Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Scarborough Book Cracks The Book Short List  By Stephen Weir Trinidadian Canadian writer David Chariandy’s award winning novel, Brothers, is up for another prize.   The winner of the 2017 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize has just been nominated for this year’s Toronto Book Awards. David Chariandy’s book is a devastating story about the love between a mother and her sons, the impact of race, masculinity and the senseless loss of young lives in Scarborough, in the violent summer of 1991. Brothers is one of five books on the City of Toronto and  Toronto Public Library ‘s 2018 Toronto Book Awards shortlist. Established by Toronto City Council in 1974, the awards honour books of literary merit that are evocative of Toronto. The 2018 shortlist is: ·       Dionne Brand “ The Unpublished City “, ·       David Chariandy “ Brother “, ·       Carrianne Leung “ That Time I Loved You “, ·       Lee Maracle “ My Conversations with Canadians “, ·

Playing Flute in the window. Cooking Love In the Kitchen Famed jazz flutist and author Sherry Winston has a recipe for the perfect romantic at-home dinner date.   Subdued lighting (“bright lights are a turn-off). The right music ( at my age loud hip hop is a no-no). And Chicken Wings – of course the recipe comes from her latest aphrodisiac laden recipe book! The New Yorker has played with Stevie Wonder, performed for both the Clintons and George Bush and cooked on TV with Emirl Lagasse!    After Friday night, she can now say that she performed and signed her cookbook “ For Lovers Only: A Cookbook and More  “ in the front window of the Another Book List in Toronto. The Bathurst and Bloor bookstore includes a large performance space for visiting musicians and authors.   On Friday night they featured a woman who is both!   For Winston’s only public appearance in Canada over 50 long-time fans came out for the 2-hour event.   As well, she and her host Dr. Maurice Bygrave di

The Trinidadian Name Game: Nang by Nang By Stephen Weir I suggested to award winning Canadian filmmaker Richard Fung that his new documentary about 94-year old Nang could be called Travels with my Trinidadian Aunt. “No!” he said.  “Everyone seems to think that Nang is my aunt, but, even though we are 30-years apart, she is my cousin!” Fung – an award winning Trinidadian born filmmaker and a professor at the OCAD University in downtown Toronto – is premiering his 40-minute documentary  Nang by Nang , next Wednesday evening (September 12) at the Royal Cinema as part of the Caribbean Tales Film Festival.  Nine days later he will be premiering the movie again in Trinidad as part of their Film Festival.  He spoke to me last week about the movie at his home in Toronto.   Fung’s film is the story of his aunt who now lives in the US and how they meet and travelled together back to Trinidad to explore their shared family tree.  The documentary is told for the most part by Nang – Fung

Nickolai Salcedo readies to climb aboard the world stage for  his role in the new Trini-Canadian flick By Stephen Weir It is not just actor Nickolai Salcedo who is waiting for a bus to arrive.   It is the whole cast and crew of the new Canadian / Trinidadian movie, Hero , that are anxiously wondering when and where their soon-to-be previewed film is going to take them. Salcedo plays Ulric Cross, the famed Trinidadian World War II airman. The Hero is a full-length docudrama that tells the story of the life and times of Cross. He was squadron leader for the Brits and went on after the War to become a jurist and diplomat. His life spanned key events of the 20th Century when independent African and Caribbean nations came of age.   It is all going to happen quickly.   Next week, at the September 5 th gala kick-off of Toronto’s Caribbean Tales Film Festival, Hero will be shown for the very first time.   Salcedo in Bloor St West coffee shop   “I am ready to go where-eve