Hamilton based author and poet. His poetry book Disarmament, was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry. His book The Boys, or, Waiting For the Electrician's Daughter, was shortlisted for the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction in 2006.
The moderator is CBC Fresh Air host Mary Ito.
WHY: The Charles Taylor Prize is the country's most prestigious literary non-fiction award. Since 2000, the Prize has been a major driving force behind the recognition and growth of Canadian non-fiction.
At the annual International Festival Of Authors, The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction presents a conversation on writing about the elusive, fraught and romantic world of love with authors Elizabeth Abbott, James Chatto and John Terpstra. The CBC's Mary Ito moderates. This event is part of CBC Day, where Canada's national broadcaster, the CBC, lends members of its radio and television team to host, moderate or interview at Festival events.
The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is presented by the Charles Taylor Foundation with the support of its partners: Ben McNally Books, CNW Group, Event Source, Indigo Books and Music, Le Meridien King Edward Hotel, Quill & Quire, The Globe and Mail, and Windfields Farm.
For more information: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca

For further information:
Media are requested to confirm their attendance with Stephen Weir & Associates:



Stephen Weir: 416-489-5868 cell: 416-801-3101 stephen@stephenweir.com
Linda Crane: 905-257-6033 cell: 416-727-0112 cranepr@cogeco.ca

Media Invitation to Cocktail Party and Non-Fiction round-table

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28, 2012. Toronto. Fleck Theatre. 6.30 PM

I recently sent you an invitation to a cocktail party at the Fleck Dance Theatre at Harbourfront. If you had trouble reading the invite I sent, please find it below. The occassion? The 10th anniversary of the Prize. After the cocktail party there is a round table discussion with Charles Taylor Prize authors. Please join us for the cocktail party and stay for an evening of non-fiction in the Theatre.

TV Show That Chronicles Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival is back on the air!

Toronto TV Show That Always Covers the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival Is BAck on Air



Caribbean Connections is back on the airwaves. The popular half-hour Caribbean Canadian TV show had its first show of the season on October 1st on CITY TV in Toronto. The weekly programme airs every Saturday at 10.30 am.
According to the show's website (paradiseparadise2@hotmail.com, "each week Caribbean Connections explores new community events, from carnivals to concerts, artists, jazz festivals, forums to culinary happenings in Canada and around the World."
"CCtv is your direct connection to the Caribbean experience!" writes show host Paradise Nicole Hendrickson. " We are featuring the finest tourist destinations in the region and showcasing the best music videos out of the Caribbean.
Host Paradise Nicole Hendrickson has been appearing on screen since the age of three.
She has holds a number of beauty contest titles including: Miss Photogenic, Miss Caribbean, Miss St.Vincent & The Grenadines, Miss Ontario AB, Miss Hemisphere and
Miss Layou.

Nuit Blanche: Art Meets City Hall

Saturday Night - Contemporary Art Replaces Cars in Downtown Toronto.
For one night Toronto is the city that doesn't sleep.

It was cold. It was dark. It was crowded. For one night only, the city of Toronto, became the city that doesn't sleep and it was all done in the name of art.
The fifth Annual Nuit Blanch ran from dusk on October 1st until dawn on Sunday October 2nd. There was too much to see for the city to go to sleep. In total, more than 130 projects – from smaller, more intimate experiences to large scale spectacle -- kept the interest of hundreds of thousands Canadians who came to the city core to experience magical moments with art and their City.
Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is Toronto's annual all-night celebration of contemporary art, produced by the City of Toronto in collaboration with Toronto's arts community. Since 2006, the event has featured more than 600 official art installations created by nearly 2,500 artists and has generated more than $70 million in economic impact for the city.
The official kick-off for Nuit Blanche was held on the top floor of the Sheraton Hotel across the street from City Hall. It was 90-minute party where the arts community got to share drinks with provincial and civic officials.
Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 37, the western half of Scarborough Centre) handles the art portfolio for Toronto council and as a result spoke at length at the launch. He presented a plaque to the organizers of Nuit Blanche on behalf of Mayor Rob Ford (who was well noticed no-show). Instead of reading the inscription by himself, he invited those members on council in attendance to come on stage and help him. A record number of councillors - ten - were on stage to open the 7th annual event.
What time did I leave? Well my wife and I, just back from South America, found it punishingly cold. We left just after 9pm after watching and listening to a musician play a drum solo inside a deconstructed GM vehicle. My son Andrew was hardier, he threw in the towel at 3.30 am Sunday morning.
This year Nuit Blanche asked attendees to give input into the event -
To view their/our feedback you can visit: http://scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/shareYourNight.shtml

Cutlines: Top: Scotiabank corporate art archivist meets councillor Michael Thompson.

Above – Dazed and Confused. Even though I work for art galleries and artists I don’t always “get it”. Never-the-less I stood for the camera in front of an art installation in the middle of Yonge Street at Queen. I am in front of a stack of plywood sheets that have been painted lime green.

Above: A record number of city councillors - ten in all - came up on stage at the formal kick-off to the Nuit=Blanche 2011. At last year's kick-off I counted five city councillors. Noticably absent was Mayor Rob Ford.

NEW FOOD GROUP FOR THE YOUNG AND YOUNG AT HEART: MEATBALL IN A CONE!

ZAZZU Hot Cones by The Mad Italian
make their debut at The Baking and Sweets Show, Sept. 30 - Oct. 2
Savoury new treat makes pizza as portable as an ice cream cone

TORONTO: Sept. 26, 2011 . . . What looks like an ice cream cone, tastes like pizza and delivers a nutritional wallop in a fun, edible package? Move over ice cream cones, ZAZZU Hot Cones by The Mad Italian will be heating up The Baking and Sweets Show, September 30th to October 2nd at the International Centre.
Why didn't I think of that?!
ZAZZU Hot Cones are the FIRST of its kind for Toronto. Visualize the product as pizza inside a cone. Initially available in Pepperoni, Meatball and Margherita flavours, the customer can customize their Hot Cone with a variety of toppings. Along with traditional pizza favourites, a wider range of gourmet ingredients including goat cheese and herbs are planned for coming months.
In a year that has seen a trend toward decadent food product introductions, this product has staying power. At $4.00 to $6.00 a cone, ZAZZU Hot Cones are competitively priced against other lunch, snack and short order meals. Not only are the prices easy to digest, there is an added bonus of great gourmet flavour in a funky new cone style package.
Hot Food Convenience in a Cone
The brainchild of Eli Turkienicz, President of PineMount Food Services, ZAZZU Hot Cones have been more than a year in development. While the company's Mad Italian restaurants have become recognized for their sensational gelato and cones; for the ZAZZU product, special dough and sauce recipes had to be approved, and new baking equipment to bake the cones upright were acquired. "Then it was test, test, test," explains Mr. Turkienicz. "Now at last we're ready to introduce this exceptional new product to Torontonians."
"ZAZZU Hot Cones have evolved and improved upon the single serving pizza -- no more toppings sliding down the pie, plus it's a handy snack for growing kids and young adults," explains Mr. Turkienicz. "With all the nutritional components provided by its traditional Italian ingredients, they are a good choice for families and those craving a filling snack any time of the day."
ZAZZU Hot Cones will be available, along with their already popular gelato cones at The Mad Italian restaurants located in Leaside and Little Italy by mid-October. The product will roll out through GTA franchises over the coming year.
Will ZAZZU Hot Cones become a new Toronto snack food staple? Be the first to try it or enquire about a Mad Italian franchise at the Baking and Sweets Show, Hall 5, International Centre Sept. 30 - Oct. 2. Booth #331. Or drop by The Mad Italian restaurants at 1581 Bayview Avenue and 589 College Street after Thanksgiving.

BE THE FIRST IN TORONTO TO SAMPLE PIZZA IN A CONE!
Toronto's Mad Italian previews ZAZZU Hot Cones
at Canada's Baking and Sweets Show
opening FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 (Hall 5) International Centre

What looks like an ice cream cone, tastes like pizza and delivers a tasty and convenient wallop of fun in an edible package? Move over ice cream cones, ZAZZU Hot Cones by The Mad Italian will be heating up The Baking and Sweets Show with its savoury and convenient new snack. The event runs Friday, September 30th to Sunday, October 2nd at the International Centre's Hall 5.

Why didn't I think of that?!
ZAZZU Hot Cones are the FIRST of its kind for Toronto. Inspired by similar products made popular in Italy, Brazil and in New York City, this pizza is inside a cone. After its preview at the Baking and Sweets Show, the locally developed and freshly made, original recipe hot cones will be available for mass consumption after Thanksgiving at The Mad Italian Gelato Bar locations in Leaside at 1581 Bayview Avenue and in Little Italy at 589 College Street College Street.

Available in Pepperoni, Meatball and Margherita flavours, you can customize your Hot Cone with a variety of toppings. Along with traditional pizza favourites, a wider range of gourmet ingredients including goat cheese and herbs are planned for coming months.

In a year that has seen a trend toward decadent food product introductions, this product has staying power. At $4.00 to $6.00 a cone, ZAZZU Hot Cones are competitively priced against other lunch, snack and short order meals. Not only are the prices easy to digest, there is an added bonus of great gourmet flavour in a funky new cone style package.

Hot Food Convenience in a Cone
Eli Turkienicz, President of PineMount Food Services, ZAZZU Hot Cones explains that while the company's Mad Italian restaurants have become recognized for their sensational gelato and gelato cones, "This new product needed special dough, an exceptional and authentic sauce recipe as well as new equipment to bake the unique cones upright."
"This is a big improvement upon the single serving pizza -- no more toppings sliding down the pie, plus it's a handy snack for growing kids and young adults," explains Mr. Turkienicz. "With all the fresh nutritional components of traditional Italian ingredients, ZAZZU Hot Cones are a good choice for families and those craving a filling snack any time of the day."
Will ZAZZU Hot Cones become a new Toronto snack food staple? Be the first to try it or enquire about a Mad Italian franchise at the Baking and Sweets Show, Hall 5, International Centre Sept. 30 - Oct. 2. Booth #331. (Show opens at 12 noon Friday, Sept. 30 and 9 am on the weekend. (For show info see www.canadasbakingandsweetshow.com)
And be sure to drop by The Mad Italian restaurants after Thanksgiving. For more information visit: www.themaditalian.ca

CUTLINES: Top: Three different tasting Zazzu Hot Cones. Bottom: Making Zazzu Hot Cones at the Baking and Sweets Show this afternoon (October 1) in Toronto. Photos by Linda Crane

UPDATE DECEMBER 2012

Fall 2012, The Mad Italian opened a store on the 500 block of Danforth Avenue

We Don't Need No Stinking Video Cameras

Have you seen the Cannon Camera ads that brag they were shot using just a Cannon still camera? Well it works. Three guys from Biz Media produced a piece on the Scotibank Caribbean Carnival using just two Cannon SLR cameras. You can see it at
http://mycitylives.com/#!/video/toronto/scotiabank-caribbean-carnival--mcl-original-content-/4e70cf1cf472ab490c0085b3
I took the above picture of them while they were shooting me - you can download the pix on my Flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15648554@N05/6026151642/in/photostream
Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival is a film documenting the Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival 2011 that took place in Toronto. The film was created by My City Lives and BizMedia.

Hamilton's Telling Tales All Part of Westfield Village Life

Media Alert:
Attention: Assignment Desks and Photo Desks -- Cameras welcome!

TELLING TALES RETURNS TO WESTFIELD HERITAGE VILLAGE THIS SUNDAY
What: Free Festival for Children and their families – Rain or Shine
When: Sunday, September 18 from 10:00 – 4:00
Who: 25+ Performers
Where: Westfield Heritage Village: Kirkwall Road off Hwy 8 –
Free Parking and Free Shuttle Service from Rockton Fairgrounds

Event Highlights:

· Award-winning Hamilton musician Paul Langille sings Gordon Lightfoot’s Canadian Railroad Trilogy at authentic TH&B Steam Engine
· 25 favourite children’s authors, illustrators, including three TD Children’s Literature Award nominees
· Workshops on getting your own book published
· Two activity centres – Face painting, storytime, etc.
· Food for purchase
· Westfield historic buildings open, interpreters onsite
· Fun for everyone!

Media Contact: Please confirm your attendance in advance:

June Dickenson
junedickenson@cogeco.ca
T: 647.477.6000
Full details at www.tellingtales.org – Follow us on Twitter – Find us on Facebook

CUTLINE: Pictures from previouw Westfield Village Telling Tale Festivals
Issued By:

Stephen Weir
Stephen Weir & Associates | stephen@stephenweir.com
or sweir5492@rogers.com
2482 Yonge Street, Unit 45032, Toronto, ONT.
CANADA. M4P 3E3