SUBMISSIONS

Submissions are accepted on a regular basis, year-round.
Can include, short stories, essays, poetry and prose.
Must not exceed 3,000 words.
Must be written by a current ESA student, or alumni.
Submissions are accepted: e.s.say.says@gmail.com

Thursday 2 May 2019

Truth


I am whole. Tierra y yo.
-Micheala Yarmol- Matusiak

Streetview

Zoom out
Google Maps
Place the Man on The Moon
(SwoOn)
Bleep Bleep
Stop
(Swerve)
U-Turn
I-90
Cars, Cars, cars
Stop
Zoom In Out
Manual Focus Monocle
Lens turtle shell
Extinction and Fossilization
Snap
Elastic Band waves
Salt Lake City
X Orange
Writing for today

Zoom out.
-Micheala Yarmol-Matsusiak

For when faith Fails

Right now, the water is murky, filled with nitrogen and algal bloom.
The fish and I have lost our habitat,
I need a sign that this ecosystem will be restored.
That balance will be once more.
Tell me that the fields will turn from ice into potent sunflowers that fill the air with
warmth and longing.
Let the stars fall and please, let the bees return.
I wait for the hives to fill, for the hibiscus to open their vibrant petals.
I long for the hydrangeas and the ferns, the english oak and the daffodils to bloom and
burst once again,
among the ruby and creamsicle tinged skies.
These visions have no sense of time, there is no time
time is not real, a mirage over gypsum deserts and yucca plants.
It is stuck in the asteroid belt along with the lost hopes and dreams that we cast away
out of reach from gravity, with no trajectory of return.
This brings the question:
Can technologies advance?
Can I manipulate the hummingbirds to travel past Mars and bring my dreams home to
me? Bring my love home?
Tell me Universe is this in the stars?

Are we meant to reunite ourselves with what we have lost in yesterday tomorrow?

Field Note 1

Sediment formations are surrounded by emerald water and schools of fish.
I glide through the rippling waves as the salt content keeps me afloat.
The sunshine etches itself in wave-like patterns across my arms, refracting and
reflecting through the frigid sea.
Though I am covered in goosebumps, I am reminded that I am a part of this beautiful

scene.
-Micheala Yarmol- Matusiak

Nostalgia

Have you ever had the feeling
When you wake and hear the chirping
Of the swallows, by your window,

By your window, they all sit

You start walking down the pavement
Which you took when you were little
And remember seasons passing

Seasons passing, bit by bit

Or you read a little something
About people that you knew once
Names and selves that stayed in your head

In your head they do not fit

Nowadays, have you the feeling?
Do you wake and hear the chirping
Of the swallows by your window

By your window, do they sit?

-Jeanne Polochansky

Saturday 27 April 2019

The First Lullaby

Catch the fairy of the soul
Clasped within the polished bowls
Place it in the hazel round
And hide it under jealous thorn

Stitch a thread of love and life
Through the forests of whitened branch
Draw a line of hollow breath
On skyward stems and languid leaves

Plant the seeds of slender down
Long or short, either is well
Let raindrops fall onto the bloom
As long as they’re not bitter, but sweet

Paint the berries cream and gold
Glaze in silver, cover in silk
Dot spots on the hill with truffle and spice
And powder it off with shimmering dust

Let gold streams flow between each strand
Running through kaleidoscope falls
Make the wandering sun plant a kiss on the path
Its butterflies painting trails of pink

Listen for cries of the buried mountains
Hear the hum of hooved travelers
Blind the fliers but see their wings

Guiding fires towards the sky

-Jeanne Polochansky

Indigo/Crimson

I can open both of my eyes
Yet while one sees, the other one cries
Looking past the shoreless sea
I spot capsized rafts awaiting me

I peer into mirrors to find what’s amiss
But I end up blinded instead of blissed
I hear voices that say the key
Is something that I cannot see

Don’t wear tinted glasses – surreality lies
Pink isn’t always the colour of skies
The dark is your friend, as should be your ears
Since invisible silence causes great fears

Water can’t help and neither can you,
The stings have pierced all the way through
Once you’re here, there’ll be no wound to tend
All that’s left is to wait for the end

Forget the colours of your breath
They’ll be gone soon, inviting death
Trade irises for rose bouquets
There’s nothing to see here anyways

They’ll wrinkle and whittle if you watch for too long
Your nectar will dry with the hummingbird’s song
But you sent a seed on its brittle wings
Don’t fret, lest you lose the garden it brings

Perhaps in the depths of the greenest waves
Meadows of coral cover the caves
I don’t know for sure of this faraway bloom…
…are they growing for me? (Only fools would assume!)

Petals, like paint strokes, dapple her hair
One day she’ll find out they grew everywhere
For now she believes she’s accursed with this view

Alas, she’s mistaken – she’s blessed with it too

-Jeanne Polochansky

On my way to the bus stop

on my way to the bus stop this morning
the sun was just beginning to rise.
it dawned above the brick red row houses
as well as the sturdy, leafless trees
that line the avenues of my city.

as i emerged from the serene sidestreets
the streetcar whooshed down the main road
and commuters hurried and crammed
into those small steel crowded cars.

i crossed the road, strolling down another avenue.
now the sun was alive and glowing
shining in rays of peach pink and bright amber
shimmering over the blue in my eyes
leaving traces in my copper red hair.

the walls of my fantasy world
began to scale straight into the sky.
suddenly the webs of my wallowing turned loose
unspooling and breaking the locks of my truth.

i was no longer fearing for the future
nor beating myself up over the past
instead fixated on the dogs barking by
or counting the kids with toques on their heads.

i reached the end of my journey
where row houses grew into grey coloured mansions
yet the light still simmered in the same way
when i first set foot into the sleepy morning.

the sun had fully risen against the sky
and all that’s left to do
is to wait in the seas of wonder
nestling into the peace
of my once chaotic mind.

-Owen Merskey

Magical Place

I’ve found a magical place, where I can be free
Where children laugh where no one can see
I’ve found a magical place, where no one’s asleep
Where everyone's equal, there is no black sheep

It is a small world, as the city of Omelas
But the passengers here are a big mass
A big mass of joy, that forgot the world around
A big group of voices that makes a loud sound

A sound that is heard, but not understood
A sound that screams: “we are alive!”, and the mood,
A mood of belongingness that brings anyone out.
Out of their fears, their depression and drought.
Their fear, of doing the wrong thing
Their fear, of not knowing how to sing

But the rules don’t apply here, you can do what you want
You can try a new thing, or help someone out
Each day is different, we’ll build a new world
And we’ll build it together until we are old
We will sing, write and perform
We will lock ourselves in and make the new norm
We will speak in rhymes or not speak at all
We will run around screaming until fall
We will play games and forget the rules
We will forget the rules and become fools

WARNING

The voice, my voice that I found
My people helped me to pick it up from the ground
They built the pieces, and I glued them all
And we held them together, in hopes they won’t fall
I held theirs, they held mine
We made a big chain, we were all fine

WARNING

Each time I came back, my voice became stronger
Each time I left, the world around became wronger
As the glue would weaken while I was away
But I was so sure I would come back to stay

WARNING

New faces come to replace the ones who leave
I don’t want to do it, but I’ll feel like a thief
A thief who stole a chance to come here
From someone who did not yet hear

WARNING

I am a fool that forgot time exists
But the world around continues and insists
On turning around the sun, and making me leave
Their voices become weaker and I can’t deceive

WARNING

What they are saying anymore, I want to hold on
Hold on to that feeling that feels like it’s gone

WARNING

I am losing something important

WARNING

Why can’t this place be a constant

WARNING

I don’t want to live alone again

WARNING

I am holding to everything, but in vain

WARNING

I’ve walked away
I am a passenger so I cannot stay
To rebuild the world, I brought only one thing
And now, I know how to sing

-Evdokiya Mazhurina

Thursday 14 March 2019

What’s On – Young Voices, Home and Work & More

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What's On at the LibraryWhat's On at the Library - Toronto Public Library
March 12, 2019
Young Voices Magazine
The Time Traveller by Bessa Fan, age 16, from Young Voices 2018.
Get Published in Young Voices Magazine
Released annually, Young Voices is Toronto Public Library’s magazine of writing and visual art by Toronto youth age 12-19. The submission deadline for the 2019 edition is fast approaching! Send us your work by Tuesday, April 2, 2019 for consideration in this years’ magazine. Submissions are accepted online and in all library branches. Contributors selected for publication will be contacted in June.
Young Voices Writing and Art Workshops
Home and Work
Home and Work: Today's Industrial Revolution
We are thrilled to launch a new collaborative series of events, Home and Work, exploring the ways modern industry is changing the way we live in regards to home, labour, transit and leisure. On April 9, hear from journalist and author of the memoir Maid, Stephanie Land, whose passion is giving a voice to the working poor in America. Join us on May 24 for a talk with Alex Rosenblat, technology ethnographer and author of Uberland.
Art Exhibits
Local Artists are Invited to Exhibit in the Library
We are pleased to provide space for art exhibits which reflect the diverse cultural interests of the City and its neighbourhoods. Art Exhibits spaces are included in 16 of our locations across the city.

Artists are invited to submit their work for possible exhibition during the upcoming Art Exhibits season, running September 2019 – August 2020. Deadline for submission is April 5, 2019.
Did You Know?
Child Reading Book
...You Can Find Book Recommendations for Your Child
Our website for kids 6-12 has recommended reads for every child's taste. Browse our latest fairy tales stories, mysteries, graphic novels and much more. 
Upcoming Programs
Link to event record
Cardboard Tube Race Cars Craft 
Wed Mar 13, 2019 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Bayview
Enjoy an afternoon making cardboard racing cars and get creative with this craft by personalizing it. All supplies provided. Recommended for ages 6-8.
Read More
More March Break Programs
Link to event record
Star Talks: Why Men Must Join the Gender Equality Revolution 
Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
North York Central Library
Michael Kaufman, international expert on gender equality, talks about his latest book The Time Has Come, which explores how a patriarchal culture that has given power to men comes at a huge cost to women, children, and, surpr...
Read More
More On Civil Society Programs
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Sushi Making for Teens 
Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Maryvale
This hands on sushi making class presented by award winning chef Sang Kim from Sushi Making for the Soul is for teenagers aged 13 to 19. Teens will learn about the art of sushi making while learning how to make three differen...
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More Teen Programs
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Jennifer Robson: The Gown 
Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
North York Central Library
With The Gown, Jennifer Robson takes us inside the workrooms where one of the most famous wedding gowns in history was created. The Gown is an enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the t...
Read More
More eh List Writers Series
Link to event record
First-Time Home Buyer's Speakers Panel 
Thu Mar 21, 2019 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Bloor/Gladstone
Drawing on the knowledge of a mortgage specialist, realtor and real estate lawyer, this presentation and discussion will help first-time home buyers find out what they need to know and do to ready themselves to enter the hous...
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More Personal Finance Programs
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The Edge of Your Seat: Writing Scenes of Suspense 
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm on recurring dates listed below
Jane/Sheppard
Using drama and audience participation, author Marina Cohen will teach techniques young writers can use to add tension and suspense to their writing.
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More Sophie's Studio Workshops
Link to event record
Story Jam 
Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Toronto Reference Library
A day of great family storytelling, with folktales from around the world, national and international guests, and lots of storytelling activities. This drop-in event is presented as part of the 2019 Toronto Storytelling Festiv...
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More Culture Arts & Entertainment Programs
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June Callwood Lecture: Albert Woodfox 
Tue Apr 02, 2019 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Toronto Reference Library
Albert Woodfox served more than four decades in solitary confinement―in a 6-foot by 9-foot cell, 23 hours a day, in notorious Angola prison in Louisiana―all for a crime he did not commit. ...
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More Appel Salon Programs
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Feminist Bookmobile

In 1974, these two Toronto women drove their Feminist Bookmobile into small towns across Ontario. Judith Quinlan and Ellen Woodsworth saved up money to convert a school bus and stock up on pamphlets and books to sell (at cost) on topics such as women's history in Canada, birth control, day care and also works by feminist poets.

For more photos from our Special Collections, visit our Digital Archive. Please also visit us on Pinterest.
Latest Video
Jonathan Smucker at the Appel Salon
Why do some social justice movements fail? How can grassroots organizers and activists build better movements that change the world? To kick off our On Civil Society series for 2019, we invited activist and organizer Jonathan Smucker to discuss these question with Michal Hay.
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