[audiobook] Knitting in the Fast Lane: More Than 35 Projects for All Skill Levels by Christina L. Holmes; Mary Colucci at Arts-Photography

Description

Since the election of Mayor David Miller in November 2003; Toronto has experienced a wave of civic pride and enthusiasm not felt in decades. At long last; Torontonians see their city as a place of possibility and potential. Visions of a truly workable; liveable and world-class city are once again dancing in citizensrsquo; heads. In the past two years; this spirit has; directly or indirectly; manifested itself in multifarious forms: in writer Sheila Hetirsquo;s sui generis lecture series; Trampoline Hall; in the transformation of derelict hotels such as the Drake and the Gladstone into cultural hotspots; in renewed interest in waterfront revitalization and public transportation; in exciting; controversial architectural developments such as the OCAD building; the expansion of the ROM and the AGO; in the [murmur] project; which catalogues stories about Toronto neighbourhoods and broadcasts them to peoplersquo;s cell phones; in the explosion of the local independent music scene.uTOpia aims to capture and chronicle that spirit; collecting writing by many of the people inspired by and involved in these projects. Featuring passionate; visionary essays by thirty-four different journalists; artists; thinkers; architects and activists; uTOpia is a compendium of ideas; opinions and strategies. The anthology explores plans to redevelop the Island airport into a Wardrsquo;s Island-style community; how the Zeidler family is energizing artist-run centres; what a car-free Kensington Market might mean; the necessity and beauty of laneway housing; the way past efforts to combat devastating developments like the Spadina Expressway have shaped current activism; what a utopian Toronto might look like mapped out; and much; much more. Playful; erudite and accessible; uTOpia writes Toronto as it is shared and created by the people who live here. Though it is by no means a complete picture of what is happening in the city right now; it will hopefully show that what was once just a T-shirt slogan – I Heart T.O. – is now genuine; heartfelt sentiment.Contributors include Howard Akler; Andrew Alfred-Duggan; Jacob Allderdice; Bert Archer; James Bow; Nicole Cohen; Jonny Dovercourt; Dale Duncan; Philip Evans; Mark Fram; Misha Glouberman; Chris Hardwicke; Sheila Heti; Alfred Holden; Luis Jacob; Lorraine Johnson; Edward Keenan; Mark Kingwell; John Lorinc; Sally McKay; Heather McLean; Dave Meslin; Shawn Micallef; Derek Murr; Ninjalicious; Darren Orsquo;Donnell; Planning Action; Barbara Rahder; Dylan Reid; Erik Rutherford; Jeffrey Stinson; Deanne Taylor; Conan Tobias; Steacute;phanie Verge; Adam Vaughan and Marlena Zuber.