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Who I'm voting for this municipal election

This Monday, we go vote for our Mayors, councillors, and school board trustees in the municipal election. You’ll remember to vote, right? Set yourself a calendar reminder right now before you continue reading, I’ll wait. In Waterloo Region we’ve got a few different ballots to pay attention to. If …

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A Little Devil in America Book Review

Hanif Abdurraqib
Subtitled "Notes in Praise of Black Performance", this book explores all the nooks and crannies of what we mean by *performance*, from Aretha Franklin's hours-long funeral to Beyoncé's tribute to the Black Panthers during her Superbowl halftime show appearance. But it's also about the intimate moments of performing for close friends, family members, elders... Abdurraqib is a master at melding historical context, cultural critique, and emotional presence.

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Fallout Book Review

Peter Such
A clumsy mashed-together story set in the 1950s uranium boom towns of Northern Ontario. Sparse sentences, meant to evoke a more poetic Hemingway, fail to stick the landing and end up feeling like a novel written in bullet points. The characters don't have romantic tension so much as surprise horniness. Unsatisfying all around.

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Learning from 20 years of high-density development in Kitchener

When I have conversations with friends and neighbours about new housing being built in Kitchener, I see a strong sense of bewilderment — especially when they haven’t been downtown in a while. “I don’t even recognize Kitchener anymore with all the new condo towers.” “With these high-rises popping up …

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