Our Afterlight Book Club Meeting Tomorrow, Write Space Series and FREE Essay Help Workshop for High School Students

May 4, 2015 Space Blog

Fellow earthlings and volunteers, thank you to everyone who participated in our button-making fun during the Bloordale Spring Fest! We had an absolute blast!

If you missed this event and would like to take part in the next one, keep checking back to our blog and our events page on our website to find out what’s going on!

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Our Afterlight Book Club is Meeting TOMORROW
Fellow readers, it’s that time again! Tomorrow night at 6:30 our Afterlight Book Club will be meeting to discuss The Massey Murder by Charlotte Gray.

This event is open to everyone. RSVP on our Meetup event page to let us know you’re coming!

Our Write Space Series
Are you writing a book and wondering how to approach editors, agents and publishers?

Vikki VanSickle, author of the critically acclaimed Clarissa book series for kids will be hosting the first workshop in our next Write Space series. She will discuss everything you need to know about the publishing process from how to find an agent, to working with an editor, self-promotion and what to expect in the Canadian market.

Each seat at our writer’s table costs $50. Click here to sign up while there’s still space available!

FREE Essay Help Workshop for High School Students
We’re hosting a FREE Essay Help Workshop on Saturday, May 23, for high school students who need help with their year-end assignments.

Each student will get one-on-one help with their assignments, lunch and a tour of the University of Toronto. All for no cost!

The workshop will take place from 10am – 12 pm (the tour of the university will be after the workshop) at the Multi-Faith Building (569 Spadina Ave.) at the University of Toronto.

Space for our FREE Essay Help Workshop is limited. Contact Joe at joe@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca or call (416)645-1049 with your name, what grade you’re in and which class your essay is for by Thursday, May 21 to sign up.

Good luck with your year-end assignments!

Story Club, our Afterlight Book Club Meeting Next Week, Essay Bootcamp and a Job Opening

April 27, 2015 Space Blog

Space explorers, are you “mad” about party decorating? Our “Eat, Drink, and be Mad” Mad Libs fundraiser is coming up on Thursday, May 28 and we need your help! We’re looking for volunteers to join our decorating committee, as well as about twenty people to help us with setting up, as well as passing cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, tending to the silent auction, and other such tasks during the actual event.

If you are free to lend us a hand with what is positive to be an exciting day and night, email Rebecca and Michelle at volunteer@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca. Our Mad Libs fundraisers are always a guaranteed barrel of laughs and fun!

Story Club

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Our third and final round of Story Club will be starting up this Thursday after school. As with the previous editions of this workshop, stargazers from Story Planet will be joining forces with the superheroes at 826NYC to publish a dual-city travel guide like no other: The Young Astronaut’s Guide to Toronto / The Young Superhero’s Guide to New York.

What a fun way to learn about another city!

Afterlight Book Club
This is a friendly reminder to all the book lovers in our galaxy: next Tuesday, May 5, 2015, our Afterlight Book Club will be meeting to discuss The Massey Murder, by Charlotte Gray. A 2013 selection of “The Globe Books 100: Best Canadian Non-Fiction” list and finalist for the RBC Taylor Prize in 2014, The Massey Murder tells the true story behind the 1915 murder of one of the richest men in Canada. Full of murder, suspense and surprise, this book will give our book club plenty to discuss!

Check out our Meetup event page to find out more about the book, RSVP and let us know of any dietary conditions we should be aware of.

Happy reading!

Essay Bootcamp
We’re looking for volunteers to give one-on-one help to high school students working on their final English, Humanities and Social Sciences essays.

Our Essay Bootcamp will be held at the Multi-Faith Building (569 Spadina Ave.) on Saturday, May 31 from 10 am to 12 pm. There will be an additional one-evening training session in May (the date and time for the training session is T.B.A.).

Email Rebecca and Michelle at volunteer@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca to find out more about how you can help out!

We’re looking for a new Program Coordinator!
Do you have a passion for working with young people to help them tell their stories? If so, we may have a job for you! We’re currently looking for a new Program Coordinator to join our team. Check out this Charity Village link to find out more about the job opening at Story Planet.

And, of course, if that job doesn’t look right for you, we’re always looking for volunteers to help out with our Homework Club and Alpha Workshops. Email Rebecca and Michelle at volunteer@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca to find out more about how you can help out!

Duffy’s Dispatches: Getting Colourful with Artist Callen Schaub

April 24, 2015 Space Blog

Callen Schaub is an artist and graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design’s Drawing & Painting program. Known for his spin and pendulum work, Callen has painted, illustrated, and sculpted for Story Planet. In 2013, he co-founded Project Gallery, a commercial art gallery in the Leslieville area. 

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Duffy: I ended up here by accident, but I don’t recall you crash-landing as well. How did you get involved with Story Planet and what kinds of projects have you done for us?

Callen: I was in school and one of my professors thought I had an interesting illustration style. He thought I would be a good match for Story Planet.

When I started, I was mostly focused on illustrating for the Alphas to help inspire kids to write stories. I’ve also done some sculpture work with kids to make their characters, and I’ve helped at Story Planet’s portfolio-building workshop.

Gliese 436 b (Ice Planet) Acrylic and latex on canvas 12” x12” 2015 Gliese 436 b’s main constituent was initially predicted to be hot ice in various exotic high-pressure forms, which remains solid because of the planet’s gravity despite the high temperatures.
Gliese 436 b (Ice Planet)
Acrylic and latex on canvas 12” x12”, 2015
Gliese 436 b’s main constituent was initially predicted to be hot ice in various exotic high-pressure forms, which remains solid because of the planet’s gravity despite the high temperatures.

Duffy: You currently have a series up for sale in the Intergalactic Travel Authority featuring some of my favourite celestial bodies. I used to mine Gliese 436 b for its infamous hot ice for my equally infamous house parties. As an Earthling, what inspired this series?

Callen: My paintings are usually abstract, but recently they’ve taken on a galactic, celestial appearance. These planets just started coming to me naturally, but I wanted to add more context to them. That’s where the naming came into the fold: these names are more site-specific. I wanted to get more educated about these planets, and I wanted to get kids who come in to learn about space as well.

Duffy: I’m glad you brought up naming. I’ve been told I named myself after a disgraced Senator with questionable spending habits. How do you name your pieces?

Callen: I don’t usually make a piece and name it myself. I’ll ask people, get their input, and talk about what the piece is trying to do and how it makes them feel. Together we can arrive at a proper title, while still trying to keep the option of thinking differently about the artwork.

Methelusa (Ancient Planet) Acrylic on canvas 12” x12” 2015 Methelusa AKA PSR B1620-26 b is the oldest planet discovered in the universe, at approximately 13 billion years old. The planet has a circumbinary orbit around two stars, a pulsar and a white dwarf, and is the first circumbinary planet ever confirmed.
Methelusa (Ancient Planet)
Acrylic on canvas 12” x12”, 2015
Methelusa AKA PSR B1620-26 b is the oldest planet discovered in the universe, at approximately 13 billion years old. The planet has a circumbinary orbit around two stars, a pulsar and a white dwarf, and is the first circumbinary planet ever confirmed.

Duffy: Let’s get hypothetical for a parsec. If you were going on a space mission for two years and could take one book, one movie, and one colour of paint with you, what would they be?

Callen: *after several torturous moments of deep consideration* I would bring… a sketchbook! Then, I would probably make a home video of all my friends and family so I could watch my loved ones so I wasn’t lonely in space. Hmm… one colour? I guess I’ll just have to go with green. I don’t think there are a lot of things that are green in space.

Duffy: Well! You win for finding the most creative way around that question. Speaking of things going around, tell me a little bit about your spin and pendulum paintings.

Callen: The original idea came to me when I was in a painting class at OCAD. I looked around and realized, “I’m in an art college. I’m supposed to be pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is new.” We were all doing the same thing. So I ran down to the pottery floor, got a potter’s wheel, and started spinning my canvas on it and splashing paint. It sort of started as a gimmick, but I realized there was a lot of potential with the spinning technique. I have an interesting homemade contraption to spin my paintings. Five years later, I’m still spinning and finding new and interesting ways in which paint responds to centrifugal motion.

Duffy: Sounds like something I should give a whirl! I’ve been researching Earth hobbies. So far I’ve discovered that humans love strapping knives to their feet while hitting round objects with sticks, watching movies that stimulate their fear systems on purpose, and complaining about how they never get enough of this totally useless thing called “sleep”. Do you have any hobbies you could recommend?

Callen: I do a couple interesting things. I’m a unicyclist, which you should definitely try out. I’m also an arborist, which is a tree surgeon. That’s not really recommended for children yet because it’s a dangerous line of work.

Duffy: Okay. Last question, but the most important one: what is something that makes you laugh?

Callen: Tickling! Tickling makes me laugh.

Duffy: …Where?

Callen: That’s a little personal, Duffy. But probably my feet!

Check out more of Callen’s work on his website, and don’t forget to stop by the ITA to see his whole planet series in person.  

 

Writer’s Club and Integrative Thinking Workshop on Monday and Announcing Two Judges for Our Mad Libs Event

April 20, 2015 Space Blog

We have a lot to announce this week! This Monday, we’re hosting a FREE Integrative Thinking Workshop in conjunction with Rotman School of Management AND kicking off our FREE Writer’s Club Workshop. As well, we’re so excited to announce two of the judges for our Mad Libs Story Battle happening at Propeller Coffee Co. on May 28.

It’s an exciting time to be part of our team. If you’d like to join us, send us an email at volunteer@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca and let us know!

FREE Integrative Thinking Workshop in Conjunction with Rotman School of Management
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We’re hosting a workshop this Monday night at 6 pm in conjunction with Rotman School of Management all about Integrative Thinking. At the core, Integrative Thinking helps people make better choices when they face challenges that have no single right answer. If you would like to learn more about how to equip students with the tools needed to problem solve critically and creatively, come join us in what is sure to be an informative night!

FREE Writer’s Club Kicks Off Today
Our FREE Monday Writer’s Club Workshop gives students in grades 5-8 a chance to explore new types of creative writing projects. Whether they’d like to try out song writing, photojournalism, comedy, whatever… we’re here to help!

Our Writer’s Club Workshop will be held every Monday from 4-5 pm. To register, please contact Joe at joe@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca or phone us at 416-645-1049.

Announcing the Judges for this Year’s Mad Libs Event
Flambé fans, get excited! Kevin Sylvester, illustrator, broadcaster and author of the Neil Flambé book series has officially signed on as one of our judges for our upcoming Mad Libs Story Battle. Next to him, we’ll be having chef and food stylist, Christine Tizzard, whose recipe for gluten-free brownies is out of this world!

Think you’ve got the perfect recipe for an Anti-Matter Mojito? Email it to info@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca and it might just end up being the signature drink of our fundraiser!

Cleaning-Up Day at Story Planet
We’re looking to do some much needed spring-cleaning this Saturday and we can use your help to get this place neat and tidy. If you have 2 hours (or more) to spare, let us know. Give us a call at 416-645-1049 or email Michelle and Rebecca at volunteer@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca. Thanks for your help!

Spring Cleaning Our Space, Our Upcoming Mad Libs Fundraiser, Writer’s Club, Integrative Thinking Workshop and Story Club

April 13, 2015 Space Blog

Do you have a passion for cleaning? Does the thought of labeling and recycling, and organizing make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Then head on down to Story Planet on Saturday, April 25! We’re looking to do some much needed spring-cleaning and we can use your help to get this place neat and tidy. If you have 2 hours (or more) to spare, let us know! Give us a call at 416-645-1049 or email Michelle and Rebecca at volunteer@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca. Thanks for your help!

Our 3rd Annual Mad Libs-Themed Story Battle Fundraiser

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS! We’re hosting our 3rd annual Mad Libs-themed story battle fundraiser on Thursday, May 28 at Propeller Coffee Co. near Bloor and Lansdowne. Get your tickets now before they sell out!

Think you’ve got the perfect Martian Martini recipe? Email it to info@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca and it might just end up being the signature drink of our fundraiser.

Our Writer’s Club Workshop Starts Next Week!
This FREE workshop series starting next Monday will give students in grades 5-8 the chance to work on a range of creative writing projects. You bring your ideas and we’ll supply paper and pens!

The program will run every Monday from 4-5pm starting April 20th. To register, please contact Joe at joe@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca or phone us at 416-645-1049.

FREE Integrative Thinking Workshop
On Monday, April 20th, we’ll be hosting a FREE workshop in conjunction with Rotman School of Management all about Integrative Thinking. At the core, Integrative Thinking helps people make better choices when they face challenges that have no single right answer. If you would like to learn more about how to equip students with the tools needed to problem solve critically and creatively, come join us in what is sure to be an informative night!

The workshop will take place at Story Planet on Monday, April 20 from 5:30-8:30 pm. Contact Liz (liz@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca) for more information or to sign up.

Story Club
Thanks to the overwhelming response, our upcoming Story Club workshop is officially full and ready for take off on April 30. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, you can email Joe at joe@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca.

Thanks to everyone who signed up to help us create an awesome travel guide for young astronauts!

Duffy’s Dispatches: An Interview with Context Creative

April 8, 2015 Space Blog

Context Creative is a marketing and web design company which helped launch our website into the exosphere. I shouted a few questions into the void, and Andy Strote, Context Creative’s Director of Strategic Services, kindly shouted back.

Duffy: Greetings, Andy. Could you tell us how you got involved with Story Planet?

Andy: I knew about Dave Eggers before there was a Story Planet. In fact, about 10 years ago, I made a point of visiting 826 Valencia on a vacation in San Francisco. I have a t-shirt from the pirate store! Then one of my friends, and eventual Story Planet board member Daniel Ho said a similar outlet might open in Toronto, and was I interested?

Sure! The first meeting was in a bar at Bloor and Bathurst. There were many people involved with getting this off the ground obviously, but that night I volunteered Context Creative to build the website. And it rolled from there….

Duffy: From strategizing marketing campaigns to developing websites, Context Creative appears to do it all. (If you’re ever looking for a career change, we could use your versatility on long-term space missions.)  Can you expand a little on the different ways you bring a client’s vision to life?

 Andy: The first step in bringing a client’s vision to life is to ensure we all have a common understanding of that vision. It’s important that we’re very clear on the objectives, the audience(s) we’re talking to, the outcomes we’re expecting and what constitutes success.

Then, we make sure we’ve defined the audience in a way that’s useful.

Once we’re clear on objectives and our audience, we look at media. In most cases the campaign will have some presence on the company or product website, or it may need its own site. But perhaps it’s also on paper. Maybe an insert that could be distributed in media, but also handed out at events. We’re always looking for the biggest bang for the budget, so if something can do double duty, it helps. Also campaigns are likely to include social media and perhaps email.

So, then we write, design, produce and deliver the campaigns. Once they’re launched, we measure, observe, adjust if necessary and rinse and repeat.

Each project is a bit different and has its own challenges, and that’s what keeps it interesting.

Duffy: Besides helping us with our website, you also generously donated two computers to our space. Why is community engagement important to Context Creative?

Andy: It’s quite simple. We live in a big city. At Context, we’re fortunate enough that sometimes we can help others, and so we do. I think there’s a moral obligation to do so. Everyone can decide what’s right for them, and how they want to contribute, but doing so is just part of life. We don’t live on an island, and we’re all in this together.

Students enjoying Context Creative's gifted iMac computer

Duffy: Storytelling is the backbone of our organization, and it seems to span many disciplines. In what way is marketing similar to storytelling as well?

Andy: That’s a very interesting and timely question because it’s currently the subject of a lot of discussion. Sometimes in marketing we get so focused on the “features” of a product or service,that we forget about the benefits to the user. Why would the user care? What’s the story?

As much as people like to think they’re rational, they don’t actually buy for rational reasons. They buy on emotion, and then justify their emotional decision with rational points.

Smart marketers tap into the emotions, and once you’re talking emotion, you’re talking stories. It all comes down to how it makes you feel, even for an everyday product like laundry detergent. Underlying every purchasing decision is a set of emotions. Some are stronger than others, but they’re there. Good marketers know how to appeal to those emotions, and it’s often in the form of a story.

Our Upcoming Writers Room Series, Writer’s Club, Story Club and Afterlight Book Club Meeting

April 6, 2015 Space Blog

Thank you to everyone who came out to participate/help out with our Author Fest Alpha Workshops. We visited four schools across Toronto in two days to host our galaxy-famous Alpha Workshops and had an absolute blast doing it!

Writers Room Series at Pauline Public School

Starting April 7, every Tuesday morning from 9:30-11:15am, students from Pauline Public School will receive extra writing support during school hours. This is a great opportunity for volunteers who are teacher candidates or who want to gain an in-school experience.

If you’re interested in helping out with any of the programs we’re putting together, let us know!

Writer’s Club

Monday Writer's Club

We’re very excited to announce the return of our Writer’s Club workshop. This FREE workshop series will give students grades 5-8 the chance to work on a range of creative writing projects; from stories to poems, songwriting to screenwriting, photo journalism to comedy, and any other forms they’d like to explore. You bring your ideas and we’ll supply paper and pens!

The program will run every Monday from 4-5pm starting April 20th.

To register please contact Joe at joe@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca or phone us at 416-645-1049.

The Last Edition of Story Club

Our third and final session of Story Club: Travel Guide starts April 30. This final installment of Story Club will be used along with the previous sessions and in conjunction with 826NYC to create a travel guide for young astronauts from Toronto and New York City alike.

This 5-week program will meet every Thursday afternoon from 3:45-5.

Contact volunteer@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca for more information or to register!

The Next Afterlight Book Club Meeting

Our Afterlight Book Club will be meeting again on Tuesday, May 5 to discuss The Massey Murder by Charlotte Gray, which was a selection of “The Globe Books 100: Best Canadian Non-Fiction” list in 2013 and a finalist for the RBC Taylor Prize in 2014.

Check out our Meetup event page to find out more about the book, RSVP and let us know of any dietary conditions we should be aware of.

Happy reading!

Duffy’s Dispatches: Joe Lasko on Story Planet’s AGO Event

March 30, 2015 Space Blog

Joe is Story Planet’s intrepid Program Director, and on Saturday, March 21, he led our An Alien Has Landed event at the AGO. During the single hour of the day that I am awake at the same time as humans, I had the chance to sit down with him to ask how it went.

Duffy: Unfortunately, I was at the ITA on Saturday welcoming a group of lost Zyxxons and couldn’t make it to the AGO. Can you let me know what you got up to?

Joe: When aren’t we welcoming a group of lost Zyxxons? We really could have used your help at the AGO, but of course we totally understand. Here’s what happened…  Early in the morning, we got a call from the AGO, reporting that there was some strange activity being reported around their young learner commons. Some strange rock-like materials had been found, and it appeared that someone or something had been in the space, looking for something. We searched and searched, but other than a few strange messages printed out and written in a language we were unable to decipher, we were unable to find anything. Now, as you are well aware, sometimes adult eyes are the problem, so we asked a group of young Earthlings for their help, as their eyes often see things ours don’t. They searched the scene and were able to find a number of strange artifacts. After some series investigation, the young Earthlings figured out that an alien spaceship must have crashed somewhere nearby and that these were parts from the ship.

Duffy: It sounds like you and your team of intergalactic mystery-solvers had a blast. Here’s the question of the hour: what was the alien looking for?

Joe: Funny you asked!  We were lucky enough to have a few young Earthlings in the group who could read the strange language. They translated the messages and revealed that the alien was here looking for new energy sources for its home planet called Zero. From there, our team of young Earthlings wrote a story to help explain to others what happened, and then created a number of art projects to spread the word and help the alien find what it was looking for. They made buttons, booklets, posters and alien ships in a jar.

Duffy: We call this program ‘galaxy-famous’. As someone who has successfully traversed the Milky Way (despite being lactose intolerant), I agree with that statement. Could you explain what makes programs like An Alien Has Landed so unique?

Joe: As I said before, young Earthlings are able to see things adults can’t. They just need to be given the opportunity. Being able to take part in an experiential project where they are immersed in the mystery allows them to connect in deeper and more meaningful ways, making connections and applying prior knowledge to the investigation. It’s also a lot of fun. I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend their Saturday afternoon looking into alien activity?

Duffy: One of the most inspiring aspects of Earth is that volunteerism is thriving. How are events like these exciting opportunities for not only kids and youth, but volunteers as well?

Joe: These events couldn’t happen without our volunteers. They are so vital to the success of the project, ensuring every young Earthling on our team gets the attention and assistance they need. Events like these are a lot of fun. Not just in terms of setting the scene for the adventure, but in being able to see how excited young people get when they’re invited into this strange and exciting world of mystery. It’s an experience that really does last an intergalactic lifetime.

Thanks for hosting such a fantastic event, Joe! 

Grief Workshop Registration Deadline, Author Fest Alphas, Writers’ Room at Pauline Public School and Our Story Club’s Final Session

March 30, 2015 Space Blog

Stargazers, we are very excited to introduce you to Duffy, our curious in-house alien! Follow this link to read more about Duffy and keep checking back to our blog to read interviews with our friends, volunteers and community partners!

Grief Workshop Registration Deadline

Tuesday is your last chance to sign up for the NOT LOST grief workshop being run in our space for ten weeks starting April 19.

Email notlostworkshop@gmail.com for more information or to register.

Author Fest Alphas

On Wednesday, April 1 and Thursday, April 2 Story Planet will be visiting schools to host our galaxy famous alpha workshops! We have 4 alphas running over 2 days and can’t wait to read the stories that they come up with!

Writers’ Room at Pauline Public School

We can’t wait to start the Writers Room series at Pauline Public School, just up the street from our space! Every Tuesday morning starting April 7, students will receive extra writing support during school hours. This is a great opportunity for volunteers who are teacher candidates or who want to gain an in-school experience.

If you’re interested in helping out with any of the programs we’re putting together, let us know!

Young students colouring

Story Club’s Third and Final Session

On April 30, we’ll be starting our third and final session of Story Club: Travel Guide. This 5 week program will meet every Thursday afternoon from 3:45-5. As a refresher, this final instalment of Story Club will be used along with the previous session and in conjunction with 826NYC to create a travel guide for young astronauts from Toronto and New York City alike!

Contact volunteer@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca for more information!

Introducing Duffy the Alien

March 25, 2015 Space Blog

Story Planet is thrilled to officially introduce Duffy the Alien to all of our fellow travellers, storymakers, and friends. If you’ve ever visited the ITA, you may have seen Duffy lurking behind the portal door, taking a nap on a bench, or even siphoning a cup of Black Hole Brew (but only when it thought you weren’t looking). Duffy may be a new face for some, but like a Federation starship’s warp core, it was actually the driving force behind Story Planet and the ITA.

In a gripping tale involving an out-of-control spaceship and a passionate hunger for an enormous space squid eyeball, Duffy hurtled through the Earth’s atmosphere from its home planet Plutonia PS9, and crash-landed at the corner of Bloor and Dufferin. It named itself after the first sign it saw – a street sign for ‘Dufferin’ – and a little offended by Canada’s frigid climes, sought shelter in an empty office space located at 1165 Bloor Street West.

Much like the ITA we support today, Duffy invented the ITA to create an intergalactic travel hub here on Earth. It was a place where aliens many parsecs from home could recharge and grab a couple of souvenirs before beaming up and blasting off. And because the local children thought Duffy was interesting, they started gathering there to share tales, write stories, and create artwork about their travels. These are the values to which Story Planet remains committed, under the leadership of its Alien Chieftess, Liz. (According to Plutonian record, Liz’s coronation was so beautiful even the most poker-faced of alien species wept.)

Now, Duffy has decided the time and space has arrived for it to directly interact with our community. Communicating via the Space Blog, it will discuss its Earthly explorations, particularly liaising with our generous partners to help us get a sense of what community engagement on our planet is all about.

Check back soon for some stellar interviews about the people who help keep Story Planet in orbit.