Blog Review: Meet the blogger who is improving his community one post a time

Photo courtesy of West Side Action from post: "Albert Street reconstruction – Back to the Future?"

This post first appeared in Apartment613.

Eric Darwin is one of the best reporters in Ottawa covering urban affairs. Not bad for someone who does not call himself a journalist, who is not part of the mainstream and alternative press, and who only launched his must-read blog West Side Action after retiring seven years ago.

In today’s Internet age, news reporting is being radically redefined. Twenty years ago, if you wanted to know about development projects in the National Capital Region or planning decisions at City Hall, a daily newspaper, local TV news show or a talk radio program were your primary (if not only) sources of news.

Fast forward to today, and there are numerous blogs, online forums and web sites by community associations that provide crucial information on changes to local neighbourhoods. While some people might object to calling these online sources “news”, the reality is that they are just as useful as the Ottawa Citizen, CBC radio, CTV news or the Ottawa Sun.

Consider the blog West Side Action, a fantastic site that contains important information that often does not appear in the mainstream press. As a longtime reader of Darwin’s work, I would argue that his reporting is just as good, if not better, than many professional journalists who are paid to cover municipal affairs.

During a 30-minute phone interview, Darwin gave me several examples of how bloggers/community activists can use the blogosphere to improve their neighbourhoods. One example he gave is the recent construction of the multi-use pathway (MUP) next to the O-Train corridor.

Eric Darwin

“When the city started getting advice from their internal bicycle group they saw (the MUP) as a great way to get people from the south to downtown. They saw it as a strict bicycle path,” says Darwin. ”But what about the little old ladies? The mother with the two-year-old who is going berserk and needs to sit down …. Where do teenagers go to kiss?”

Through his blog posts and community activism, Darwin pushed for practical improvements to the MUP. The results were noticeable: rock clusters that acted as benches were installed so pedestrians could sit down; lighting was put in place to allow for nighttime use of the path.

“If you ride on the O-Train corridor now you see people sitting on (the rock benches),” says Darwin, who is also the vice-president of the Dalhousie Community Association. ”It’s what makes it friendly. It makes it feel like you are not on a highway, a bicycle highway.”

For Darwin, the magic of blogging is that it can spawn public discussions that are often not possible with traditional mainstream news reports. To support this view, he pointed to the proposed construction of the Hickory Street pedestrian bridge over the O-Train tracks.

When the original proposal came out Darwin wrote about it on his blog. His reporting questioned the dimensions of the proposed bridge and argued that it could be significantly improved.

“The Citizen would not report that the bridge is this dimension,” he tells me. ”They would just say that it’s going to council and that it passed. Some councilors may be happy with this level of detail.”

Darwin was able to get into a much greater level of specificity with his blog. After offering different suggestions and contacting local developers, who are set to pay part of the cost of building the bridge, the proposal was modified.

These grassroots, street-level discussions are not what professional journalists usually engage in. Thanks to local bloggers like Darwin, however, citizens in the National Capital Region are increasingly finding ways to participate in urban planning discussions, and in the process bring real change to their communities.

“The value of the blog is giving a view to smaller people, and minority voices, that are not part of the conversation,” says Darwin.

Blog Review: I Adore Food (and a good sleep too)

Alexandra Corriveau

This post first appeared in Apartment613.

Eating and sleeping are some of life’s greatest pleasures. In our fast-paced world, however, many of us don’t pay enough attention to what we put in our mouth, or for that matter the beds on which we sleep.

Local blogger Alexandra Corriveau is someone who spends a lot of time thinking about food and mattresses. In fact, you can say that she was born into the dream business.

“We make organic and custom mattresses,” says Corriveau about Obasan, her family’s business that is based in Ottawa. ”Organic meaning that we use organic wool, organic cotton, and natural rubber.”

The company, she tells me, sources their wool from Argentina, cotton from Peru and rubber from Sri Lanka. This experience of working with natural materials from around the world got Corriveau thinking about how people eat, and what she could do to promote good food.

“What goes into your mouth is very important,” she tells me in a phone interview. “So I started researching how our food is grown.”

This exploration of food production was one of the reasons she created I Adore Food, a foodie blog filled with recipes, travel posts, product reviews and fun food facts. The site has also had contests in the past.

If you are looking for some kitchen inspiration, then this site can tell you how to make many delicious meals. For instance, the roasted blueberries, maple pecans and chèvre crostinis sound lovely, as does the creamy dijon and chicken linguine.

People with a sweet tooth, meanwhile, will be in heaven, as there are tips on how to make such savoury treats as lemon and lavender curd frozen yogurt, and the scrumptious sounding hazelnut and vanilla cake.

Eating great food, however, is not limited to what is on your plate.

“Food is not only about eating well, it’s also about getting family and friends together and this is one of the main reasons why I love cooking/baking,” Corriveau tells me in an email that she sent following our phone conversation.

“I love picking each veggie/fruit, thinking about what i’m going to make with it. Cooking is really the best form of art (in my opinion) because you get to eat your masterpiece after you’ve finished making it!”

Interested in promoting Ottawa’s culinary scene, Corriveau plans to start another blog soon in which she will post reviews of local restaurants, cafés and food-related boutiques.

“When I went over to Europe I fell in love with our city, with all the restaurants that we have,” says Corriveau during our phone interview.

Finding this comment curious, I ask her to explain. Corriveau replies that during a recent extended trip to Europe, she started noticing online all the news about Ottawa’s growing culinary options. Seeing how Ottawa’s food scene was growing, she became excited to document all of the changes.

“I’m a food nerd, what can I say!” she later adds in her follow-up email.

Running ultramarathons (and blogging) for charity

Photo courtesy of Joe Rios, who is on the right holding the sign.

The following article first appeared on Apartment613 on June 1.

Joe Rios has come a very long way since becoming a runner more than three years ago – thousands and thousands of kilometres to be more precise.

Back in 2009, Rios paid little attention to fitness, a problem given his family’s long history with diabetes. When a friend convinced him to register for the Ottawa Army Run half-marathon, however, he surprised himself by signing up.

“I was inactive, I was asthmatic, I was overweight,” says Rios of his physical condition at the time. During an initial training run, he recalls, he was unable to finish a five-kilometre loop around the Alexandra and Portage bridges. Given that he had just committed to running a 21-kilometre race, this could have been a cause for concern.

Undaunted by the challenge, however, he slowly but surely got stronger, and on race day beat expectations by finishing in under two hours. Fast forward to today, and Rios is running marathons around the world, as well as preparing for ultramarathons, including a 100-kilometre race in October.

He is also a blogger having started the site THRIVE with Joe in September 2012.

“I focus the blog on how to empower people … but from a practical perspective,” says Rios, whose site contains posts on different races, tips for runners, interviews and descriptions of various charity events.

Regarding his charitable activities, he tells me that his blog is a perfect forum for partnering up with other community members.

“What I’m discovering through the blog is that if you put yourself out there you will meet more people,” says Rios, who works for Export Development Canada. As a case in point, he has registered for the Sears Great Canadian Run, a 100-kilometre race that starts at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum and ends at Montebello, Quebec.

The run, which raises money for research to fight children’s cancer, is normally completed by a relay team that can include up to 20 people. Rios, in contrast, partnered with Mike Herzog and Steven Thomas of Good Guys Tri, who have assembled a team of 20 runners that will each complete the 100 kilometers. The team of ultra-marathoners are hoping to raise $30,000.

The ultramarathon is not the only charitable work Rios is involved with. Last summer, he started Run 4 a Cause, a 5-kilometre run for runners at all levels. About 150 runners participated last year, representing 10 different charities. (Rios usually runs races on behalf of Team Diabetes in his effort to raise money to fight the disease)

On August 25, 2013, Rios plans organize the second annual Run 4 a Cause run, with the goal of attracting 300 runners. As a Lululemon ambassador, Rios convinced the company’s Head Office to donate $500 to the charity with the most runners in the 2012 run. Lululemon expects to make a similar donation for the 2013 run.

The idea for Run 4 a cause has gathered interest from around the world, with people from Germany, India and the Philippines approaching Rios about setting up similar events. The aim is to replicate the event across Canada and around the word.

If all of this were not enough, Rios has a personal goal of running a marathon on all seven continents. He has already covered North America (Ottawa), South America (Rio de Janeiro), Europe (Reykjavik, Iceland), and is preparing to run the Gold Coast Marathon in July in Australia.

Next year he plans to run the Great Wall of China marathon, and is on the waiting list for the 2015 Antartic Marathon. He is also gearing up for an ultarmarathon in Africa in 2014, though he is not sure if he will run a 256-kilometre race in the Sahara, or a 250-kilimatre run in the Kalahari desert between Botswana and Namibia.

Not bad for a guy who only a few years ago couldn’t run 5-kilometres.

Blog Review: Shooting It

Photo by Brendan Montgomery (Copyright)

Last week I published several posts that looked at some excellent photographers from the National Capital Region.  Today I want to conclude this series by showcasing the work of Brendan Montgomery.  Note: My original aim was to publish a few more photo-related posts this week, but due to work and travel commitments I will have to postpone these stories to a future date.

Brendan Montgomery is a freelance photojournalist from Ottawa, whose work covers, among other things, political demonstrations, intimate profile shots and landscapes. His extensive work can be seen in his photo-blog, which includes links to his Flickr photographs, Facebook page, professional web site and Twitter account. This review, however, will only focus on his tumblr account called Shooting It.

"I suppose I'm a documentary photographer as my stuff consists of three flavours of documentary photography," Montgomery tells me in an email. "There's my photojournalist work covering mostly political protests along with other newsworthy events."

Photo by Brendan Montgomery (copyright)

The intriguing images of political protests is what first attracted me to Montgomery's  work. For example, the shot on the the left of a sax-holding, bandana-wearing protester laughing with police is wonderful.  One can imagine an interesting dialogue taking place that goes beyond the classic state-vs.-protest photo.

Then there are brilliant shots like the one at the top of this post with the two chess players, which was taken during the recent 4/20 pro-marijuana rally on Parliament Hill.  The shot is fantastic for so many reasons.  It captures two men playing chess (the ultimate game of intellect) during a protest for drug legalization (which is often stereotyped as being less than intelligent).  The sight of two thinking chess players questioning the war on drugs in the middle of a protest is awesome.  Like the photograph of the police and sax-holding protester, the clash of emotions forces the viewer to reevaluate classic debates in new ways.

Montgomery, however, does not limit himself to political protests.

Photo by Brendan Montgomery (copyright)

"I also do some street photography, although some purists may argue with my definition of it," he says.  "To me, street photography is a photo of anything I see while walking around when my only pretext for being there is to take photos of an undefined spontaneous event or place.  I am however pretty lax with my own rules and break them regularly."

An example of his street photography can be found just above (see original here). Like the best urban photos, this image – and others like it – make the viewer feel like they are becoming better acquainted with their own city.  It's as if these photos were converting urban background noise into a beautiful song.

Photo by Brendan Montgomery
(Copyright)

The final aspect of Montgomery's work comes from his own life, as well as landscape shots and other interesting images, such as the photo on the left (see original here).

"Lastly comes my personal photography," he explains in his email. "These are photos from my life.  They differ from my street photos as I’m not out there with the intention to take photos, I'm just living my life and have a camera with me.  These are usually a little more intimate then my street photos.  I also throw in the odd landscape and that pretty much sums up the bulk of my work."

Blog Review: Scott H. Wilson

Photo by Scott H. Wilson
(Copyright)

The Ottawa blogosphere is filled with fantastic photographers.  Earlier this week we started a series that features some of the wonderful photo-blogs from the Natonal Capital Region.  Today we continue our  photographic journey by discussing the impressive work of Scott H. Wilson.

There are moments in life when your surroundings are so beautiful they take your breath away.  Whether it's the explosion of colour in the sky that accompanies a setting sun, the exquisite features of a love one during a romantic moment, or that special reflection of light into a room that somehow makes space shine brighter, we have all experienced those instants when we say, "I wish I had a camera so I could capture this moment."

The brilliance of Scott Wilson's photography is his ability to catch such moments on a regular basis.

"A couple years ago I became absolutely obsessed with photography.  Everywhere I went I was framing photographs in my head," Wilson tells me in an email. "Anytime I saw nice natural light I got excited.  I decided I needed to take it to the next level.  I upgraded my camera and started the blog."

Photo by Scott H. Wilson
(Copyright)

The result of this decision is a tumblr blog that is absolutely gorgeous, and which perfectly captures the natural surroundings of Ottawa.  As a case in point, consider these images taken during a walk in Gatineau Park, which includes the photograph of the waterfall on the left.

My blog does not do justice to Wilson's work.  Re-posting his stunning images only provide a tiny taste of what he can do.  To really get a sense of his amazing work you have to visit his tumblr account. Here are some examples: these winter photos are so vivid you can feel the snow; these photographs of the river during sunset are awesome; the fiery colours of autumn are on full display in pictures like this and this; while the joy of summer can be seen here and here.

"At first it didn't really have a theme," Wilson says about his photo-blog.  "I just tried to get out everyday (even if it was for 5 minutes) and shoot things that caught my eye. 

"Now what I hope I'm doing with the blog is telling a short story. Whether it's just going for a walk with my dog or wandering around the city with my girlfriend.  I hope people can relate to my photographs.  Feel connected to them.  I aim for simplicity, trying to make everyday normal things look beautiful."

As a third-party observer I agree with Wilson's description of his photographs. Like I mentioned at the top of this post, what I love about his photographs is that they capture those magical moments in life when life is beautiful and your mind is in awe of the images that are passing before your eyes.  

Photo by Scott H. Wilson
(Copyright)

As a parting thought, while most of Wilson's photos are in natural settings, he also shoots urban landscapes, such as the photo to the right (original here).  You can see more of his urban images here and here

If you want to see more of his work, go to his professional photography web site, or follow him on his Twitter account.

Blog Review: Location Vanier

Photo of Richelieu Park sugar shack
by Eva Russell (Copyright)

Today we continue our series on great local photographers that I have found on the blogosphere.  In this installment we look at the work of Vanier resident Eva Russell.

Eva Russell is an architect and photographer who came to Ottawa from Nova Scotia in 1999 to study architecture at Carleton University.  Before moving to Vanier two years ago, she tells me, the furthest east that she had travelled in the city was probably St. Laurent Mall.

"I had rented in the Glebe, Old Ottawa South, and the Golden Triangle," she says in an email.  "However, when the time came for my partner Jim and I to get on the property ladder, Vanier was on the table as the one of the only options to own and still be close to downtown."

Photo by Eva Russell
(Copyright)

Russell fell in love with her new community and launched Location: Vanier, a photo-blog that shows Vanier's overlooked spaces, from sugar shacks (see above) to local landmarks (see left) to area business (see below).

"Vanier may have gotten a bad wrap in the past but it is definitely one of the best neighbourhoods in Ottawa," she says. "It is an area that is constantly undergoing change, and even in the past two years I have seen my neighbourhood transform with safer streets and younger families that occupy the parks and splash pads around where I live."

Photo of by Eva Russell
(Copyright)

In addition to her photographs of Vanier, which she takes with an iPhone camera, she also shoots pictures of Ottawa that showcase the city's natural surroundings and urban landscapes.  As an example, see the picture of the Rideau Canal that can be found at the bottom of this post.

While her tumblr account is relatively new – her archives only go back to November of last year – this is a site that I quite enjoy and look forward to following in the coming months and, hopefully, years.

One thing that I particularly like about Russell's photographs is their rustic feel.  On several occasions I felt like I was going through an intimate family photo album from decades ago, which displayed tender moments and good memories.

In my view, this feeling of intimacy allows this photo-blog to present Vanier (and Ottawa) in a positive light.  While some of the photographs do capture some of the gritty parts of Vanier (see here and here), overall this is the photographic equivalent of a love letter to this east end neighbourhood.

Photo of the Rideau Canal by Eva Russell
(Copyright)

"After we had moved in, I began to explore the winding streets north of Montreal Road, many without sidewalks, and started to discover some of Vanier’s hidden gems," says Russell.

"This winter I started walking down Montreal Road to go to the gym ... and was fascinated by the illuminated empty store fronts that lined the street. Armed with only an iPhone camera, I began to document and record framed images that I wanted to capture: overlooked spaces such as the empty Laundromat, the pawn shop and the cash stores that lined my route."

If you want to see more of Russell's work or follow her endeavours you can go to her web site or Twitter account.

Blog Review: Brian Brooks

Calvert, Texas, 2013
Photo by Brian Brooks (Copyright)

For the next couple of weeks, I plan to highlight some of the great photographers that I have found on the local blogosphere.  Today we continue this series by looking at Brian Brooks.  

It is normal human behaviour to categorize things.  Sometimes, however, it is better not to use labels, and to simply allow a person or object to speak for themselves.

The above thought crossed my mind as I scanned through the tumbler site of Ottawa-based photographer Brian Brooks.  His work cannot be pigeonholed in a single category, as his photos cover numerous subjects: e.g. haunting urban landscapes; thoughtful profile pictures; intriguing rock formations; beautiful artistic shots.  The location of his pictures also vary with such places as Texas, Montreal, Ottawa, Mexico and Australia.

Photo by Brian Brooks
(Copyright)

"The goal of my blog and my photography in general is pretty straightforward," Brooks tells me in an email.  "I love making images, share how I see the world with others and experience how other artists view their world.

"I use photography as a way to slow down and take notice of things that usually go unseen or if they are seen, are easily dismissed as we are busy rushing from one place or another, worried about making that meeting or taking care of our daily needs. The idea for me is to stop, reflect and find quality in the everyday objects that surround us or to move in closer and take an object out of its context which leads to abstractions that the viewer can then interpret for themselves what it means to them."

Photo by Brian Brooks
(Copyright)

Brooks' description of his work as slowing down time is something I agree with.  For instance, in his profile pictures, such as of the woman above (click here for original) or the young boy on the right (click here for original), the viewer is left with the feeling of being suspended in time.

This feeling of timeliness is also echoed in many of his artistic shots, such as the photograph at the top of this post (original here).  Is this a front porch?  An interesting storefront?  An image from a museum exhibit?  The vagueness of the picture allows the mind to roam for meaning.

Photo by Brian Brooks
(Copyright)

Another aspect of Brook's work that I enjoy is his ability to take normal objects and transform them into abstract images.  As a case in point, consider the photograph on the left (original here), which is a close up of a pole covered in the remains of old flyers that have been stapled.  What would normally be a boring, perhaps even grimy object, is suddenly transformed into a beautiful and interesting image.

"In general the subjects I photograph may seem odd and I certainly get a lot of stares from passers-by when I am photographing dumpsters, sides of walls or rocks but there is a inherent beauty in these objects that we otherwise would dismiss," says Brooks, who studied photography at East Texas State University.

Photo by Brian Brooks
(Copyright)

Picking up on Brooks' reference to rock walls, I really enjoy his frequent shots of rock patterns, such as the photograph on the right (original here).  For many people boulders and rocks are uninteresting objects. Through Brook's camera lens, however, they are transformed into intriguing and colourful abstract images.

Thanks to the Internet, these excellent photographs can be easily accessed in a way that was not possible 20 or 30 years ago. This is a good thing, for this photo-blog is definitely worth checking out.

"Through social media and specifically tumblr I have been inspired by others photographer's work and have found it satisfying that others appreciate my images as well," says Brooks. "It is a very special age we live in where we can instantly share our images with people the world over and develop relationships where we can discuss our images and art in general."

Blog Review: Street Photography and Other Snaps

Photograph by Chris Vanderwees
(Copyright)

Over the next couple of weeks I will highlight some of the brilliant photographic talent in the city.  To start things off, today I will look at the fantastic photo-blog Street Photography and Other Snaps.

Chris Vanderwees is a graduate student who specialises in street photography. When I came across his tumblr account my jaw dropped; his captivating images capture the full palette of Ottawa street life in a way that I have never seen before. His photos range from the humourous (see above) to the disturbing (see below) to the tender (see the two men embracing a bit further below) and everything in between.

Photo by Chris Vanderwees
(Copyright)

"A couple of years ago, I began to walk down Bank Street from the Glebe, through the Centretown area to Rideau Street, looping back down either Elgin or Bank Street," Vanderwees tells me an email.

"This has been my main walking route for a couple of years as a way to unwind from writing a dissertation through the English Department at Carleton University."

Working on his thesis into the late afternoon or early evening he began going on long walks until sundown.

"As I started doing this, I would talk to people on the street, running into interesting, intelligent, and eccentric people, over and over," he says.  "At some point, I decided that I'd carry a camera with me on my walks as a way to keep track of the people I met and the general happenings I saw on the street. And now I bring a camera with me everywhere I go."

Photo by Chris Vanderwees
(Copyright)

It is a good thing that he decided to chronicle the people he met on the street, as his photographs provide a wonderful window into our city.  For me, his work left me with the feeling of having become better acquainted with my fellow Ottawa residents.  Whether it's drug users, someone getting a tattoo, regular people going for a stroll downtown, dogs on leashes, friends hanging out, smokers puffing away or a person in a wheelchair, his images paint a full picture of all of the city's inhabitants.

What I particularly like about his photos is their non-judgmental tone.  Everyone is given a chance to display who they air through his lens, even if they are completely different from each other.

"At first, I was using a digital camera, but I couldn't afford a very good one," writes Vanderwees in his email.  "It was compact, but had a long zoom lens. It felt very impersonal to take a photograph of someone with it. At some point, I realized what I was doing was street photography, a kind of documentary photography mostly involving candid situations. I figured that this digital camera would never work for my purposes.... So, I sold the digital camera and switched to a 35mm rangefinder, a camera that produces much nicer images by comparison."

Initially, he uploaded scans of his negatives to his blog so family and friends could see his photos.  He then began carrying a book, where he could write down email and address so he could send scans or prints of his copies if the people being photographed wanted copies.

Photo by Chris Vanderwees
(Copyright)

While Vanderwees accepts donations through his site, and also occasionally receives money for developing his photos, his blog is purely a labour of love.

"I don't make any money from what I do with a camera," he says.  "To be honest, I don't really have a goal for this project except to accumulate as many good pictures as possible. I simply enjoy walking, talking to people, and taking photographs on the street. I didn't really expect the blog to gain much of an audience."

Despite his humble approach, his site has been earning a well-deserved reputation, as he now has a little over 1,000 followers.  He also has been contacted by dozens of people about his photos, had web sites asked if they could talk about his work or promote it, and also has sent a few photographs to some magazines.

"I suppose if I collect enough images, I'd be happy to produce a book of photographs with a small publisher," he says.  "Otherwise, my goal is simply to continue walking and taking pictures of people. Now that I've started doing this, it's just something I can't imagine not doing anymore. It's a bit of a compulsion, I guess."

Blog Review: Pictures from the bus, and other tales

Eastern Townships I by Lia Hiltz

Lia Hiltz is an Ottawa-based artist who also happens to work as a foreign service officer.  It is tempting to call her a Canadian diplomat who paints and draws on the side, but this description would downplay her strong artistic talent, as well as her accomplishments in art-related blogging.  While Canadians can be proud that our diplomatic corps is filled with creative people like her, Ottawa residents should be equally pleased that there are such passionate artists living in our midst.

Hiltz is known in the local blogosphere through her wonderful blog Pictures from the bus, and other tales.  The original premise behind her site was to draw pictures of people she saw on the bus, and then post them online, such as the picture on the left.  Over time, however, the blog has evolved.

"We are buying a second car so I can drive my daughter to her new school starting this fall," Hiltz tells me in an email.  "This means that while I will continue blogging, I won't have the bus blog niche anymore.  This hasn't really sunk in yet."

While in the past her blog has focused on her drawings, recent posts feature her paintings, like the one at the top of this page, as well as reviews of local artists, such as this post from last month. "Originally the blog had a heavy artist review element that I am returning to," she says in her email.  "My loose goal is to know who all the area painters are.  How that will look, I don't know."

One of the things that I really enjoy about her blog is how she chronicles her evolution as an artist.  For instance, in this post Hiltz documents her experience experimenting with a scratchboard.  Overall, I found this to be a very original and appealing blog.  Whether it's trying out a new technique, sharing words of wisdom from an art teacher, or praising the work of a local artist, her blog will definitely appeal to artists and art-lovers alike.  If you want to know more about Hiltz you can read this interview from Local Tourist Ottawa.

Blog Review: I Believe In Story

Photo courtesy of http://www.ibelieveinstory.com/

Regular readers of this site will recognize the excellent blog I Believe In Story by Maria Vicente, which I frequently link to in my Book Review Friday posts.  Currently a literary agent intern with Bree Ogden at D4EO Literary Agency, Vicente also provides freelance copy editing and book designing services, in addition to her blogging.

I first came across I Believe In Story while researching an article for Apartment613 on blogging bookworms.  Since publishing that Apartment613 story, I have discovered many other writers and bibliophiles in the local blogosphere. Some of these sites, however, have particularly caught my attention – chief among them Vicente's blog, which covers many literary related topics and is one of my favourite book-related online sites in the city.

Like other literary bloggers in town, Vicente pens many books reviews.  However, she also offers other interesting tidbits, such as her Sunday News features that contain a weekly round-up of literary links (click here for an example), her regular series "The 8 List", in which she names eight books that are connected to a specific topic (see here, here and here for examples), as well as giveaway contests, book chats and fun posts like her Literary Fashion series.

"For IBIS, 'literature' means a lot more than books," Vicente writes on her site bio.  "On the blog, all forms of storytelling are celebrated.  Posts about books, movies, television, music, fashion, and the stories of every day life will be published on the blog."

True to her word, her blogging covers a lot of facets of the literary world, and is definitely worth reading.  Thanks to her blogging, my "to read" list has added some interesting books that I would not have heard about otherwise.

Blog Review: Ottawa Showbox

Photo of Souljazz Orchestra by Alexandre Mattar
courtesy of http://blog.ottawashowbox.com

One of the great things about the Internet is that it allows regular citizens to become journalists.  In fact, I would argue that the blogosphere often contains better information and analysis than many mainstream news sites.  As a case in point, 15 years ago if I wanted to know what was going on in Ottawa I would read a daily newspaper or one of the then existing alternative weeklies.  Today, if I want to be informed about a new condo project, hear about the latest art exhibit, read a review with a local band,  or get a restaurant recommendation, I usually turn to the blogosphere first and the news media afterwards.

The above thoughts often come to mind whenever I read Ottawa Showbox, one of the city's top blogs for local music-related news.  Many moons ago, I used to work for an arts and entertainment weekly called Capital City that was based in Ottawa. At this newspaper, which has long been defunct, we extensively covered local music.  Fast forward more than a decade later, and Ottawa Showbox is doing work that is comparable to what me and my Capital City colleagues were doing years ago, or what the Ottawa (x)press wrote until it folded last year.

Founded in 2012 by Matías Muñoz, Ottawa Showbox focuses on the local music indie scene.  Eric Scharf  subsequently joined the blog to help with its coverage. Together, they produce a pretty impressive amount of work.  The site includes numerous concert reviews (see here, here, here and here for recent examples), as well as stories on new releases (see example posts here and here).  They also publish interviews with people in the music industry, such as this conversation with Benji Rogers, founder and CEO of PledgeMusic, as well as other articles, such as this review of local bands playing at this year's Ottawa Bluesfest.

In short, Ottawa Showbox is a great reminder of the power of blogging, and how people with good ideas and talent can harness the Internet to share their work.  If you are interested in knowing about indie musicians from the National Capital Region, then this is a site that you do not want to miss.

Blog Review: Ottawhatwhat?!

Image by David Berkowitz courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

The blog Ottawhatwhat?! is arguably the Re-post king of the local blogosphere. The site's motto is "Rebloggin' Ottawa stuffs", and true to its name it shares links to numerous local blogs, as well as some sites from beyond the National Capital Region.

If you are looking to expand your list of Ottawa bloggers this is an excellent place to go.  You can think of this site as equivalent to a news wire service for the local blogosphere, which reposts content from a wide range of blogs that many area residents would otherwise not hear of.

To my pleasant surprise, this blogging "wire service" allowed me to discover numerous photo-blogs, quirky sites off the beaten path, and other interesting blogs hidden in cyberspace.  As a result, I was able to add many new sites to the blogroll to the right.  In fact, thanks to the high-number of photo-blogs that are featured on Ottawawhatwhat?!, I now have enough material to write an additional post on local photographers that I plan to post in the near future, which will accompany the previous three summary posts that I have written on local photo-blogs (see here, here and here).

Blog Review: The $10 Life / Rose's Cantina

Photo of Ottawa as seen from the Museum of
Civilization by wvs courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

In 2009, Ottawa-based writer Rose Simpson wrote an essay for the Globe and Mail called We're Living the $10 Life, where she described how the once promising lives of her and her husband were turned upside down, (both went from being successful professionals to working $10 hour jobs).  The piece ended up being the most read article on the Globe's facts & arguments page for that year.

Following the publication of this story, Simpson started the blog The $10 Life: How I Lost Everything and Found Myself, to provide readers with more details of her family's daily struggles.  "Don’t get me wrong; we have a lot of fun," she wrote in her initial post on April 5, 2010.  "Our life is richer than ever as we discover life beyond the material.  I’d like to know your stories, too, because I have discovered in adversity there is community."

Fast forward three years and Simpson, whose is married and has three kids,  blogs regularly on current events with posts that combine her healthy dose of cynicism, funny observations and political / social insights.  Her blog is a recognised local site, (in February 2011, Ottawa Start named The $10 Life one of 26 essential blogs in Ottawa), while she also manages another blog called Rose's Cantina, which she started in the summer of 2011.  Both of her blogs share content, but from what I have gathered, The $10 Life currently provides thumbnails for her stories, while Rose's Cantina is where readers can find her full posts.  As such, I will refer to the latter when linking to stories for this review.

Having previously written for the now defunct Ottawa Journal, the Ottawa Citizen and the Regina Leader-Post, Simpson has a lot of journalism experience.  This background clearly shows in her writing which is brilliant.  Recent posts range from the hilarious, to an eye-opening analysis of her neighbourhood, to witty political commentary, to a fantastic post on why Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield should get the Order of Canada.

Both blogs provide everything that you could want from a columnist, namely, a good sense of humour, smart commentary, a strong sense of community, lots of curiosity, and perhaps most important of all, the ability to make her readers feel like they have a better sense of Ottawa and the world around them after reading her posts.  I must confess that I did not follow either of these two blogs closely until fairly recently, which is something that I will definitely change after discovering Simpson's great writing.

Blog Review: Meaghan to the Max

Photo courtesy of http://meaghantothemax.wordpress.com/

Imagine that you are drinking coffee in a café when you suddenly strike a conversation with an interesting stranger.  "My name is Meaghan and I work at Foreign Affairs Canada," the woman tells you, as you observe the numerous tattoos on her arm and just below her neck.  Intrigued by her intelligence,  you begin a conversation about authors, the best restaurants in Ottawa, and Meaghan's upcoming move to Jordan with her husband, where she will be posted at the Canadian embassy in Amman.

Welcome to the blog Meaghan to the Max by Meaghan King, who self-describes as a lover of making lists ("I probably think too much about the future"), an owner of a great Dane, and a person who enjoys, "scientific studies that support my level of coffee consumption."  Reading through her posts, Meaghan strikes me as someone with a great sense of humour and who is not shy about expressing her wit.  For instance, consider this review of the novel Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore:

This book is everything that Douglas Coupland isn’t, by which I mean it’s excellent and references technology and young people without making those young people sound vapid and incompetent. It’s also about books, and secret societies, and weird smart girls.

You should probably read it.

She can also poke fun at herself, while making no apologies for who she is. "The tattoos, of course, are cool for now, although I’ve been told by many an older person that I’ll regret them, so check back," she writes on her blog bio.

In terms of content, the posts are a random collection of Meaghan's interests. There are posts about her upcoming posting in Amman, in which she will also spend time in Baghdad, the rare recipe, her list of favourite food eateries in Ottawa, (I found myself nodding in agreement as I read through her choices), thoughts on a recent trip to Mexico, posts on books she's reading, and an answer to the question about how her work colleagues will react to her tattoos.

Given that The Ottawa Blogging Library is dedicated to bloggers from the National Capital Region, it's fair to ask if I will include this blog on the blogroll once Meaghan moves to Jordan.  The answer is obvious: Of course I will.  Given that I regularly follow a blogger who lives in Nunavut, I see no reason why we can't follow the adventures of an awesome Canadian diplomat from the Middle East.  Which is my unsubtle way of telling Meaghan that I hope she continues blogging from Jordan and Iraq.

Blog Review: rob mclennan's blog

Photo of rob mclennan by Pearl Pirie
(Creative Commons)

Ottawa writer and blogger rob mclennan is a local literary treasure.  Among his numerous accomplishments, he has authored 26 books, including two novels, the non-fiction work Ottawa: The Unknown City, essay collections and numerous volumes of poetry.  In addition, he has published more than 110 poetry chapbooks, contributed to more than a dozen anthologies, and edited about two dozen other literary works.

Remarkably, his impressive career includes much more than his numerous published writings.  When you add the fact that he wrote for the now defunct Ottawa (x)press, has won awards for his poetry, been shortlisted for other prizes, and received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Ottawa and the Ontario Arts Council, his career is a truly distinguished one.

Given the large body of work produced by mclennan (his name is spelled all lowercase), I plan to write a feature on him in the near future.  For the purposes of this review, however, I will focus on his personal blog, which is almost certainly one of the the most important literary sites in the National Capital Region.

Launched in 2003, the blog contains information on mclennan's writing career, similar to other author web sites.  His blogging, however, also contains a lot of other information, such as a large number of interviews with other authors and many, many book reviews.  "I wanted to have a web site where you could find everything that I am writing," mclennan tells me in a phone interview.  "But I also didn't want it to be focused solely on me."

While his blog covers poetry extensively, it also contains information from other writers.  One of my favourite parts of the blog is the numerous published interviews with a wide range of authors.  To give you a sense of mclennan's prolific blogging, here are the authors that he has interviewed in the past three weeks alone:

• British Columbia poet kevin mcpherson eckhoff;
• U.S. comic book artist Howard Chaykin;
• Short story writer Tamas Dobozy, who is also a professor at Laurier University;
• B.C.-native but now Toronto resident Gillian Savigny who is a poet;
• Florida poet Melanie Hubbard;
• California poet kathryn l. pringle; and
• Toronto visual artist and writer Jessica Hiemstra.

In our phone interview, mclennan told me that has interviewed approximately 800 writers since 2007. These interviews are on top of a huge number of book reviews, posts on literary news (such as the induction last month of local poets William Hawkins and Greg “Ritalin” Franks into the first annual VERSeOttawa Hall of Honour), and updates on mclennan's own writing career. In short, this site is essential reading for anyone who wants to know about current poets and writers, as well as keeping current on Ottawa's literary scene.

Blog Review: Manon Labrosse visual artist

Photo of Manon Labrosse courtesy of
www.manon-labrosse.com

Manon Labrosse is an Ottawa-based artist who grew up in the small francophone community of Hearst in Northern Ontario.  Having received a B.F.A from the University of Ottawa in 2002, she has resided in the nation's capital since 1998.  In the bio and artist statement that appears on her blog, she describes her work as follows:

Using the landscape to explore childhood memories from living in Northern Ontario, her work is mostly abstract except for a few chosen shapes, such as telephone poles, power lines or as per her current work, log piles.  Having an interest in symbolism, she hopes that using a shape or symbol repetitively throughout a series will create a pattern that will evoke individual connections or memories. 

On her blog, Labrosse has posted images of many of her paintings.  After reviewing her work, I found her style to to very intriguing.  One technique I particularly like is her decision to let certain drops of paint roll down the canvas, leaving clear lines.  My initial reaction when I saw this was to think of tear drops or rain drops, which create a melancholic feeling when combined with the abstract background.  These lines, however, can also symbolise an awakening, such as in her current series of paintings called Thaw, in which the lines can be thought of as the melting of snow and ice.

Thaw 4 by Manon Labrosse courtesy of
www.manon-labrosse.com

"I started this series excited about spring, about the thaw, the warmer weather, but winter keeps snapping me back to reality, which is, that winter drags on and on in Ottawa," Labrosse writes in a blog post about Thaw.  "[F]or those of us anxiously waiting for that magical time of year when birds are chirping, the sun is higher, the air smells fresher.... uh, well, it's not happening quite yet, and no amount of vitamin D supplements are going to help me now."

My favourite paintings by her are from an earlier exhibit at Art Image in Gatineau titled le paysage désolé et les pylônes.  On the left is a painting from this exhibit, which beautifully combines an abstract landscape with the shape of power lines, whose reflection can be seen on the ground.

Another series that echoes paysage désolé is her collection of paintings called power lines.  Whereas the dark colours of paysage désolé give the sense of a calm, even tranquil night, the strong red in many of the paintings in power lines produce a much more haunting effect.  For instance, looking at power lines I could imagine that the sky was bleeding.

Labrosse's work will next be on display at the Le pARTy yearly auction of the Ottawa Art Gallery.  The fundraiser at 2 Daly Avenue is scheduled for May 30, and is a great opportunity to buy art from local artists, such as Labrosse.  A group show of many artists from the National Capital Region will then be on display for about a week following the auction.  

If you want to see more of Labrosse's work, her paintings can be found at Galerie St-Laurent + Hill.  For specific examples of her work at the gallery web site click here.  In the meantime, you can read her blog to follow her artistic evolution.

Blog Review: National Capital Rock

Photo of The Yips by Andrew Carver (copyright)
Show at Mugshots, March 22, 2013

Local photographer Andrew Carver has been documenting Ottawa's music scene for years.  Since starting his blog National Capital Rock in 2005, he has published more than 3,000 posts on his blogspot site.  When I asked Carver how many photos he has posted online, he estimated that about 15,000 photographs have appeared on his blog, given that each post contains multiple photos.  Whether it's images of local bands, or out-of-town groups playing in Ottawa, he has amassed a large and impressive collection of images that chronicle the city's musical history.

Photo of Roberta Bondar by
Andrew Carver (copyright)
Show at Mugshots, August 30, 2012

While his site can be classified as a photo-blog, it is also an indispensable source of local music news, as it highlights many, if not most, of the rock shows that take place in town.  For anyone who is interested in learning about local bands and seeing live music in the city, this site is an essential fountain of information.  The long list of labels and bands that can be found on this blog is by itself a musical encyclopaedia.  In my view, this site is one of the most important music-related blogs in Ottawa.

From a photographic perspective, Carver’s photos capture the raw energy of a live concert, and transport the viewer into the club, bar, pub or house party where the concert is occurring.  Whenever I log onto his site, it is easy for me to imagine being up on stage with the musicians, or dancing the night away in a festive crowd. 

In addition to his blogspot blog, he displays his photographs on Flickr and a Tumblr account.  He is also on Twitter.  If you are a music fan, I highly encourage you to view his prolific work.

Blog Review: Beer O'Clock

Photo by localsurfer courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

If you like to try different beers then the blog Beer O'Clock is for you.  Created by Ross Brown, this local site specialises in reviewing a wide range of beers.  In the last three weeks alone, the site has looked at such brands as:

• The German smoke beer Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier;
• Rosée d'Hibiscus from Quebec's Brasserie Dieu du Ciel;
• The Red Sashes, another beer from Quebec;
• Péché Mortel, a popular brand from Brasserie Dieu du Ciel;
• The scary sounding Dead Guy Ale from the brewery Rogue Ales in Oregon,
• The Screamin' Beaver from the Vankleek, Ontario-based Beau's All Natural Brewing Company;
• Patio Saison, also from Beau's; and
• Matt's Sleepy Time, another Beau brand.

Each review contains a description of the beer's appearance, smell, taste and overall impression, before receiving a score out of 5. The variety of beers sampled is pretty wide, so if you want to expand your brew menu this blog is a goldmine of information.

While this blog contains primarily beer reviews, you can also find posts on local beer-related events, such as the WinterBrewed Festival on Sparks Street that took place earlier this year. Overall, this is an ideal site for the beer lover and connaisseur, who likes to think of beer as a wonderful joy that needs to be savoured.

Blog Review: 40-Word Years

Photo by Pearl Pirie
(Creative Commons)

I recently wrote a feature on Pearl Pirie, an eclectic and prolific blogger whose posts, photographs, poems and articles can be found in more than a dozen online sites.  While I highlighted her numerous projects, I did not describe any of her blogs in detail, partly due to space constraints, but also because the feature was about her and not a review of a specific site.

Of the numerous blogs that I reviewed, however, some stood out more than others.  In the coming months, I hope to write two or three reviews of my favourite Pirie-managed sites, so I can write at greater length on why I like these blogs.

I want to start with 40-Word Years, which is the blog that intrigues me the most. In my feature on Pirie, I described this site as follows: "Her blog 40-Word Years is an ingenious collection of poem-posts, each 40-words long, that celebrate people who have impacted her life."

After publishing the feature, Pirie clarified that she does not view this site as a collection of poems. "I've got a few disclaimers over the length of the posts that I don't consider that blog poetry," she told me in an email.  "It's a writing/thinking project.  Some entries use poetic devices for compression but I don't conceive of them as poems.  Some may be in effect but that's not the aim.  That project's been useful for me to build a story of self and to learn to distill."

This email response made me think about why I like this blog.  The answer that I came up with is that each 40-word post is akin to a literary photograph that captures a unique person, moment and/or thought.  For instance, consider tribute # 341 - Hog:

One from the family surveyed, went eye-
to-equal-eye as I sat in the dim
pen. Our focus and interest fluxed. My
not striking raised her trust. In her white-lash-trimmed
gaze she became resigned, curious. See?
Without words consigned to speak directly.

This tender-sounding post made me think of a child who is seeking to communicate with an animal, and finding that it is possible.  My favourite "photograph", however, is tribute # 242 - farmer (1980s), which reads as follows:

whenever dad and I went cross-country near Almonte we passed:
the farmer living-out-loud made me feel ashamed, cowardly

for not making some similarly public act. why should I too
not elicit derision? keeping my light under a safe
overheating basket...

Reading the post about the farmer, I could imagine Pirie travelling by this farm, looking out the car window, and thinking about how to live a good life, even if it resulted in being ridiculed. This ability of Pirie to create a clear imagine in the reader's head is why I call these posts literary "photographs" that are 40-words long, and which provide a unique lens for viewing the world.  That being said, other readers may have a different insight, so I encourage you to go and read these 40-word snapshots on your own.