The Strand | Vol. 65, Issue 11

An interview with Professor James Reilly

Reflections on research in the Middle East and teaching at the University of Toronto for over three decades

mentioned you first visited Lebanon as a thirdyear Georgetown University undergraduate student in the 1974-1975 academic year when the civil war just started. To what extent were you affected by it and how did it impact your academic work and outlook?

and Nineteenth Centuries (2002). We continued to return to Syria often in the 2000s, the last time we visited was in 2010. So it has been terrible to observe the destruction of Syria and the tragedy of Syrians whose lives have been destroyed by warfare since 2011.

The Strand sat down with James Reilly, Professor of modern Middle East history in the Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations (NMC) department on the occasion of his retirement, to discuss his research experience in the Middle East, teaching at the University of Toronto, and his views on new developments in the field of Middle Eastern studies.

Professor James Reilly has been teaching modern Middle East history at UofT since 1987, but has been studying and interacting with the region and its people for even longer. Professor Reilly is part of a distinct generation of scholars that was able to conduct on-site research in the Middle East during a time of relative peace in the region prior to the 1980s. As a result of his lived experience in the Middle East, Professor Reilly has unique personal insights which lend to him being especially capable of giving life to oftentimes forgotten people and events. Tragically, the opportunity to do on-field research in many Middle Eastern countries is no longer as readily available as it used to be due to the unfavourable geopolitical environment in the region. For instance, nowadays the protracted and ongoing Syrian Civil War robbed many academics of their careers and resources to conduct their research and they even have become targets in the war.

The Strand asked Professor Reilly about his time as a scholar living and doing academic research in the Levant in the 1970s and 80s, and how the concurring Lebanese Civil War impacted him. Furthermore, we asked him about reflections on teaching at UofT, the new trends he sees within Middle Eastern studies.

The Strand: The Lebanese Civil War (19751990) was in many ways like the Syrian Civil War—very long, bloody, and complex. You

James Reilly: In the initial months of the war, it was on-again and off-again fighting in localised areas. I was never in physical danger but it raised many questions in my mind about what’s going on. And of course, I would get 100 different explanations depending on who I was talking to. So this made me very curious to try to understand and conceptualise the war when I went back to the US to finish my undergraduate degree. That’s why I went back to Lebanon to do my Master’s Degree at the American University of Beirut, because I was so curious to untangle this very tangled situation. During my Master’s degree years, the fighting did sometimes hit close to home and it left me with no illusions of modern warfare. It is hard to have any illusions of modern warfare when you see it up close, there is nothing glorious about it. It’s just people getting scared of big projectiles coming toward them, destroying buildings and killing lives. I never had any illusions about war’s ability to solve any problems ever since then.

You also spent many years in Syria doing research in your field. It must be very disheartening to see a place where you lived and dedicated so much of your academic career get destroyed in the ongoing Civil War. How has this experience been for you?

I was not able to do my Ph.D. research in Lebanon because by then it was in the midst of an even more terrible stage of its war, so I went to Damascus, Syria where I did the archival research that produced my doctoral dissertation. I went back to Syria many times with my family after that to either just visit for fun and see friends, or conduct more research for my book, A Small Town in Syria: Ottoman Hama in the Eighteenth

In your view as a veteran in Middle Eastern Studies, what are the latest questions and trends being investigated by new students in the field that did not exist when you first started your career?

Gender and sexuality are very hot topics in Middle Eastern Studies. Basically, looking at the way that you write or consider a gendered history, that is not what we understood 20 or 30 years ago as feminist history; it is a different concept altogether. Now there is a focused look at gender as a fundamental building block, the way society is structured and the way language is formed and the way history is understood, that is something that's generated a lot of literature recently. And then there is the whole question of what is “modernity.” It is not simply a chronological thing that “Oh, now we're in the modern period, or now we're modern,” but there is a whole set of cultural and ideological questions around what is modernity. That’s why it is important to give opportunities for new blood to join university departments, because every generation of students has a different experience. It's always a dynamic and fast-moving field. History is never dull and it never stands still. The more the merrier, the more voices the better.

Author’s note: For those more interested in the Syrian Civil War and Professor Reilly’s work in regard to it, they can refer to his 2019 book, Fragile Nation, Shattered Land: The Modern History of Syria

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

YASAMIN JAMEH CONTRIBUTOR

PHOTO | JAMES REILLY

PHOTO | JAMES REILLY

John Tory’s resignation leads to upcoming byelection in Toronto

How Ford and Tory’s connection affects Toronto politics

MAYA HUTZUL STAFF WRITER

The City of Toronto experienced unexpected political upheaval when Mayor John Tory resigned on February 17, several days after announcing his intention to do so. This decision was prompted by what Tory referred to as a “serious error in judgment”—a consensual relationship between him and a younger staffer in his employ.

The municipal government’s policy outlining that employees are not allowed to have romantic relationships where one partner reports to the other is mentioned in the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality policy. While the mayor and his staff are not members of the Toronto public service, the legal and ethical problems of the power gap in the relationship has caused some controversy.

Prior to his political success as Toronto’s mayor, Tory was the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party from 2004 to 2009. In the 2007 provincial election, his campaign promise to extend public funding to religious schools, and his backtracking in the face of public disapproval, was a major reason for his party’s defeat. He has performed a lot better in municipal politics. Tory, who had just started his third term at the time of his resignation, had won 62 percent of the vote in the October 2022 election.

Mayors in Toronto are not required to be connected to a political party in the same way provincial and federal leaders are. However, those who are elected tend to have connections to members of provincial or federal parties. Tory is no exception to this. He defeated fellow Progressive Conservative, Ontario Premier Doug Ford (who stepped in during the campaign for his brother, Mayor Rob Ford) in the 2014 mayoral election. However, since Doug Ford became premier in 2018, the two formed a working relationship.

In December of 2022, shortly after Tory’s reelection, Ford’s government increased the 'strong mayor' powers of Toronto and Ottawa’s leaders. The new legislation allowed Tory to propose bylaws and pass them with the support of only a third of councilors, instead of a majority. This comes after a previous increase in mayoral power that gave Tory the ability to veto council decisions that he thought would stop housing construction, and to hire and fire department heads.

The new laws caused noticeable backlash, with Interim Ontario NDP Leader Peter Tabuns calling it “an attack on democracy.” It was not the first time that the Ford government intervened in Toronto politics. In 2018, Ford cut the number of wards in the city from 47 to 25 in the middle of an election. While this caused controversy, the decision was found to be

constitutional by Canada’s Supreme Court in 2021.

Ford publicly spoke out in favor of Tory after the mayor made his intentions to resign clear. He stated that if a “lefty” mayor was elected, the City of Toronto would be “toast,” and said that Tory was “the best thing we have in Toronto.” However, he stated that he would not rescind the strong mayor powers, no matter who was elected as Toronto’s next mayor.

On February 23, it was announced that the byelection to replace Tory will tentatively be held on June 26. The city’s last election had a notably low voter turnout, with only 30 percent of eligible Toronto residents voting. Because of the increase in power of Toronto’s mayor, the next election is an important one. As Tory proves, the political connections of a mayor are a factor to consider when casting a ballot.

Student journalists meet at NASH85 conference in

Hamilton

Annual conference brings together student publications from across Canada

Andrew Mrozowski, the NASH85 Planning Director and Executive Editor of The Silhouette, told The Strand, “I think it went better than expected. The hard part was that there was no expectations since the conference hasn't happened in three years in an in-person environment. So we were that reset.”

Sponsorships and tickets priced into the low hundreds footed the bill. “If I lost money I would not be doing my job,” Mrozowski said. “We ran a successful conference with a budget of about $50,000, and we didn't have to put a dime of McMaster student money into it.”

two speakers called out sick and “our parking lot was being uncooperative and our speakers couldn’t park.”

On the second day of the conference, the winners of the John H. McDonald Awards for Excellence in Student Journalism were announced.

48 articles were nominated in categories such as Arts & Culture Writing, Humour, 2SLGBTQIA+ Reporting, Disability Reporting, Racialized Reporting, Feature Writing, Investigative Reporting, The CWA Award for Labour Reporting, News Reporting, OpEd, Sports Reporting, Indigenous Reporting, and Data Journalism. Other categories included Graphic/ Illustration of the Year, Photo of the Year, and Cover/ Layout of the Year. Member publications were able to nominate two entries into each of the other 26 categories before judges decided on the winners.

MAEVE ELLIS ASSOCIATE COPY EDITOR

149 student journalists from across Canada took part in the NASH85—Revolutionise conference in Hamilton from February 17 to 19.

The Canadian University Press (CUP), a cooperative of student publications, organises this annual gathering along with a different member every year. McMaster University’s student paper, The Silhouette, hosted the 85th iteration and organised 31 delegates to lead seminars on topics ranging from “Printing 101,” to “Sports reporting roundtable,” to “Changing the way we cover suicide.”

Amarah Hasham-Steele, the News Editor of The Silhouette and Logistics Coordinator of NASH85 told The Strand about enjoying it as a participant apart from her planning role, saying “I think the thing that has been most valuable has been getting to be in rooms with student journalists from across the country.”

Hasham-Steele also praised their logo’s design, saying the “additional lines throughout the logo are in reference to additional perspective and additional voices.”

Last-minute logistics also took up the time of organisers. Nisha Gill, the NASH85 Logistics Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Silhouette told The Strand

The University of British Columbia’s The Ubyssey emerged victorious in the main three categories, with their Coordinating Editor Charlotte Alden winning Student Journalist of the Year, Photo Editor Isabella Falsetti winning Student Photojournalist of the Year, and the overall outlets winning the title of Student Publication of the Year after newspaper representatives voted for it during the ceremony.

Conference tickets included six meals, merchandise, and transportation to the Sheridan Hamilton Hotel located in the city centre, where attendees had the option of staying for an additional price.

PHOTO | NICHOLAS TAM

PHOTO | NASH WEBSITE

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Coming to you from the stacks of Robarts: Janna and Rion, dishevelled and stressed students, and The Strand EICs, desperately trying to figure out how they’re supposed to finish all their readings and assignments on time, without completely losing their minds and sense of purpose. The brutalist architecture of Robarts and ambiguous nature of the student commons (like seriously, are they for quiet studying or chit-chatting with the besties??) is certainly not helping…

Lucy, of course, doesn’t care too much about it being the end of the year. If anything, she’s blissfully unaware that she is about to lose her status as The Strand’s mascot. At the very least, she still has one more issue to shine in. In the meantime though, we wanted to thank her for all the hard work she has completed on her four little paws this past year. We can’t remember the last time a Vic association had a mascot, and we were so honoured to welcome her into the role.

In this unthemed (and frantically put together) issue, you’ll find articles on topics ranging from “hot girl” books and Prince Harry (derogatory), to a reminder that your therapist… was definitely right. In Features, learn all about Black nightlife in Toronto. In Science, Claudia Leung discusses the recent catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. There is also a special treat in Arts and Culture as our Managing Web Editor brings you a collaboration between The Strand and La Mosaic.

Though this is not our last issue, it is our last “regular” one, and so, we feel we must end this editorial with some sappiness. We’d like to start this off by saying, that as much as we’ve loved being your Vol. 65 Editors-in-Chief, we simply cannot wait until we don’t have to write any more editorials (*they said lovingly*). We will, however, miss the comfort of our lovely Strand office. As for our phenomenal masthead, we wouldn’t have been able to make this volume possible without you. It’s been a truly tumultuous ride, full of tears, unnecessary meetings, a new computer, and a whole lot of chocolate and tea to drown out the laughter from down the hall in Goldring. To our graduating masthead members, we hope we’ve made your last year at The Strand worthwhile <3. If you had told us two years ago, when we were bright-eyed freshmen who joined The Strand as Editorial Assistants, that we’d be Editorsin-Chief, we likely would have laughed in your face. And yet, now that we both have one full year left at Vic to survive without The Strand being there to support us, we have to say that we’ll miss it… deep down… probably.

Stay tuned for our final issue of Vol. 65—all we can say is that it’s going to be a real good time.

Sending you lots of good luck on your final assignments,

Janna & Rion

janna abbas, janus kwong

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shelley yao

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Nooo we’re not gonna forget to come up with a title, we’ll just do it once we’re not drowning in assignments and deadlines…

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Your therapist was right Five stereotypical mental health tips that typically work

GILLIAN CHAPMAN CONTRIBUTER

Some mental health tips are so ubiquitous, they’ve basically become hollow slogans. “Have you tried journalling?” “My mom’s friend does yoga for her anxiety.” “What about meditation?” “Try exercising.” We’ve heard them all a million times, from our therapists, well-meaning friends, and dime-a-dozen Instagram infographics. The words go in one ear and out the other. But there’s a reason why these tips are so widespread: when practised properly, they actually work. From breathing exercises to adequate sleep, the seemingly cliché suggestions that we typically dismiss can be powerful tools for coping with stress, managing difficult emotions, and improving overall mental well-being. As this year’s exam season approaches and you find yourself swimming in an anxious sea of deadlines, try incorporating these five triedand-true mental health practices into your daily routine.

stress in moments of high anxiety, but they can also increase your awareness and appreciation of life in general.

2. Meditation

Meditation is closely related to mindfulness. It’s the practice of intentionally occupying the mind for a given period of time. In meditation, we don’t attempt to control our thoughts or stop them from occurring; rather, we allow them to pass through our minds without judgement, gently bringing our attention back to our breath. The positive effects of meditation on mental health are supported by a growing body of scientific evidence. In addition to providing an immediate sense of inner peace and calm, studies have shown that practising meditation increases our capacities to regulate negative emotions and manage stress in our overall lives. While meditation apps can be expensive, Balance offers a free one-year membership, which includes access to guided meditations for specific purposes, such as stress, concentration, and sleep, as well as longer meditation plans. Alternatively, there are countless guided meditations available for free on YouTube—I would recommend Yoga with Adriene, the beloved YouTube yoga instructor who also happens to post great meditation videos. Or, if guided meditations aren’t your thing, you can always try meditating on your own!

3. Journaling

1. Mindfulness

We’ve all heard of mindfulness, but what actually is it? And how do we do it? Put simply, mindfulness is the practice of cultivating a nonjudgemental awareness of the present moment. This includes your emotions, your thoughts, the physical sensations in your body, and external stimuli. As university students in the rapid-speed modern world of social media and hustle culture, it’s all too easy for us to sprint through our days on autopilot. We constantly feel rushed and overstimulated, because our minds and bodies are inundated with an excess of tasks and information. Mindfulness, conversely, is about slowing down: taking a moment to breathe and tune into your mind, your body, and the world around you. What emotions are you experiencing? Try naming them without judgement. What sensations are occurring in your body? Notice if you’re holding tension in your muscles, and loosen them. What is happening around you? Try connecting to your senses: name five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. These mindfulness exercises can be used to reduce

Every mental health professional I’ve ever seen has told me to journal. I tried it once, didn’t get the point, and gave up after a few weeks of half-hearted entries, deciding that it “just wasn’t for me.” How on earth, I thought, was writing about my problems supposed to get rid of them? Recently, however, my therapist convinced me to give journaling another shot, and with genuine effort, I’ve found it immensely helpful. I try to journal every day, and I write about anything and everything that’s on my mind: things I’m grateful for, emotions I’m feeling, deadlines I’m worried about, or simply events that happened during the day. Some days I write about trauma, while other days I write about grocery shopping. There are no rules to journaling: think of your journal as a space to empty your mind, record your thoughts, and express your feelings without judgement. Journaling won’t make your problems go away, but continuous self-reflection can help you develop a clearer understanding of them, and eventually, of yourself. Your journal can also become a space for you to ‘release’ painful thoughts or feelings. Through the physical act of writing out these thoughts or feelings, their weight is transferred

from your mind onto the page, and they’ll feel much less burdensome. Imagine, as you write, the content of your words flowing through the ink of your pen, out of your mind, and onto the paper. Start with five minutes of journaling each day, find a routine that works for you, and stick with it.

4. Spending time outdoors

As it turns out, Mother Nature isn’t just beautiful—she also has immense healing properties. Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce stress levels, improve mood, and encourage better sleep, as well as simply allowing us to reconnect with the natural world. Whether it’s a forest, a lake, or a star-studded night sky, observing the sheer immensity and beauty of our planet can help us put our worries into perspective. While wide-open fields and untouched woods may not be readily available in downtown Toronto, there are still plenty of ways to get your daily dose of fresh air and sunlight. The simple act of going for a walk in a park, for example, provides a muchneeded physical and psychological break from the clamour and overstimulation of our technologyfilled world. Personally, I love walking along the harbourfront: watching the rhythmic ripples of the water, hearing the calls of seagulls, and breathing in the fresh air help to clear my mind. Try going for a walk in a natural setting every day, even if it’s just for 15 minutes. On campus, Queen’s Park and Philosopher’s Walk offer small oases of nature right in the downtown core.

5. Getting enough sleep

I know what you might be thinking: how can I expect you to get eight hours of sleep when you’re juggling research papers, final exams, extracurriculars, a part-time job, and a social life? I won’t pretend like it’s easy, because I know it’s not. But getting enough sleep (between seven to nine hours for young adults aged 18 to 25) can make a world of difference for your mental health. Inadequate sleep doesn’t just make you tired: it’s been shown to negatively impact mood— increasing feelings of sadness, anxiety, and irritability—impair cognitive functioning, and reduce your ability to manage stress. Add these effects onto the academic, social, and financial pressures of student life, and you have a recipe for mental health disaster. It might seem like a waste of time, but structuring seven to nine hours of sleep into your daily routine will help you cope with these pressures. To improve your sleep habits, try practising good sleep hygiene. This means keeping a regular schedule (going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time every day), developing a relaxing bedtime routine, and making your bedroom a comfortable and quiet environment. An hour before you go to sleep, turn off bright lights, put your phone down, close your laptop, and do something that helps you unwind—this would be the perfect time to give meditation or journaling a try! With enough sleep, you’ll wake up feeling well-rested and more prepared to handle the stresses of student life.

PHOTO | NETFLIX

ILLUSTRATION | CLAUDIA LEUNG

Home(s) away from home

A reflection on the first-generation identity crisis

SARA QADOUMI CONTRIBUTOR

Every year since I was around five years old, I’ve spent my summers surrounded by my immediate family in Lebanon and Jordan. I’ve always been grateful for the fact that I have a second home across the ocean in one of the most beautiful and culturally rich areas in the world. My exposure to Arab cuisine, language, humour, and community has broadened my worldview and introduced me to a society and lifestyle that is quite different from here in Canada. In Jordan, I could visit a family friend that I haven’t seen in years and be welcomed with three different courses in one sitting and comments about how much I’d grown since our last encounter. Or in Lebanon, I could sit in my grandparent’s kitchen and hear the Adhan through the window, comforted by the fact that everyone in the city was unified in those moments, listening together. Both countries radiate a welcoming warmth, where everyone’s schedules and daily routines run a little slower to to show appreciation for the people around them.

The greatest attachment I have to these travels is the opportunity to see my family. Whether my grandmothers are sharing their techniques for creating the perfect breakfast spread, or one of my five aunts is offering me a piece of their abounding wisdom, or a distant family member is sharing stories about their college experience abroad—I am never short of a memorable conversation. My cousins and I also share the ‘identity crisis’ that comes with being the children of first-generation immigrants. We often collectively discuss the feeling of being caught between two worlds, merging two different personalities, and not quite knowing where we feel truly ‘at home.’

This identity crisis was always most prevalent when it came to sharing my heritage with people outside of my family. In the Middle East, while I was browsing stores at the mall or ordering a meal at a restaurant, I always failed to muster up the courage to speak in Arabic—in fear of outing myself as an imposter. In Canada, I avoided sharing my ethnicity out of fear that I am the wrong person to speak on behalf of a cultural identity I can't tell whether I truly belong to. My biggest

concern when sharing my ethnicity was that I would somehow frame the Middle East in my idealised, picture-perfect manner. That I would fail to bring attention to the fullness of the cultural experience, only focusing on my short-lived, blissful summer trips, rather than depicting the realities of the average person’s everyday life.

I mention this because while my grandmother was preparing the perfect breakfast spread, she was also spending nine hours of the day without basic electricity services in the sticky, humid Beirut heat. And while my extended family members were sharing their stories about colleges, they never failed to remind me how lucky I was to be born in Canada, with boundless, more affordable opportunities available at my disposal. For these reasons, I always returned to Canada feeling a sense of shame for romanticising life back home. I realised I had truly received the best of both worlds—an exposure to my culture and heritage in the Middle East and a stable, predictable upbringing in Canada. Could I even call the ‘identity crisis’ I was experiencing a crisis? Was I not incredibly lucky?

In any case, I relied on my cousins to soothe my uncertainties. With each trip back, we returned with another year of experience, another year of stories to share, and another year of self-reflection.

In 2019, we made our way across the Mediterranean in Lebanon, visiting most of the major cities along the coast. Having left the smaller boundaries of the city of Beirut, I wondered whether people living in

different areas within Lebanon itself experienced the culture differently. Maybe my mix of identities was unique in the way that every other individual’s was. Maybe my cultural experience was just as profound as others, in that it was something I valued deeply and carried with me in my everyday actions, habits, likes, and dislikes.

This year, returning back after the pandemic, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of familiarity when I landed in the crowded Amman airport. This familiarity was also accompanied by relief. Relief that nothing felt different, that I felt at home, and that my time away during the pandemic hadn’t made me feel disconnected from this ‘other part’ of me. In fact, returning two years older had only made me realise how dependent these separate aspects of my background were on each other. I didn’t need to feel one complete identity at once, and the fact that mine was a more complicated amalgamation did not make it any less whole—it was simply organised differently.

All in all, my short trips back are always very eye-opening and encourage me to share more about my ethnicity and heritage upon returning to Canada. They have made me realise the ‘identity crisis’ I have is a blessing in disguise. One that has challenged me to merge different cultural values and intertwine two independently rich and nuanced worlds into one—and I am forever grateful for that.

PHOTO | SARA QADOUMI

I can't stand Colleen Hoover

Why we need to talk about BookTok, reading, and problematic authors

STEFANIA KUCZYNSKI CONTRIBUTOR

Content Warning: brief mentions of domestic abuse and grooming in books

Over the past few years, TikTok has become insanely popular. As a platform, it allows users to film and share short videos. TikTok is also famous for its algorithm, which puts users into ‘sub communities’ of videos based on different interests. One of these communities is BookTok. As an avid TikTok user, and a lifelong reader, I have crossed paths with BookTok many times. Although I love watching book videos, I hate BookTok.

Yes, you read that correctly. Let’s backtrack though. BookTok is a place to share book recommendations, reviews, and reading challenges. I’ve seen many people get inspired to read because of the sheer amount of recommendations coming out of BookTok—I’m sure you’ve seen the “BookTok” tables Indigo is capitalising off of. BookTok is making reading cool and relevant again. If you were around the book community many years ago, you may remember BookTube, which was the 2012–2016 YouTube equivalent of BookTok. I used to trust everything BookTubers would say, and my shelves are still haunted by those

online has been around since the beginning of the internet. I’m glad BookTok is getting more people to read and encouraging people to read for fun. Why, then, would I say that I hate BookTok?

While I think BookTok is nice for people who have recently begun reading for fun, I think it’s a bad space on the internet. On the elitism of reading, I have seen videos shaming users who use the library, use audiobooks, read manga, graphic novels, and more. These methods of reading are not always considered ‘reading’, which is incredibly harmful. I think a book community should cater to various types of reading (audio, predominantly visual, etc.), various types of genres, and most importantly, accessibility. I mean, I feel incredibly lucky to live in Canada where I have access to any book I want. Reading is an act of freedom and an act of protest, and creating an elitist system to ‘read properly’ is beyond me.

If that wasn’t bad enough, BookTok is full of the same recommendations and the same five authors. Many creators who share unpopular recommendations are not promoted by the algorithm, so a deep-dive is necessary to find unique stories. The problem isn’t that the same books are recommended, it’s that they are bad books. In my opinion, almost every TikTok

The biggest red flag of BookTok, in my opinion, is that it constantly promotes toxic and problematic books and authors. The biggest offender here is Colleen Hoover, hence the title of this article. If you’ve never encountered her work, count yourself lucky. Colleen Hoover writes New Adult books, mostly in the romance genre. BookTok fails to mention that most of her books, if not all, feature problematic and abusive relationships. The book I (unfortunately) picked up was advertised as a romance, but if you've read It Ends With Us, you’ll know the main theme is domestic abuse and the abuse of power over a minor. No video I saw featured trigger warnings, so I went in blind, which I cannot recommend less. I was physically sick at the descriptions in the book. One love interest is a persistent abuser and the other love interest grooms the 15-year-old protagonist while he is 18. The book is supposed to be about breaking the cycle of abuse, and yet there are no consequences for the abuser and no conversation about the harmful subject. Many of her other novels feature women-hating, female protagonists and toxic if not abusive relationships. To add to this, Hoover herself is very problematic. Along with authors like Sarah J. Maas, she’s been accused of racism, homophobia and a number of scandals in her personal life.

I often hear it is important to separate authors from their works. To that I say, authors pour themselves and their experiences into their books. In fact, Colleen Hoover states in the preface and acknowledgments of It Ends With Us that she writes from her own experiences of abuse. It’s difficult to separate a problematic author from their work because their books are part of them. So, the personal lives of authors are as relevant to the stories as the stories themselves.

impulse purchases. BookTube is definitely picking up again in terms of popularity, but I think the ‘bite-size’ consumption of one minute versus ten minute videos gives BookTok the upper hand. Regardless of which platform you might have used, the sharing of book recommendations and reviews

recommendation I have read, from The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood to It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover, to They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, has been a major disappointment. Many of these popular recommendations have bad writing and mediocre plotlines. Simply boring, overdone, annoying, and frustrating.

I’ve also heard the argument "it doesn't matter what people are reading as long as they're reading,” but I disagree. Ultimately, it does matter what people read. Throughout history, books have been banned and censored, so it's obvious books have incredible power over us. While BookTok is fun, maybe it's important to ask ourselves: why are these books constantly being recommended and are we okay with the subject matter? What are the authors doing to discuss the uncomfortable topics in their books? If authors continuously write about toxic relationships and there's no conversation on why they’re toxic, younger readers might deem these relationships okay. I think if you're aware that a work is problematic, it's up to you if you want to read it. But the knowledge of why it is problematic is extremely important. While reading is fun, it is a powerful tool, and without the open dialogue on problematic plot elements such as abuse, rape, and more, it becomes dangerously easy to see these themes as acceptable.

Next time someone recommends you a BookTok read, make sure you check the trigger warnings first.

Nightlife and the formed family

Kasa’s “2ACTIVE” and how our friendship sets me free

The sultry crimson radiance that beams up the edges of AMPM is unforgettable. The club’s booths wrap the room, and the flickering signage above the bar transmits a faint glow that inscribes halos of light around the beautiful bottle servers’ enchanting faces. To me, there are several ineluctable truths in this life: the sky is blue, taxes will need to be paid, and Sunday nights at AMPM are guaranteed to lift my spirits in a way that other nightlife experiences in Toronto can only dream of. My friend Kasa promotes at AMPM, among other locations in the city, and the authentic passion that drives his work renders the term ‘promoting’ reductive. The boom of patronage at AMPM is largely, if not wholly, a credit to him. When I first met him a year and a half ago, he DJ’d in smaller settings and would always invite me and our other close friends to come support him, often at no expense, for the simple fact that he enjoyed being around his people

when he worked. Kasa is an imperturbable and contagiously positive person who feels that his success and work are an extension of his friendships and an act of community building. Sunday afternoon is when it truly begins; my phone will buzz repetitively as he calls, I answer, and his hopeful, jovial interruption to my barely uttered “Hey—” is, assuredly, “What are you doing tonight?”

Much to my chagrin, many weekends pass where the barrage of my life science workload is diametrically at odds with the enticements of my social world.

“Come on, you have to take a break sometime!” I mull it over, I envision what I could possibly wear, and within ten seconds I decide, “Sure, I’ll come.”

Once I have organised my group of friends, we pile into an Uber and plead with inebriated, unstifled giggles for an AUX cord or Bluetooth pairing code as we blissfully ride the Don Valley Parkway towards Queen Street West. My worries and deadlines ebb from memory as we

ride further from home; I am not a new person now, but rather one with a vacillating duality. My interests in human biology do not disappear when I am out, but rather, they change form. I become laughably conscious of my heartbeat and the feeling of my dress on my body; my skin’s mechanoreceptors are telling me to never wear this itchy crap again.

Upon arrival, my bag is searched, my wrist is quickly stamped, and I am pulled by the wrist into the collapsing vortex of people that have filled the club to the brim and up the walls. My eyes are peeled for Kasa; in the flurry of a newborn night, he is hard to catch and to greet as he runs from one end to the other to ensure that everyone can get in and that everything is running smoothly.

When he sees me and my friends, I can see him visibly relax. He takes his job seriously and endeavours to promote in a profitable way, but at his core, he is always just glad to see his friends. He reaches out a hand that I can scarcely see but can grasp, and he gingerly pulls us in one

ILLUSRATION | MARIA VIDAL VALDESPINO

meredith blaise CONTRIBUTER

by one over heeled feet and the glassware of the booth table.

If old friends are there, all the better. We are surrounded by profoundly talented creatives that see Toronto through a unique lens, as still young and full of promise: humble models, singers, photographers, and actors that do not quite fit in where others do—perhaps they fit above. In our mismatch of artists, UofT students, baristas, and financial advisors by day, we form a cohesive group in Kasa’s booth. We mingle in the bathroom, pick up on old gossip where we left off, take pictures, and laugh together. We recognise each other. They ask me, “How’s school?” and I moan dramatically, to which I am comforted with a sympathetic and surprisingly effective, “You can do it, girl.” Our differences don't matter and are scarcely noticed. What matters is who will sing or rap the next track bar-for-bar, because, inevitably, someone will.

The music at AMPM is largely what makes the club a sort of cultural capsule, one that microcosmically enshrines the multiculturalism of Toronto. The throwbacks cultivate an air of nostalgia that pulls us further away from the contemporary “real world,” often innervated and intermixed with house music underlays that celebrate the beloved genre that originated in Chicago. Caribbean music and Afro-Beats are consistent club favourites, and they recapitulate the celebration of Black culture that is nightlife culture. To deny the influence of Black artists, DJs and promoters in Toronto is to deny the influence of Blackness on popular music and the entertainment industry, which is clear even to the untrained eye.

The neon overhead lights that alternate from blue to red are emblematic of police sirens. Here they are not panic or anxiety-inducing, rather, they are something to be mocked as our dancing constitutes resistance. The fallacious stereotypes of our delinquency do not exist here. The insidious artefacts of racism and misogyny have little influence. They often collude and conspire to compel women and minorities to believe that there is a certain ‘acceptable’ comportment, and any deviation from that is a misdeed. I often wondered if I could truly be a serious and devoted student if I ever indulged in Toronto nightlife, but I also wondered if missing out on Toronto nightlife would take away an outlet for me. In my labs and lectures, there are few students who look like me and who are able to see past the meticulously curated, distinct image of me as a ‘good’ student. As a Black woman who shape-shifts and code-switches, I strongly

identify with the challenge of maintaining your personhood through activities and hobbies when those same activities and hobbies are normatively shamed and misunderstood. As a point of fact, my respectability is not contingent on what I do on Sunday nights. Much to the contrary, it is the very act of an AMPM Sunday night that emboldens me to work more diligently. The silent fraternity of Blackness inspires levels of tenacity that make the wildest ambitions of our immigrant parents, ancestors, and predecessors just another day of lecture.

Clubbing is an abstract and generally misunderstood form of community for people of colour. It attracts those that have been identified as fringe-dwellers, miscreants, and deviants; the lyrical content of our music is vulgar, our so-called gyrating is seen as scandalous, and nocturnal life is seen as belonging to those who seek to escape the nominal responsibilities of the day. It is certainly not ‘fit’ by those standards of propriety and professionalism that have been structured by white patriarchal actors. Ironically, these same actors attempt to reproduce and commodify this sense of community; these attempts are, unequivocally, in vain.

I have been to many clubs in Toronto as well as working in one, and as such, I am intimately acquainted with the competitive promoting

culture; everyone wants everyone at their event and at their regular spot. The competitive edge that Kasa has gained is not a secret, elusive formula that he has concocted, but rather the mere and indelible facts of his genuineness and authenticity. Because of his origins as a DJ, he has a love for and understanding of how the right music and playlist progression can make or break a night. He befriends and familiarises himself with the countless faces he sees and his sageness makes him such a lovable character in any club night story. He has overcome significant obstacles to grow his business venture and has established a promoting collective with his partner and is supported by many other hardworking and spirited colleagues. He continues to dream and look forward, seeking to expand in unprecedented ways at an incredibly young age.

Kasa and I differ in our day to day lives but are in many ways the same. I, too, seek to bridge gaps and transform what is seen as the ‘norm.’ In doing so, we both go down a path untraveled. His courage is my courage, and I am deeply humbled and proud to call him my friend.

"The music at AMPM is largely what makes the club a sort of cultural capsule, one that microcosmically enshrines the multiculturalism of Toronto."

PHOTO | @JUSTMISSEDME_

Exploring the world of life science research

An interview with the founder of Victoria College’s Life Science Research Seminars

How did you go about planning the seminars and choosing these specific topics?

Since Fall 2022, Victoria College has been hosting a set of seminars focused on introducing undergraduate life science students to the expansive world of research available to them. The seminars have included topics such as “dissecting a successful application,” “a deep dive into graduate programs,” and “making connections.” I had the opportunity to sit down with Alex Bogatch—a fifth-year student studying biochemistry and molecular genetics and microbiology—who is the host and founder of the Life Science Research Seminars.

The Strand: When did the idea of the seminars start?

Alex Bogatch: I’ve been working in a lab for four years … it's unfortunate how much you learn about being in a lab while you're in a lab and how a lot of that information could be important for people who want to apply to a lot because a lot of it's just chance. That whole idea of getting your foot into the door is a very random process and I thought that there were definitely things that we could be telling undergraduate students to be helping them out and guiding them through the process.

Why did you want to do this?

Being in the life sciences as an undergraduate student, I feel like you're sold this whole idea that if you want to be successful, you have to go to medical school, or you have to pursue something that is very medical focused. But if you want to live a fulfilling life in biology, chemistry … there are so many other pathways open to you, like going into research, so I wanted to create this seminar series so that we could showcase what research is for people. A specific type of person is great for medical school. A specific type of person is also great for research, but I just wanted to have that wealth of information available for students.

The seminar series is broken down into five different events, all trying to encapsulate the main topics of research life as an undergraduate student, and particularly as an undergrad who wants to pursue graduate school. Think of it as if you're starting with a blank slate. You have a first-year undergraduate student in the life sciences, and they've never been told anything about research. We first introduced them to senior undergraduate students who have done research being like, these are the types of things that you could be doing throughout your bachelor's. You gain a little bit of interest in researching, so we talk about the opportunities, we then talk about how to write a good application. And like bing, bang, boom, hopefully, you, you get your research opportunity. You try it out. And if you think that this is the right career path for you, then we start talking about graduate school. It should be a start to finish, all the information that you need, assuming you start as a first-year undergraduate student all the way to a fourth-year undergraduate student and giving you the information that you need to be successful. It definitely had to be a series of events. You can't cover all of this in one event.

What do you hope students will get out of this experience?

We’re giving you a set of resources, a set of presentations, and guest speaker networking opportunities so that you're good to go on your own. We try to give you links, we try to direct you to where exactly you need to be asking stuff because 90 percent of the issues are just finding where these applications are and not so much writing them. We try to break down all the barriers that may come for someone who wants to get into life science research, and hopefully they can apply [the information we give them] afterwards.

What is one piece of advice that you’ve learned in your undergrad that you want to share with students interested in research?

There are so many great research opportunities available and a lot of great research opportunities specifically available for undergraduate students that when we think about it being like a number issue like supply and demand, I'm sure anyone who really wants to get into research will get into research because there are just so many opportunities always available. And so, you don't want to be rejected, not because it was a number competition thing, but rather because you just wrote something silly or you didn't get it checked by someone else, or you didn't know the formatting of it.

More information on the Life Science Research Seminars can be found on their Instagram, @victorialsrs. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Waves of disaster: the disastrous origins and impacts of the earthquakes bordering Turkey and Syria

At 4:17 am on February 6, an earthquake with a 7.8 magnitude struck the Gaziantep province in southeast Turkey (also known as the Republic of Türkiye), abruptly shattering peoples’ ways of life in an instant—displacing, injuring, and killing thousands. The force of its destruction was felt by the Syrians—bordering to the south of Turkey—in its full capacity, and its intensity carried all the way to Egypt. The effects of the earthquake were exacerbated by vulnerable building structures, long periods of political turmoil, and numerous aftershocks dotting the region—concocting a lethal catastrophe which has led to the death of 47,000 as of February 21.

To find the root cause of the devastation, we have to dig deeper… into the Earth.

Turkey sits on an interlock between three tectonic plates: Eurasia plate from the north, pushing southward on the Anatolian plate and the Arabian plate—where Syria is located—from the southeast, pushing northwest, forcing the Anatolian plate to move westward. The collective movements of these three plates is what caused the initial 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which released energy equivalent to igniting eight million tons of TNT simultaneously.

To understand the origins of the earthquakes, we first

have to understand the anatomy of the Earth. Tectonic plates make up the thinnest, and outermost layer of the Earth, called the crust. These plates are constantly in motion and in contact with each other. Depending on how these plates interact with each other, new land masses can form, old ones can be recycled, or earthly wonders like mountain ranges can form. Symptoms of these movements can be tracked by epicentres (the origins of earthquakes), tremors, or simply by constant surveillance and measurements.

The Turkish-Syrian earthquakes, in particular, are caused by a phenomenon called a ‘strike-slip’ movement. This is when two or more tectonic plates slide past each other in a horizontal shearing motion. While the plates slide past each other, the uneven edges of the plates along the fault line inevitably get caught with one another. Because of this, strike-slip movements are extremely earthquake prone. In the case of the Turkish-Syrian earthquakes, the Anatolian plate is under immense stress while it is being pushed westward by the Eurasian and Arabian plates. So, when the Anatolian plate gets caught with the Arabian plate, energy gets built up as the Eurasian plate urges the Anatolian plate to move. Energy pents up to a certain point until the plates can no longer withstand the pressure, and energy is released all at once in the form of earthquakes.

The initial earthquake led to devastating aftermaths with aftershocks and tremors along the fault line, which are succeeding energy releases that follow the initial earthquake

to ‘milder’ degrees. Within 36 hours of the initial earthquake, more than 100 aftershocks hit the region, with some magnitudes as high as 7.5 happening almost 100 km from the original quake. Aftershocks happen when energy is released from an earthquake, and the energy gets fractionated and transferred to its surroundings. Some of the energy is released to the rocks and earth nearby, and these energy build ups will have smaller frequencies and magnitudes. Aftershocks can happen within days to years of the initial quake, and their magnitude and location depends on thousands of factors, which is why it is almost impossible to predict where and how many aftershocks there will be after an earthquake.

Due to many factors, whether it be natural or otherwise, the Turkish-Syrian crisis prevails, with symptoms from the February 6 earthquake still haunting the region to this day. The death toll continues to increase as the months go by, with colder nights, displaced citizens—including some who are still trapped under rubble—and many injured. Fortunately, many organisations such as the International Federation of Red Cross, Syrian Civil Defense (known as the White Helmets), and the Syrian American Medical Society have stepped up to the plate, rescuing and comforting the trapped, homeless, and the injured.

LOGO | @VICTORIALSRS

"We are witnessing the worst natural disaster in the WHO European Region for a century”

Kieran guimond SCIENCE EDITOR

claudia leung CONTRIBUTOR

Stories @Vic: interview with Brynn Bonne, creator of Jackes and Jills

VCDS takes UofT Drama Fest

claudia leung CONTRIBUTOR

Jackes and Jills is a 30-minute play directed and performed by Brynn Bonne, and co-directed by Liam Peter Donovan.

It is the story of Ruby Jackes, a female comedian telling a story about her relationship with comedy, her passion, and her journey of navigating through a mainly male-dominated industry. The play was recently performed at the annual Hart House Drama Festival, where it was awarded the Donald Sutherland award for best performance.

Although the play was made for the audience, it was also very much played at the audience. When asked what she wanted her audience to remember the most about the performance, Bonne said that her goal was to “turn the audience members into the patrons of a seedy male comedy club, and really make them cringe, laugh, and ultimately understand Ruby’s journey.” One of the themes of the show is the heavy hand of gender, and Bonne wrote the play in a way where the audience not only listens to Ruby’s story, but personally becomes part of it. “I want them to know that there’s more to her than what she had to make herself, and know that they—as these patrons—are responsible for making her this way.”

The inspiration of the play came from a school assignment and a street name. The play started out as an in-class assignment with a challenge; the students had to produce a 12-minute solo play, which had to focus on an artistic challenge they are faced with in the field. Bonne used this opportunity to stray away from the usual “comedic style” that she usually writes in and to try her hand at “something beyond ‘sketch-like’ theatre.” She decided to create “a

comedy set that breaks down into larger themes.” Aside from the overarching theme “of what it’s like to be a woman in a male dominated industry,” she also brings about a question of “what it means to make art that people find acceptable to the worlds they are created in.”

As for the name of the play…

“Jackes is actually the street my boyfriend lives on” which is the inspiration behind the name of our protagonist: Ruby Jackes. The “and Jills” part of the title is a reference to the theme of gender through a parallel to the classic folktale of Jack and Jill. “As I kept writing, and gender roles came more to the forefront, I thought the classic ‘Jack and Jill’ storyline gave enough significance for one of the biggest themes of the piece without amplifying it to a higher degree.”

If you couldn’t catch the show during Drama Fest, don’t worry! Jackes and Jills is going to be produced once again at the Toronto Fringe Festival this summer!

2023’s fashion

The first two months of 2023 have offered up some truly outstanding moments in pop culture thus far: including, in my opinion, fashion’s ‘Red Era.’ When you hear Red Era you might think of breakup songs, emotional ballads about innocence, and of course, the ultimate smack-down of Jake Gyllenhaal, but the 2023 fashion cycle has offered up some eye-catching moments these past couple weeks that are working towards earning a share of the title.

The moment that struck me (and a lot of people) first was Doja Cat’s viral moment at Schiaparelli Spring Haute Couture 2023 in late January. The singersongwriter and rapper has been showing off some avant-garde looks for a while now, but her appearance at the fashion show done by Pat McGrath sparked a viral moment on a whole other level. Makeup influencers across social media jumped at the opportunity to recreate the look, which consisted of both red body paint and 30,000 red Swarovski crystals. Vogue France’s Marie Bladt wrote that McGrath’s work on it was “an altogether new dimension of body and face art.” Doja Cat inspired swathes of people to try out avant-garde makeup that they may not have tried otherwise. The look captivated audiences both inside and outside of the fashion world, but it wasn’t the only one.

Rihanna caught everyone’s attention at the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show this year with her landmark performance in which she wore a monochromatic Loewe ensemble in red. Insider writer Samantha Grindell noted the look, specifically the Alaïa jacket Rihanna donned during “Umbrella” and

“Diamonds” as a tribute to late fashion editor and collaborator André Leon Talley. On social media, as people recreate choreography from the performance, dressing up in full, monochromatic red has become a trend in and of itself. Rihanna’s red look caught the minds and hearts of the fashion world and beyond, in what is surely being added to the roster of her most recognizable fashion moments.

So what is it about red that makes it such a timeless, attention-grabbing colour? The Fashion Institute of Technology writes, “[F]or millennia, wearing red clothes expressed legitimization of social status, political authority, religious rank, ancestry, and cultural identity.” Even today, the colour still represents intensity, confidence, and power. And, while red has been used to signify this for as long as we can remember, the modern presence of eye-catching red ensembles has become the brand of Maison Valentino, whose haute couture shows, ready-to-wear collections, and even makeup line each heavily feature Valentino’s signature bright red hue.

And, based on the current trajectory of viral fashion moments, red may remain a centrepiece in the future of the 2023 trend cycle. MSCHF’s Big Red Boots

caused a stir on social media earlier this month for their cartoonish appearance. The attention-grabbing statement piece was the centre of a debate on viral marketing, surrealist fashion, and just how to style a boot that looks like it belongs on a stylish astronaut doing a catwalk on the moon. Kim Petras, Sam Smith and Co. (Including Violet Chachki, Gottmik, and others) all showed up to the Grammys on February 5 in various red ensembles, making one of the most memorable red carpet appearances from the awards show. Plus, with the ascendancy of maximalism and other eclectic, expressive fashion entering the mainstream, bright, confident colours like red will have a strong place in the palettes of designers and stylists alike.

“The whole place was dressed to the nines”: Is 2023 fashion’s ‘Red Era’?

cameron ashley CONTRIBUTOR

ILLUSTRATION | SHELLEY YAO

PHOTO | NICHOLAS TAM

From haute couture to viral streetwear, red has been at the centre of much of

news cycle

PHOTO | MSCHF

To experience Canadian culture, explore Ontario’s thriving scene of Francophone theatre

This article is produced in collaboration with La Mosaic, a bilingual magazine at the University of Toronto. You can read this work in the French language in La Mosaic at: lamosiac.ca

Dillon Orr, Acting Artistic Director of Le théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario, leans back with folded arms, expressing his views on the differences in perspective of Anglophone and Francophone theatre in Ontario.

“Francophone theatre was not created like the theatre of Shakespeare, like the theatre of the English, or like the theatre of the Americans,” he says. He leans in with arms unfolded and says that the stories in Francophone theatrical performances often aim to explore questions that communities are facing collectively, as opposed to questions faced by the individual.

In interviews with artistic directors at Le théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario and Le théâtre français de Toronto— the former serving Sudbury and the latter in downtown Toronto—The Strand, in collaboration with La Mosaic, spoke about their experience performing Francophone theatre for people in Ontario.

of social questions about society, and then explores the consequences of dealing with these societal questions on our emotions. To conduct these explorations, Orr notes that Francophone theatre often prefers stories told through fables, rather than directly through realistic portrayals.

Orr is passionate about the importance of experiencing theatre as a part of the human experience. “[Theatre] is an entertainment of our brains, it makes us think differently—it makes us question our relationship to this world, [and] it makes us question our relationship to art, to the other,” he said. “We are constantly considering these questions.”

In addition to creating a distinctive theatrical experience from Anglophone theatre, Karine Richard— Artistic Director of Le théâtre français de Toronto—also emphasised the value that audience members can find by exploring theatrical works.

To Richard, Francophone theatre is important to perform as it serves a vital role for the Francophone community. “It's important to relate to the GTA and Toronto, to the different communities that are surrounding us,” she said, which can better help people locally understand the questions and problems faced by other communities. In this way, theatre performance can help create a mutual understanding between different cultures.

How to get involved in Francophone culture in Ontario

For community members at UofT interested in becoming better-versed Francophone theatre, Orr encourages involvement in local community theatre production. “The community theatre that I find is a great way to get involved, theatrically speaking, in [the] community and for amateurs.”

Elahe Marjovi, Theatre & Large Institutions Program Manager at the Toronto Arts Council (TAC), also mentioned opportunities for members of the University of Toronto community to become involved in Francophone theatre, in written correspondence with The Strand and La Mosaic.

Why are people passionate about Francophone theatre?

Orr drew from his personal history to picture a distinction between Francophone and Anglophone theatre. “When I was in theatre school at the National Theatre School in Montréal, it was a bilingual school,” he said. “You see both sides of the subject.”

“The cliché is that English speakers do theatre from the inside-out—they start with all their emotions,” he said. He explained that the objective of Anglophone theatre is often for audiences to experience catharsis—the buildup of negative emotions during a tragedy, followed by their release—or mimesis, which is a realistic portrayal that acts as a mirror of society.

“But in French, it's the opposite,” he said. The starting point of Francophone theatre, according to Orr, is with observations of society, continues with the development

For Le théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario, an upcoming theatrical work Orr and his team will present will be called Nickel City Fifs, which is a co-production with Alex Tétreault that will run in June. The performance will explore the double minoritization of being both Francophone and queer, especially in a smaller community like in Sudbury, said Orr. “We're presenting it right in the gay bar here in Sudbury, which is called Zig’s”—one of the first gay bars established in greater Sudbury.

From March 8 to March 26, Le théâtre français de Toronto is also running an immersive theatrical performance in the after-hours of a school called Le concierge, translated as The Janitor. In this production, said Richard, an audience limited to 15 people are set to follow an actor in the corridor of a high school building in Toronto. “I don't think that there was a lot of that kind of experience or that type of experience in Toronto, where… participants also can get dressed as janitors as well, and follow him through his story,” said Richard. She reflected that the experience aims to draw attention to invisible workers in society.

To become involved in existing programs, Marjovi shared a list of operating Francophone artistic organisations based in Toronto and funded by the TAC grants, which are open to applications in French or English for people interested in starting their own initiatives. In addition to Le théâtre français de Toronto, community members can look into Le Laboratoire d'Art for visual and media arts, the Salon du Livre de Toronto for literary arts, and BoucharDanse for dance, to explore Francophone cultural expression in Toronto.

Richard strongly encouraged community members to consider becoming more involved in live artistic expression. “I find that our generation is stuck on Netflix and television… where you are passive in front of the screen,” she said. “Coming to the theatre and live arts, any kind of live arts is a way to be immersed in the art and to also be part of the conversation instead of just being passive and receiving something.”

Richard reflected that in-person artistic expression— "whether it's a museum, whether it's painting, whether it's music”—is a way to become involved in one’s community, and reflect on the modern issues that people are facing as communities.

There are more things in heaven and Earth, than are dreamt of in your Anglophone dramaturgy

ILLUSTRATION | MATTI LEHTELÄ VIA TNO

PHOTO | LOÏC GAUTHIER LE COZ VIA TNO

‘Hot Girl Books’

How is twenty-first century femininity being re-defined by popular literature?

charmaine

Ultraviolence hums softly on a vinyl player as her red fingertips flip through a Sally Rooney novel. A cigarette burns in her other hand, smoke swirling above her Sofia Coppola film poster. Sat on her bedside table is a stack of books that the internet told her to buy. She is femininity re-defined.

Female rage, female melancholia, and unlikeable female protagonists are rising in popularity among young women. This cultural phenomenon explores the more ‘deviant’ side of the female experience that the literary canon has traditionally ignored. Alongside ‘Hot Girl Books,’ niche internet aesthetics such as ‘Dark Academia’ and ‘Cottagecore’ have become ways in which girls model their identity, transcending the world of online media. With the help of BookTok and Pinterest, for twenty-first-century women, reading is officially cool again. ‘Hot Girl Books’ are now cultural capital within the world of womanhood, and she who has read Gone Girl, The Virgin Suicides, The Bell Jar, Normal People, and My Year of Rest and Relaxation etc. is the coolest of them all.

Though an average reader may not relate to framing their husbands for murder, Gone Girl’s Amy Dunne resonates with a female audience through her pent-up rage against patriarchal structures. Amy would most probably be a diagnosed psychopath in the real world but she is not just another Mad Woman—the archetypal female character suffering from hysteria. Her insane actions are, ultimately, rationalised and understandable. Her iconic ‘Cool Girl’ monologue illustrates the horrors of womanhood, in which femininity is a cruel and murderous performance under the male gaze. Similarly, Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar documents the depravity of gender performance, and Plath herself has also become a martyr for the woman scorned. It is pervertedly satisfying to see Amy achieve what she believes is vengeance—even if it is through terrifyingly grotesque and immoral means—as it liberates the ‘unacceptable’ side of the female experience. Alongside films such as Promising Young Woman that exist within the same ‘Good for Her’ genre, ‘Hot Girl Books’ embody the Unhinged Girl’s fantasy of acting out against the patriarchal institution with unbridled rage.

Female tragedy has always been romanticised by predominantly male authors, with some notable examples stretching as far back as Shakespeare’s Ophelia in Hamlet. In fact, one interpretation of the novel The Virgin Suicides is that it specifically critiques the dangers of the male gaze and the sexualisation of female melancholia. Although there remains an undying fixation on female melancholia, twenty-first century ‘Hot Girl’ readers investigate the causes of female tragedy and how it affects their social relations rather than the romanticisation of sadness itself.

Sally Rooney’s novels have met such success, arguably because of her depiction of female melancholia and sexuality. Marianne of Rooney’s Normal People is insecure and self-destructive; however, she is not our twenty-first century Ophelia. Despite her self-destructive tendencies and over-reliance on male validation, Marianne

remains an empathetic, intelligent, and initiative woman who eventually gains strength and confidence. Marianne, like Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag, is a sexual person, but not a sexualised character. The current focus on women as sexual agents is distinct from the obsession with feminine sex appeal under the male gaze. Instead, it is a cultural paradigm shift toward the female gaze where women dissect their social identity through experiences of love and desire. It is, fundamentally, a reclamation of female sexuality.

Marianne and Fleabag actively enjoy sex and at times, have sex for reasons that would traditionally

its absurd premise, it is arguable that Moshfegh’s bestseller is a great satirisation of misogynistic comments that display women as ignorantly melodramatic. It is The Catcher in the Rye for twenty-first century women.

Though ‘Hot Girl Books’ are still mostly written by white female authors and depict white heterosexual female protagonists, there has been massive pushback for more diverse literature. Examples include Pachinko, The Vanishing Half, and Crying in H Mart, where diasporic and POC experiences are incorporated into the discussion of womanhood. Furthermore, while many

mark them as ‘bad feminists.’ While they eventually underscore the destruction it could bring, they do not pretend that the momentary reward and the subsequent shame of doing so do not exist. They do not ignore the existence of the male gaze. At the beginning of their arcs, Fleabag gets upset when she is not catcalled and unashamedly wishes for the so-called perfect body. Meanwhile, Marianne only seems to feel a secure identity when she is validated by male sexual attention. Twentyfirst century women are not looking for the next Wonder Woman or Joan of Arc girlboss. Instead, they crave a flawed character who struggles with their womanhood and often falls victim to the same structures they critique but, ultimately, still tries their best to be a ‘good’ person—in whatever sense one would like to define that.

Female characters that teeter on the edge of being relatable and unlikable have also gained an increasingly large spotlight. Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation divides readers in which some claim that it is simply an ostentatious display of privilege while others feel they resonate with the protagonist who suffers from the lethargy of modernity and depressive episodes. She is the mouthpiece for our most intrusive, insufferable, and insolent inner voices of the Global North. Appropriating the archaic Eve trope that has historically demonised women, the semi-ironic internet trend of young women entering their ‘Villain Era’ destabilises and discounts the sexist archetype by simply welcoming it. Because of

women may have found comfort and resolution from reading ‘Hot Girl Books,’ there also comes a potential danger. The fixation on these books among young girls and women may reinforce the age-old idea that pain and suffering is an inevitable feminine experience—feeding into the very same ‘Sad Girl’ fetishisation that The Virgin Suicides condemns. Indeed, women suffer horrifically under patriarchal structures, but the regurgitation of solely traumatic stories may simply fuel the fires of Eve and Ophelia retellings. Although the existing pioneers of ‘Hot Girl Books’ are absolutely vital to the conversation about the modern woman, it would also be curious to see more feminine joy hit the shelves of readers in the near future. The beauty of the female experience is just as valid and worth exploring as the tragedies of it.

Ultimately, it is through these books that young girls and women see their not-so-pretty social realities represented, helping them dissect complex relationships with the people around them and possibly working to resolve traumas of their past. The ‘Hot Girl Books’ trend is the newest cultural manifestation of the twenty-first century woman, where the skeletons of femininity are excavated, examined, and proudly exhibited no matter how grotesque the rotting skull may be.

yu CONTRIBUTOR

ILLUSTRATION | MARIA VIDAL VALDESPINO

Achilles to Patroclus

deviKa gopaKumar CONTRIBUTOR

The ballads boast of my senseless rage, of wailing mothers and tortured breaths, of corpse-littered fields painted crimson red,

But the poets never mention you in their songs, my love, you, who held my trembling warrior heart in your hands, you, who would lull away the soldier’s angry wounds and murmur sweet words of home into their hair when they wept.

How could the ballads forget your gentle healer’s heart, and how you would softly kiss my blood-stained tears away?

Why do the gods not sing honeyed praises of your sun-kissed cheeks, your tender hands, your summertime smile, your bronze curls that glistened on my pillow, in the pale hours of the dawn our bitter kiss goodbye, as you marched into battle in my armour,

My jaan, my beloved, my philtatos, when you died you took everything that was good and innocent and beautiful with you, what I would not do for you, my most handsome love what I would not give, to be buried underneath the earth with you.

victoria bortolussi CONTRIBUTOR

I am not asking for much— A kiss on the cheek, a whisper of a secret. Perhaps I am the Devil’s daughter— Lust drunk and excruciating on all dimensions but one. I am demonic with angelic tendencies. I am feather light and pretty—the blue eyed kind. The favourite grandchild, if only because of my domesticity. Angel cake cupcakes and sprinkled vanilla frosting on Monday afternoons. A perfect wife for your only son. I give older men fuck eyes in libraries, Think of the curve of your mouth as the priest speaks at Sunday mass. I bring out the worst in you, if only because of my perpetual boredom. I promise to be good to you, but not for you.

I am duplicitous.

ILLUSTRATION | JENNIFER FONG LI

ILLUSTRATION | JENNIFER FONG LI

How to win your roomie prank war in ten days

Pickle-juicing your roommate’s rum and coke, and other juicy (but harmless) pranks to spice up your apartment life

adriana goraieb STAFF WRITER

It all started when I boiled some corn to eat for dinner. (Please no judgement here. I am just a hungry student foraging for a humble meal.) I finished my plentiful supper in the peaceful abode that is my apartment, went to my room to change into my PJs, and returned to my seat at the table.

To my horror, however, I found a glass of turbid, chunky water sitting next to my laptop.

“What is this?” I asked. My roommate replied, “You asked me for water, didn’t you?”

I am confused. I am stumped. I am flabbergasted. “Firstly, no I didn’t, and second, even if I did, WHAT IS THIS?”

Long story short, they put the leftover corn water (water in which I had boiled corn) in a glass, thinking that it would be funny to have me drink it. Alas, my intelligence exceeded their expectations, and I prevailed. Not for long.

A couple days later, I requested that they make me a hot chocolate to soothe my nightly blues. Like loving roommates, they agreed! That is, I thought they did. I took a sip, and… pickle juice. In my hot chocolate. Sensing my distress, my roommate exclaimed, “Don’t worry, I made you an actual one, I’m not that mean.” I took a sip of said “actual” hot chocolate. But nay, it was yet another pickle juice concoction. And a couple days

later, they added pickle juice to my Coca-Cola drink. I don’t feel safe anymore.

If you’re in a similar situation, know that you are not alone, and that there are solutions. I’ve sat and thought for days about what to do in response—and this lil’ article is an amalgamation of the ideas I’ve come up with to retaliate.

Disclaimer: if you happen to be one of my roommates, this article is not for you. Stop reading. Leave now. Now that they’re gone, it’s time for the pranks.

1. Freeze their shampoo, face soap, or toothpaste. 10/10. Harmless; will definitely not cause the apartment to stink because they can’t wash.

2. Add their email address to a bunch of different mailing lists to overwhelm their inboxes. Also 10/10. Funny, spectacular, silly. Will definitely not have them ripping their hair out.

3. Wrap everything they own in cellophane. 10/10 again. Easy to do, definitely not frustrating to undo.

4. Add food dye to everything they drink. Juice, milk, iced tea—anything that’s liquid. 10/10. Will make the kitchen pop and bring some colour to the place. Definitely will not have them thinking there’s fungus growing everywhere.

5. Last but not least: a good old Pavlov experiment. Condition your roommates to any stimulus—perhaps a piece of gum or a doggy treat every time you say their name or knock at their door 3 times. We love a good psychology moment. 10/10.

I hope this was helpful!! These tricks will spice up your

Waiting for Godiva

roommate life and will definitely not get you to start a prank tally on your fridge whiteboard that will lead to tension and distrust at home. Have fun!

Valentine's Day at Burwash Dining Hall brings up many feelings—and creates a culinary caper

singles slouch dejectedly into the dining hall, trying not to look at their calendars. Reader, as much as it pains me to admit it, I was a member of that pitiable crowd, and dinner that night was an extraordinarily bizarre experience, featuring culinary architecture, theoretical cannibalism, and existential contemplation brought on by the promise of a chocolate fountain.

resolved to wait around until it made its appearance.

Ah, Valentine’s Day evening at UofT—when the couples of the school venture into the city to partake in our culture’s foremost celebration of love, and the

Our story begins in Old Vic, where the Jewison class had just finished a gruelling two-hour handwritten test. It was only 5 pm, and the general consensus among my friend group was that it would be best for our physical and mental health to rest before dinner. However, all personal concerns were thoroughly defenestrated as we were texted a picture of Burwash’s Valentine’s Day dessert buffet, sending us scrambling towards the dining hall like Pavlovian hounds. As we entered, absentmindedly filling our plates with the pasta we were societally obligated to eat before descending upon the desserts like buzzards, I noticed the prevalence of singles in the hall, whether chatting among friends or in the headphone-clad, hunched-over pose I knew so well from high school. I was slightly melancholic that I was not among the couples out living it up in the city proper, but also thankful for the decreased competition at the crêpe bar. We sat down, plates filled with a perfunctory portion of pasta and enough cake to incite the French Revolution. Settling in, my friend shared with us a tantalising rumour that would come to define our night: apparently, his friend at the student’s office told him that there would be a chocolate fountain coming to the dining hall extremely soon. Enthused, we

Two hours later, we had seen nothing of the chocolate fountain. Having long since exhausted all normal topics of conversation, my friends were now enthusiastically debating which of us would be eaten first in a desperate survival situation. Due to my apathetic sensibility and lack of discernible survival skills, I was quickly chosen as the sacrifice. As they continued to debate who would go next, I attempted to build a tower of desserts high enough to block out the sight of the laughing couple two tables over. With no architecture majors around to advise, my leaning tower of pastry quickly collapsed, and I scanned the buffet again for any sign of the chocolate fountain, which still had not shown itself. The group questioned the validity of my friend’s contact, and he reassured us of their reliability, exhorting us to wait for the last half hour before giving up hope.

As you might expect, the last half hour passed with no appearance of the elusive fountain. Feeling like Ponce de León, we stood up to leave with hearts unfilled, hands unheld, and strawberries undipped. As we filed out into the night air, I broke through my dejection to see the happy couples flooding back into the quad, arms filled with gifts and clothes adorned with roses. Noticing their jubilant faces, I could no longer begrudge them their connection or lament my own experience. Looking around at the paper hearts adorning the Burwash walls, I summoned up a spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, this time next year, I’d find myself in the company of true love—or at the very least, liquid chocolate.

maX friedman-cole

PHOTO | WIKIMEDIA, ALEXANDER KLINK

PHOTO | UNSPLASHED, CHRISTOPH WICK

Move over, Prince Harry—there's a new writer in town

I like to believe that I have led a very simple life, but I wouldn’t want people to yawn over my book. To spice things up, I’d probably include some of the most embarrassing moments of my life. What follows are some of the stories which I have hidden in the darkest corner of my mind, ones which I believed would never see the light of day. However, I am trying to aim for better content than Harry (side eye). Now, it's only a matter of which humiliating (or dare I say humbling?) moments I should include in my memoir.

isha riZwan SOCIAl mEDIA mANAgER

A few weeks ago, I fell into the deep rabbit hole of drama surrounding Prince Harry’s memoir. As someone who has absolutely zero interest in the royal family, everything I have learned about this book has been against my own will. I heard someone say that this book is just a royal family burn book. Now, will I ever actually read this memoir? No, thank you. But it got me thinking, if I were to (ghost)write a memoir, what would I write about?

One time, I was coming out of an IKEA, dragging a shopping cart with me and holding one of the infamous ice cream cones in my right hand. It was raining, yet my mood was extremely pleasant. In a blink of an eye, however, everything went downhill (literally). My foot slipped, my cart abandoned me, and I came crashing down. Okay, so I fell in the parking lot. A little bit dramatic, sure—but this isn’t the end. A car stopped in front of me, full of teenage boys, and one of them had the audacity to ask, “Are you alright?” I could feel them laughing at me, despite their silence and awkward stares. The funniest thing about this incident is that it took place only last year.

If that wasn’t cringey enough, then buckle your seatbelts—we’re travelling to the time I almost

killed someone with my ~amazing~ driving skills. The first time I went to take my G2 licence test, I was extremely confident. Everything was going super smoothly, and the examiner looked impressed with my abilities. Knowing my luck, however, I was in fact driving towards my own doom. Just as I was about to make a left turn to return back to the starting point, something possessed me (perhaps a devil) and I took the sharpest turn known to mankind. I almost crashed into the car coming from the other direction. In that moment, all my brain cells combusted and I could not slam the brakes in time. The other car somehow stopped, I regained my composure, pressing the brakes before we could crash and die. The examiner failed me. (Shocking.)

And now, a few more incidents that deserve honourable mentions: a cough attack in the middle of lecture with no water while everyone stared at me, and falling asleep during an in-person exam (it was a history exam, so this makes sense).

If my suffering will help my book become a bestseller, then I am willing to unleash every embarrassing moment I have encountered in the past twenty-one years.

Outdoing the doer and scamming the scammer

A guide to creatively—and safely—responding to scam Instagram DMs

1. Respond with the same request they have of you. For instance, in response to the event in Fig. 2, I responded with this:

If you’ve ever watched James Veitch’s incredible TED Talks on responding to scam emails, you probably have an idea of how much fun it can be to (safely) respond to them. It’s become a hobby of mine—giving scammers a taste of their own medicine is a sweet, sweet revenge. Whether it’s a fake Louis Vuitton sale [see Fig. 1]; an Instagram DM asking you to be their muse [see Fig. 2]; or someone attempting to log into the Facebook account you’ve never used, engaging in a little back and forth with your scammers can be a fun pastime when you’re bored. Here are my favorite ways to respond:

They get extra confused when you UNO reverse them, and then you can have some fun back and forth, from one (fake) scammer to another (real scammer).

2. Respond in a different language. You can truly say anything you’d like here. Bonus points if they cannot Google Translate it—for example, when the language must be transliterated into English. I can just imagine the look of desperation on the other side of the screen.

3. This one’s fun: express genuine interest in what they’re offering. Just keep the conversation going for as long as possible, with no end or purpose in sight. Examples may include:

a. “OMG! So, if I buy this obviously legitimate Louis Vuitton bag for $20, will I still be able to win a dancing pig for my backyard?”

b. “Since you’re such a super talented salesperson, could you write my forty-page thesis to promote my research? I promise you’ll be extra deliciously paid for it.”

c. “What was your childhood like? How do your parents feel about your career as a rising Instagram scam artist?”

d. “What was your imaginary friend like? Did you try promoting this to them?”

e. “Could I show you these funky new dance moves I’ve been practicing?” (Then, Rickroll them and dip.)

4. Pretend to be an undercover FBI agent and scare the absolute daylight out of them. For instance: “This is Special Agent X, and your message has been forwarded to our central office of Scam Affairs. Your IP address has been tracked, and you will soon find a team outside your door who will confiscate your access to the Internet. Also, your parents have been contacted, and you are grounded for a year.”

HOWEVER: please don’t take this super seriously, and be safe—scam attacks are real! Do not click any links that look fishy, ever. This is just a silly little list of ways to mess with scam artists for gits and shiggles. Stay safe out there, the internet is a crazy place.

Figure 1: Louis Vuitton scam, sent to my email

Figure 2: An actual Instagram DM I've received

adriana goraieb STAFF WRITER

PHOTO | TWITTER

Spare your time and read my memoir instead!

PHOTO | ADRIANA GORAIEB

PHOTO | ADRIANA GORAIEB

PHOTO | ADRIANA GORAIEB

PHOTO | MIKHAIL NILOV