Erica Lenti was the Spring 2015 editor of the RRJ. Pedestrian, Parochial, and Powerful
The urban activists behind spacing magazine are gaining major political ground, even as the sidewalk erodes beneath them
It’s a Monday evening and Spacing magazine’s creative director, 31-year-old Matt Blackett, is holding an editorial meeting at the house he shares with two roommates and a roving squatter. Sitting on a turned-over milk crate, his wavy hair tamed by a hat, Blackett opens the meeting with his latest rant. This time it’s about Toronto’s […]
Commuter Blues
The free dailies are thriving... too bad the journalism inside isn't
On Thursday, December 23, 2004, P. J. Harston, editor-in-chief of Toronto commuter daily newspaper 24 Hours, was in his office late. Most other staffers had gone home for the holidays. In walked the pre-production foreman, with the front page of the paper in his hands. “They pulled your paper off the press,” says the foreman. […]
Last Gasp
When done well, the intricate craft of obit writing reveals more life than death
“But the world, it seems, is full of secret obituary readers who are gradually coming out of their closets. Mention at any dinner party that you are an obituary writer and someone always admits to turning to the obituary page first. And they are, er, dying for more.” ~ Tim Bullamore, Freelance writer from Bath, […]
A Day in the Life
Style writer Tralee Pearce's not so glamorous life
Tralee Pearce has a flair for uncovering the latest trends. She also enjoys writing about the fun things in life, which is the core of The Globe and Mail’s Saturday Style section. From gazing at intricately designed jewellery at Cartier Boutique to schmoozing with socialites and fashionistas in Rosedale, she admits her life is a […]
A Stoppage in Play-by-Play
Hockey journalists scramble to cover a non-existent season
For the past few months, Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun sports reporter, sat at home every evening and rolled dice. Recording the results, he marked them next to a fake National Hockey League (NHL) schedule. Five minutes later, he had the day’s standings, and player statistics, which took half a page in the next day’s edition. […]
Bigot or Champion of Truth?
Vice founder Gavin McInnes on his notorious do's and don'ts and more
To look at him, you wouldn’t know Gavin McInnes is the wealthy head of a “multinational brand.” You might mistake him for an average thirtysomething, though – one whose earlier indiscretions are responsible for a few too many trips to the tattoo parlour. Last year, at a book reading in Chicago, he appeared on stage […]
Three for the Price of One
How new techniques combine the best of print, broadcast and online journalism
A piano plays softly as images of the wrecked plane fade in and out. A man’s voice solemnly describes an encounter with a young boy who asks why his daddy’s plane is in so many pieces. The photos fade into a picture of a serene sky with a distant lighthouse—the piano keeps playing. Click An […]
Maisonneuve Earns Respect
Growing pains, magazine awards, circulation growth? All in a year's work for Montreal's favourite underdog
It’s a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon in late September 2004. At Queen’s Park in downtown Toronto, Word on the Street is in high gear. Every year, on the last Sunday of September, Canadian publishers gather at various locations across the country. These simultaneous, one-day literary festivals promote their books, magazines, and journals. On the […]
