Author pins down city’s changing landscape

Posted on 24. Apr, 2009 by Archivist in Life

Erin Bosenberg
Life Reporter

Antanas Sileika, the director of the School of Writers, has published a short story on experiences in the city of Toronto.

No Longer on The Menu was commissioned by Diaspora Dialogues, an organization supporting creative writing reflective of the diversity of Toronto, for its fourth edition of TOK: Writing the New City.

“When I was asked by Diaspora Dialogues to write a story I thought, ‘well what neighbourhood am I interested in?’” said Sileika. “I got hooked on this idea that things are always changing in this city. We try to put a stake down with names like Little Portugal but the people keep flowing through.”

Helen Walsh, president of Diaspora Dialogues, said Sileika’s story had both the comic and pathos moments that made it such a strong story.

“For us it works so well because our organization is really about the idea that the literature of a city always has to keep evolving and reflecting those that call it home,” she said.

Sileika’s book Buying On Time was also sold at the TOK book launch, as well as being featured in Lit City’s Market Gallery exhibition called Toronto: Through the Eyes of Authors and Artists.

As part of ongoing celebrations for Lit City, the exhibit pairs art work from the city’s collection with excerpts by Canadian authors.

Sileika’s work was paired with Henry Martin’s painting, Toronto Ravine.

“The passage they chose relating to Toronto is kind of a no man’s land,” said Sileika of his own work. “There are always these places, which are bought but not developed yet. On the edge of the city they’re often farms that have been bought up but not worked anymore.”

Market Gallery co-ordinator Pam Wachna combined her selection of paintings from Toronto neighbourhoods with Ulana Baluk’s selection of literary excerpts.

“She read over 200 books that are set in Toronto in order to make her selection and there are only about 70 quotes in the exhibit,” said Wachna.

Wachna said research for the exhibition began a year and a half ago and included going over 30 years of Toronto book awards and over 2,500 paintings in the city’s collection.

This year Diaspora Dialogues also made the decision to include works from other cities in their publication.

“We decided we wanted to promote a cultural dialogue amongst the major urbanized cities in Canada,” said Walsh.

Toronto: Through the Eyes of Authors and Artists runs until June 13.