Category:Writing Space

It would be impossible to imagine our lives without the comforts of technology. Our physically inferior species would have died without our penchant for using tools. It separated us not only from the animals but also from nature.

When renowned 19th-century painter John Millais allowed Thomas Barrett to use his paintings to promote Pears’ soap, he hoped the ads would foster an appreciation for the fine arts. As it turned out, artists enjoyed their exclusivity and resented mixing “high culture” with “the vulgar.” Millais invited the wrath of his peers because he allowed…

I  stood before the full-length mirror inside my closet door and began my inspection. Everything had to be perfect. It was all my friends and I could talk about since the first poster went up in the lunch hall a month ago. Sharon and Jessica, from the “popular” group, joined the dance committee this year…

People either love or hate their feet. There is no middle ground. There was a time when you didn’t even know you had feet. Then, one day, you put a toe in your mouth, and that was that. They became a part of you. When was the last time you looked at your feet? Do…

I hate freestyle.I don’t like writing without form.I live for form. It represents years of practice.Years of reading, reflecting, writing, reflecting, editing, and then reflecting some more.Form is about work. Work that I have done for you.Form means I had the courtesy to clean things up, so you will not have to sift through garbage,…

While helping my mom clean out the basement last spring, I came across a shoebox full of old cassette tapes from my childhood. When I was 8, my parents had given me a Fisher Price tape recorder for Christmas. Casually slipping it into conversations, I requested extra chores to earn it. I also stuck notes…

Please don’t tell me not to do something. And please don’t be mad when I do something that you tell me not to do. I understand my defiance upsets you. I also understand why my defiance surprises you. You are surprised because you expected me to obey. You are upset because I will not give…

I was photographing the wedding party on the lawn of Osgoode Hall. No dark clouds were overhead, but the day’s forecast predicted rain. The Bride seemed uneasy, so I tried to finish the photo session quickly. I instructed the Bride to sit on a nearby bench under a willow tree. She nervously glanced up at…

Don’t bother sitting on the fence or teetering on the ledge.Don’t bother thinking. Just step off the edge.Come.Join your brothers.Go.Be with your sisters.They are the fallen: your true kin, your brethren.You’re scared of pain. You hate feeling loss.You’re already there, friend, so go on; toss.Everything sacred, all you hold dear.Step off that ledge.You know, it’s…

While technological advancements offer society significant gains, they always come with a price: What if we created a world where Spider-man could not exist? As with the rest of the world, I am thrilled about Kate Middleton’s pregnancy. I am ecstatic that K. Stew and R. Pattz’s love is strong enough to weather fame and…

I developed what my doctor called “mild insomnia” while working as a legal assistant in one of the prominent Toronto law firms. I silently bristled at his addition of the word “mild” to my diagnosis because it seemed to imply that I failed to meet the requisite hours of sleep deprivation needed for my condition…