The Town Crier

The Town Crier operated as a hub for criticism and commentary, connecting a community of writers, readers, and commentators through social media, and focusing on the interplay of literary opinion in and around the city of Toronto until its closure in February 2021.

• The End of Something // Ana Rodriguez Machado

  By Ana Rodriguez Machado | December 3, 2018

  Ana Rodriguez Machado on superstition, death, and the end of a marriage as part of Simone Dalton's Nostalgia the Nefarious series on the Town Crier.

• Like a Motherless Child // Fiona Raye Clarke

  By Fiona Raye Clarke | November 30, 2018

  Fiona Raye Clarke writes about Jamaica Kincaid, ancestry, Octavia Butler, Astro-Blackness, and her family history as part of Nostalgia the Nefarious.

• Pulao with Peas (and Everything Nice) // Derek Mascarenhas

  By Derek Mascarenhas | November 28, 2018

  Derek Mascarenhas remembering childhood, from pulao with peas to reading Heart of Darkness in an overwhelmingly white high school English class.

• Is It Possible to Love a Ghost? // Erin Kang

  By Erin Kang | November 22, 2018

  As part of Simone Dalton's Town Crier month on nostalgia, Erin Kang explores memories of her childhood in a small town that rejected her growing up.

• Dirt Under the Nail // Chris Bailey

  By Chris Bailey | November 19, 2018

  As part of Nostalgia the Nefarious, curated by Simone Dalton, Chris Bailey explores family, memory, and his book What Your Hands Have Done

• Selective Nostalgia in the Durga Puja Season // Sanchari Sur

  By Sanchari Sur | November 15, 2018

  As part of Simone Dalton's month on Nostalgia the Nefarious, Sanchari Sur reflects on Durga puja and the pale imitation of the festivities in Southern Ontario

• Pineapple Story // Sheung-King

  By Sheung-King | November 12, 2018

  Sheung-King (Aaron Tang) shares Pineapple Story as part of Nostalgia the Nefarious, November's curated month on the blog edited by Simone Dalton

• Pass the Dutchie // Radha S. Menon

  By Radha S. Menon | November 9, 2018

  Radha S. Menon shares the story of how she met Stevie Wonder and the dark context usually left out. As part of Simone Dalton's month on nostalgia, Menon visits the darker side of memory.

• On Nostalgia in the Diaspora // Oubah Osman

  By Oubah Osman | November 7, 2018

  Oubah Osman on nostalgia in the diaspora for The Town Crier's month on Nostalgia the Nefarious. Osman delves into photos of her Somali family.

• Nostalgia the Nefarious: A Series // Simone Dalton

  By Simone Dalton | November 5, 2018

  The Town Crier introduces Nostalgia the Nefarious, a curated series edited by Simone Dalton on memory and nostalgia in nine writers' work.

• Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

  By Jason Freure | October 31, 2018

  Town Crier Editor Jason Freure concludes October Reads Month with "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving, plus Mary Shelley, Clive Barker, Bram Stoker, and more

• On Light and Dark: True Crime in October

  By Evelyn Deshane | October 29, 2018

  Evelyn Deshane takes a trip to the Monroe County Museum to learn more about Truman Capote and his genre-defining true crime novel In Cold Blood.