1. Society

The Agenda in the Summer Online Edition 2017

Each night The Agenda in the Summer with host Nam Kiwanuka features in-depth conversations with authors, artists, historians, and experts. Each day we feature a corresponding article
Written by TVO Current Affairs
Nam Kiwanuka is the host of The Agenda in the Summer, airing on TVO this July and August.

How one woman helped bring hip hop to Canadian audiences: Michele Geister translated her passion for hip hop into a TV show that broke new talent and set the stage for Canadian acts to dominate the international market.

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Femmes, football, and finding a space: A new book of essays depicts the evolution of Toronto's LGBTQ community. Here, Stephanie Nolen writes about gaining a sense of belonging in the city.

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Challenging Canada's history through art: Kent Monkman's powerful 'Shame and Prejudice' exhibit paints Indigenous people back into the story of Canada's origins

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How a forgotten Toronto neighbourhood is finding its place in history: The Toronto Ward Museum is restoring the vibrant biography of The Ward, the city’s first immigrant community.

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Why I keep coming back to the Bill Davis story: People often ask me about my interest in Ontario's 18th premier. Here's why I write about him.

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The long history of Muskoka cottagers' dependence on year-round residents: Known mostly as a summer retreat for the wealthy, Muskoka’s history reveals the critical importance of permanent dwellers.

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Caught between two present-day worlds – one real, one imagined:  EXCERPT: Elan Mastai's debut novel, All Our Wrong Todays, is a utopian/dystopian trip through time that explores modern life and all the choices it offers.

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Tales from a Korean-Canadian childhood: EXCERPT: Ann Y. K. Choi's debut novel, Kay's Lucky Coin Variety, is informed by her early years as an immigrant in west end Toronto.

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Danny Michel's musical journey to the Arctic: The Kitchener-Waterloo musician writes about his makeshift recording studio aboard Kapitan Khlebnikov, a Russian icebreaker.

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Why you should embrace discomfort, not avoid it: In her new book, journalist Amanda Lang shows why the world's most successful people seek out change again and again.

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What if women ran the world? : EXCERPT: Catherine Mayer, co-founder of the U.K.'s Women's Equality Party, describes how women are still too often left out of the political equation

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How girls question feminism yet embrace 'girl power': While interviewing teens for their book, 'Smart Girls,' Shauna Pomerantz and Rebecca Raby discovered some surprising attitudes towards sexism and feminism.

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Documenting women's lives during the Holocaust: Beverley Chalmers discusses why her book, Birth, Sex and Abuse: Women's Voices Under Nazi Rule, may be difficult for some readers

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The Last Neanderthal: End nights: EXCERPT: In her latest novel, author Claire Cameron takes inspiration from the recent discovery that many modern humans have inherited DNA from Neanderthals.

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Despair has a light all its own:  EXCERPT: Daphne Merkin's 'This Close to Happy' articulates her life-long wrestle with depression.

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Through a magic door to acceptance: Nam Kiwanuka discusses why Mohsin Hamid's novel, 'Exit West,' resonates with her

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It's always a great day in Egypt, Ont.: EXCERPT: Comedian Shawn Hitchins felt like an outsider growing up gay in a tight-knit southwestern Ontario farm community.

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Out of fantasy comes reality: EXCERPT: In 'How to Be a Muslim,' Haroon Moghul writes about creating identities and adapting his belief system to make it in America

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Love will always find a way on the big screen: Despite the reports, romantic comedy isn’t dead – it’s just finding new life

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The life of a teenage truffle dealer: EXCERPT: Ian Purkayastha's childhood foraging led to a lucrative career selling 'diamonds of the kitchen' to exclusive New York restaurants

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What remains of a mother's love: EXCERPT: Karen von Hahn writes about her complicated relationship with her larger-than-life mother.

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The politics of natural hair: Nam Kiwanuka writes about how Black girls and women the world over have had negative experiences with their natural hair.

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How a graphic novel is empowering newcomer women:‘Telling Our Stories: Immigrant Women’s Resilience’ provides immigrant and refugee women with the tools to face sexual assault.

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Leisure is a necessity of a civilized existence: EXCERPT: Katrina Onstad writes about the benefits of reclaiming weekend downtime.

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The Holy Grail of art collecting: EXCERPT: In 'The Orange Balloon Dog,' economist Don Thompson details the inner-workings of the contemporary high-end art market.

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The con man: How I fell in love with a fraud: EXCERPT: In 'The Charming Predator' Lee Mackenzie details how her husband conned her, and many others, and is still at large. 

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Critical thinking in the 'post-truth' age: EXCERPT: In 'Six Steps to Better Thinking' Christopher DiCarlo describes how people can agree to disagree in today's contentious news environment.

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How gender roles in ballet are evolving: Choreographer Robert Binet believes the time is right to change the traditional power dynamics in ballet performances.

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Reflections on public health issues in Canada: Through his writing, André Picard shines a light into the dark corners of the health care system.

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How understanding DNA can help you live longer: EXCERPT: In 'Lifelines,' medical doctor and health consultant Elaine Chin unlocks the secret to slowing the body's biological clock.

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A summer school that helps connect students to future jobs:  SHAD is a month-long program that enhances education and provides kids with life-long connections.

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How an urban farming collective is planting seeds of change: Fresh City Farms works with community groups to offer fresh produce to people who don’t have their own plots of land.

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A first responder's mental health journey: EXCERPT: Natalie Harris recounts her downward spiral into trauma after years of work as a paramedic.

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Building an army of problem solvers: A social enterprise program provides training and job opportunities for people with barriers to employment.

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Why talking about 'privilege' is no longer enough: EXCERPT: It's popular to talk about unconscious bigotry, but that strategy isn't enough when the racist attitudes are conscious and overt.

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Fuelled by fundraising: How my obsession almost drove me over the edge: Reeling from her brother's diagnosis, Liane Kotler did the only thing she could –  rode a bike to conquer her fears about cancer.

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Ontario’s declining moose population: The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario reported that the province's moose population has declined by 20 per cent in the past decade. In some areas, as much as 50 to 60 per cent of the population has been lost.

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Survival methods of the North Pond hermit: EXCERPT: In 'A Stranger in the Woods,' Michael Finkel reveals the true story of Christopher Knight, known for spending two decades alone in the woods of Maine.

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What it means to design my own masculinity: Trans advocate Tiq Milan says he didn't become a man to become part of a patriarchal system. Rather, he hopes to lead by example to disrupt those ideas.

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Blazing a trail for feminism and the law: Through a combination of memoir and social history, Linda Silver Dranoff presents an eyewitness account of the revolution in women’s rights under the law.

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There's no off-switch when you're a member of Hells Angels: EXCERPT: Dave Atwell and Jerry Langton write about the scrutiny Hells Angels members are put under, especially by the police

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Toronto learns to play itself on film: David Fleischer explains how the city has come into its own as a location for Hollywood movies and TV shows.