The strangest book launch I have ever had the privilege to attend was tucked away in Casa del Popolo’s showroom. The intimate venue rippled with energy throughout the spectacle as performers created a world teeming with magic and sensation.

I'm lucky enough to know some great people. Funny people, smart people, insightful people, and giant hearted ones too. This piece is dedicated to a group of generous hearts doing great things without ever asking for praise, which makes them deserve it all the more.

Berkeley has the Greek Amphitheatre, Denver has the Red Rock Amphitheatre, Detroit has the Aretha Franklin Ampitheatre. Here in Montreal, we have a beautiful natural ampitheatre, the little hill near Duluth in Parc Jeanne-Mance where we gather on Mondays for the weekly open-mic.

Cardboard Planets is a playwriting challenge, part of the Montreal FRINGE Festival’s After-Dark program, which offered the possibility of realization to its participants. Theatricians Ella Williams and Scarlet Fountain facilitate the process under the company name Off-Stage Montreal.

Please Note: The following opinion does not necessarily reflect the views of Forget The Box, its sponsors, affiliates, or even me. At least not my views all of the time. Sometimes stuff like this just gets me mad, as it is intended to. But then, sometimes, I am able to put on my logic hat, look behind the curtain (he said the name of the series in the series!), and enjoy the fact that the absurdity of the situation is on full display.

If you're reading this particular intro, then I've taken a moment to step outside my comfort zone. See, I write these intros, but then something might change, or priorities shift, or something more lovely strikes my fancy, and I start over. It means I'm generally ready for anything, and always pressed tightly up against a deadline. It's kinda sexy.

I was going to start this off by saying that this wasn’t my first Porchfest, and cast myself as some sort of veteran of the annual NDG DIY music festival trying to see it through fresh eyes. But after attending both days of Porchfest NDG this past weekend, I realized that this was my first full Porchfest experience.

Last weekend, as I wandered around NDG covering Porchfest (my report will be up tomorrow), I noticed election signs up. It took me a minute, but then I remembered that there was a Federal byelection in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount riding scheduled for June 19th.