Write in the Neighbourhood
Originally aired on October 23
Re-release November 30
Take an audio journey through the neighbourhoods that inspired your favourite Toronto stories. TIFA’s Write in the Neighbourhood podcast returns for a second season, with a new roster of local authors as your guides. Hear them bring neighbourhoods to life through readings, interviews and ambient recordings. Episodes will feature Silmy Abdullah, Elaine Bomberry, Erica Commanda, Mnawaate Gordon-Corbiere, Uzma Jalaluddin, Perry King and Andre Morriseau.
New episodes of the podcast will be released on October 23, 25, 27 and 29 at 12pm ET. You can still listen to the first season on your favourite podcast site above!
Episode 2.1: Oakridge with Silmy Abdullah
We’re meeting Silmy Abdullah today at Victoria Park and Danforth, where Crescent Town, East York crosses over into Oakridge, Scarborough. Silmy is the author of Home of the Floating Lily, an eight-story anthology that follows immigrant families entangled in the heartaches and serendipity of being caught between cultures, countries and loved ones. We spoke to Silmy about five waypoints that connect newcomers in their search for home in the city and beyond.
Episode 2.2: South Parkdale with Perry King
We’re meeting Perry King today in South Parkdale at the crossway of King, Queen, The Queensway and Roncesvalles. Fresh off the press, Perry’s debut book Rebound plots the history of grassroots sports as a vector of community courtship and belonging against the commotion of sprawling urban centres. In the midst of great neighbourhood change, Perry shares five waypoints and recounts the resilience of the players that have persisted– no matter the quarter, period or inning they find themselves in.
Episode 2.3: Middlefield with Uzma Jalaluddin
We’re meeting Uzma Jalaluddin today in the thriving cultural mosaic of Middlefield, Markham. Uzma’s charming tale of star-crossed love in Hana Khan Carries On follows an aspiring storyteller as she sets out to develop her voice for radio alongside the struggling family business. Through five waypoints, we spoke to Uzma about the symbiotic co-existence of new immigrant communities in Middlefield that sets the tone for her novel.
Episode 2.4: Indigenous Toronto
We’re meeting downtown today with one of the co-editors of the Indigenous Toronto collection, Mnawaate Gordon-Corbiere, and contributors Elaine Bomberry, Erica Commanda and Andre Morriseau to unearth twelve-thousand-years’ worth of Indigenous history in the city. With each sharing a vibrant waypoint of Indigenous revitalization, we connect with the stories that have carried the urban landscape of Toronto and the art and activism that’s shaping the future.
