With Halloween just around the corner, there’s a whole bunch of events hiding behind a bush, waiting to jump out at you and reduce you to a puddle of fear. But be brave, Ottawans, and head out to look those ghouls in the face. For those of you with wicked awesome costumes, this Mobile Costume Party is where you should be Friday night. Missed last week’s zombie walk? Westboro will have a few of them wandering around. Zaphod’s is throwing an Indie Rock Halloween Party, and you can transform into your favourite Hollywood... | Continue reading article

For the last 16 years, the Ottawa International Writers Festival has brought some of the world’s best authors to our nation’s capital. From the late-Nobel Laureate José Saramago of Portugal, to Canadian icons Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, this impressive literary gathering has showcased some outstanding talent. The celebrity factor, however, is only one small part of this highly popular celebration of books, which has seen its audience grow by 800 per cent since hosting its first event in 1997. In fact, the festival has been so successful, it now... | Continue reading article

This weekend you don’t have to choose between art and science. You get a decent dose of both with the launch of the Art & Science Journal, a student run project out of University of Ottawa. I caught up with Lee Jones the editor and founder of Art and Science to learn more about the project and what we can expect from the journal. Lee is hosting a launch party for the journal this Saturday night at Raw sugar. They’ve booked a DJ and will have a print making workshop... | Continue reading article

A new entry to Ottawa’s indie media-scape is launching this weekend – combining discussion of Arts and Culture with compelling design to create something that should be pretty unique. The big reveal for Herd Magazine – billing itself as “freely distributed literature covering local arts&culture on a quarterly basis” will be this Friday night at Fall Down Gallery on Bank Street. They’ve invited Amos the Transparent and will have food from LUNCH, Auntie Loo’s Treats, and the Gouda Life on hand. All the details are on the Herd website here.... | Continue reading article

This Sunday, the Nepean Sportsplex will play host to Skirmish 2012, a table-top gaming extravaganza, featuring tournaments of games like Warhammer, HeroScape, and Heavy Gear. Hundreds of competitors do battle, squaring off with their armies of intricately painted miniatures in a test of wits and fortitude. It’s just another example of Ottawa’s growing love of board gaming, a love that can only be satiated by a healthy round of Agricola or perhaps, if one is desperate, a rousing game of Monopoly. Ottawa currently plays host to two separate board game... | Continue reading article

Welcome to the Apartment613 Paper Kindle Club! Hosted by Collected Works, Wellington West’s favourite bookstore, we feature works and authors with an Ottawa connection. This week we are featuring the author of The Horse that Leaps through Clouds, a non-fiction work by local author Eric Enno Tam. Join in the discussion below.

You know, I remember a time when books were books—when reading a book meant flipping pages, when the phrase “cracking open a book” made sense, and when sniffing the pages of a new book gave you that giddy, lightheaded feeling that only glue can provide. But this is the future. We live in a time when books are blasted through cyberspace at our heads, streams of ones and zeros bouncing through the air like super balls in a cement mixer. I welcome this new reality with a strange look on... | Continue reading article

This story starts in New York City. Mary Beth Baker and her partner’s family were in the Big Apple and Mary Beth wanted to see the lions at the New York City library. They passed through Bryant Park to get to the library – and to their surprise – right at street level, they found a bunch of books, chairs and tables.  ”The open air library was a beautiful space.” says Baker, who unfortunately didn’t get to spend that much time there. But the idea stuck in her head… Fast... | Continue reading article

It’s another sunny one ahead, friends. And while our coverage of all things local at Bluesfest continues (did you know Kelly from the Claytones can do an awesome Cher impression? Or that The Flats want to head to Pluto? We’ve got the inside scoop, folks), there’s more than just music happening this weekend. First of all, grab a summery novel and head down to the canal downtown to check out the Capital Reading Garden, a popup space that’s perfect for bookworms. Shakespeare fans should head to Prescott for their annual... | Continue reading article

Photo of rob mclennan doing a reading at mother tongue books courtesy pesbo on Flickr. mother tongue books has been an Ottawa bookstore institution for 18 years – many young and future feminists passed through its doors. A community hub ever since it opened in 1994, mother tongue books has served as a creative, safe space for people to meet, chat and share life. They’re not going out quietly, though – they’ve been throwing regular events since they announced the closing, and have a few more events to go before... | Continue reading article