All posts by MJS

Brantford news, Events, Meetings

The High Ladies: Feb speakers

February 26 General Meeting Speakers

The High Ladies began as two moms seeking a creative outlet separate from parenting and other responsibilities. Familiar with cannabis themselves, they bravely set out to open a conversation around mindful and respectful use of cannabis. Through a podcast format, they aimed to break down the stigma related to cannabis, and offer a mature and rational perspective on cannabis consumption. With the legalization of cannabis, they made it their mission to dispel myths about the industry and even help politicians understand its potential benefits and its contribution to the Canadian economy.

The High Ladies Podcast has gained national recognition with appearances on Breakfast Television, and awards such as Best Cannabis Podcast, a nomination for Barrie Women in Business Visionary Award, and they have published High Aspirations: A Commemorative Look at Canadian Cannabis.

The High Ladies, Annie Dillabough and Amanda La Touche, will share information such as what cannabis is, how it works, the difference between tcp and cbd, benefits and downsides of cannabis, and what to expect in a cannabis store. They approach this serious topic with humour and respect, aiming to educate and inform with accurate and documented facts about this still enigmatic topic.

*This meeting will be held on zoom, starting at 7:00 pm.

 

Brantford news, Interest Groups, review, What's new

Dining Out: Rangoli’s in Brantford

The Dining out Group likes to stay close to home in the winter months so we were delighted to learn about a new East Indian Restaurant in Brantford called Rangoli’s.  The colourful art on the wall is  joyful, as is the music.  The food was delicious (a few of us were grateful for a dish of yogurt to cool down the tandoori dishes)!  We recommend this restaurant for its good food, relaxed atmosphere, lovely setting and charming staff.

Brantford news, Interest Groups, review

Thursday night book club discusses McBride’s Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

January Book Club Review:

The Thursday Night book club started the New year discussing James McBride’s book, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.  This book received mixed reviews during group discussion.

The book starts with the discovery of a body in a well in the contemporary town of Pottsville Pa.  (This storyline is not completed until the last few chapters of the book).

The reader is then taken back to the 1930’s where we are introduced to a multitude of characters who inhabit Chicken Hill a “suburb” of Pottstown.  Each individual has a separate story with their own issues, struggles and feelings.  Yet, each “short” story, with lots of tangents and back stories, is integrated to the main story line which is about a mixed -race community and how the people interact with each other and unite together in common purpose when it is needed.  There is no main protagonist and no central story line.  Despite race, religion and class there is a community.

McBride’s uses a blend of literary and historical fiction (Pottstown, Chicken Hill and Pennhurst Asylum are not fictional places) and humour to address black/white racism and antisemitism.  His  purpose through the book is to “humanize” the complications of discussing race in America, the task of understanding other people, and offering the suggestion that it is possible to jump over the differences that separate us.  This is a message novel – “every act of being is a chance to improve the world”.

Too many characters, too many sub plots, too slow moving or an accurate illustration of a diverse community with unique individuals who chose how to let themselves be known and seen by others in  a common cause?

Brantford news, Events, Meetings

January Speaker: Karen Stiller — the art and pleasures of memoir writing

This month Karen Stiller will speak to us about The Art and Pleasures of Memoir Writing.

Karen is a teacher of writing and a writing coach. Her work has appeared in publications like The Walrus, Reader’s Digest, Faith Today, and In Trust. For 22 years she was senior editor of Faith Today (Canada’s Christian magazine) and host of the Faith Today Podcast.

She has moderated the annual Religion and Society series at the University of Toronto, a debate series between leading atheists and theologians that seeks to generate critical conversations on matters of faith, society and public interest.

Karen has travelled extensively with her work and has written about life in refugee camps in South Sudan and Uganda, and community development projects in Senegal and Cambodia.

She has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Non-Fiction and she is now working on a doctorate in The Sacred Art of Writing at Western Seminary in Holland Michigan. Her latest book, Holiness, published in 2023 explores how Holiness permeates our everyday messy lives.

Karen lives in Ottawa and has  three adult children.

Brantford news, Interest Groups

Thursday night book group: A Shocking and disturbing read!

A Shocking and disturbing read! This was the overall consensus of Thursday book club members who read Killers of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. The Osage Nation of Oklahoma, was the wealthiest per capita in the 1920’s until they were killed off one by one. Little was done to investigate and solve the crimes. The group drew many parallels with other horrific events in indigenous history. Lighter reads ahead!