EPIC - A Look Back and A Look Forward

Here is a rough draft of some writing I found from January 2014, after receiving the Woman of the Year Award for my work with The Local's social justice club EPIC - Empowering People in Communities. I wanted to share because I think it's still relevant and interesting, though not a polished or measured piece of work by any means.

Resistance
 

2013 Woman of the Year Award Winners, Stratford, ON

 "The snow is starting to fall, the Local's one year anniversary approaches, and I take stock in the afterglow of an award for social justice. My Dad's birthday just passed. He encouraged me to do something I love and I can truly say I am. Some compassionate, ambitious, and hard-working people have helped me carve out this life path and to build the proverbial platform I'm standing on as I write this, I stood on to accepted my award, I'll hold up to honour others in the future.

I'm occasionally asked by people how I can do the work I do - front-line work. If I'm not asked outright, I hear it as gentle undertones, subtle cadences, split-second hesitations, and reflexive inflections. There are a lot of proposals. We need to teach the people: train them for jobs, advise them on how to manage money, teach them to live on powdered milk - with no teeth and diabetes, squeeze them into cracks where they can live without the things that make life worth living. More proposals. We need to educate the government: give them facts about the housing shortage, the cost of treating lifelong and preventable diseases once it's already too late, counting the number of children in poverty without situating them in families and communities. At the root of all things is power not facts and governments exist only to be re-elected.

Everything we have built, this complex network of mechanisms in place to maintain the status quo, is rigid. The cogs are simply there to turn, not to bend, to change form or function. Real change comes with some effort, we have to dismantle and rebuild entire parts of this old, tired, and dirty machine. It only looks good from the top, the crows nest from which they take the travel-brochure photos. The story is told from the perspective of those who stand to lose should someone pitch a strategically aimed monkey wrench.

If this isn't working, then suggest an alternative. Raising the minimum wage will cause inflation. Giving social assistance recipients more money will cause more irresponsible spending. Giving people the power to make their own choices will take away power from me. The problems are too big, my idea of how the world functions to wrapped up in my identity, why don't you be quiet and stop questioning the way we do things, the way we treat people, the way we believe ourselves when we say this is as good as it gets?

Every time you drop a can into the food donation bin, you're saying things aren't right. Every time you drop your offering in the plate, you're voting for a fairer, more just society. Every time you go to the polls, support a local business, walk instead of drive, carry a reusable bag to the grocery store, give a friend's kid a lift home from school, plant a garden, or smile at a stranger, I see you trying to make things good."

I didn't even finish writing it but to sum up I would say -- think bigger, work harder, change is possible. Right now EPIC is working on a housing initiative called Campaign 226. We chose the number 226 because that was the number of families on the waiting list for social housing as of December 2013. It helps us quantify the problem, though only a fraction of those experiencing housing trouble are on the list, and it will also serve as a benchmark for any potential progress.

The goal of Campaign 226 is this: To create safe, affordable, and dignified housing opportunities for all community members in Perth County. On Tuesday as part of our EPIC Tuesday Program, we hit the streets to distribute information and buttons. Between our street campaign and the community meal the night before, we went through 100 buttons. I was inspired to see people transform from too nervous to talk to anyone to proudly approaching anyone to tell them about our Campaign. The following day I received an email that included this:

"Thank you for yesterday. I actually ended up enjoying myself and today I can't believe I actually did it. Thank you for making me feel not only welcomed but feel like I belong in EPIC. It is one more step towards my path to what I want to do with my life. Each one of you are awesome."

We did feel awesome. It feels awesome to be part of a group and to stand up for something you believe in. Everyone I spoke to agreed that there is a need for more social housing and it was great to feel that support from people on the street. I also met people who were experiencing housing issues themselves, listened to their situations, and encouraged them to become involved. I'm excited to see where this can take us. The Local is a powerful place and I'm grateful to be a part of it.

 

EPIC Members warming up after some street campaigning.

Peas & Thank You

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace." -May Sarton (May 3, 1912 – July 16, 1995)

I arrived in Stratford like a bullet train, headed as fast as possible towards whatever the Festival City had to offer. I explored each little shop and alley, and made mental notes of the places I would go back to. Revel Caffe, with its shining beacon of motorcycle coolness in the window, was a haven of fresh smells and tantalizing conversation. It was in this wonderful place that I met Heather.

How happy I was to meet someone as determined, deliberate, dedicated, and kind as she was, her arms and mind held open to people and their ideas. I've never seen a sliver of malice or questioned her intentions. She seems to only be motivated by good, common good. She explained that she had just returned to Stratford after some time away and was having a meeting about urban gardening that I should attend.

Riding on a wave of inspiration and lacking any other outlet, I made promises of starting a backyard composting network, of being a garden manager, and of starting a food co-op. A lack of enthusiasm for new projects has never been my problem.

Life had other plans for me. I knew nothing about business and nobody in town. I didn't have a backyard to compost in and had been hearing stories about my friends own failed project, unlivable wages and no time for anything else. I dropped my earthy projects and went to work in an office.

The co-op spun ahead without me, though I lent a hand painting chalkboards and scrubbing shelves. What had seemed to me an unreasonable timeline had nearly been met and before I could say "big carrot" the place was in business. Before my own eyes, the co-op had grown from an idea into a shop whose business model was not based on the bottom line, but on sustainability, accessibility, and accountability. Another piece of the puzzle was in place.

I eat fresh and local every day. Between the co-op and the markets, everything is available nearby. I don’t need a vehicle. I buy in smaller amounts, waste less, and cook more. I have become increasingly connected to a network of people who share the same values that I do.

The co-op is an oasis that I go to when my eyes tire of backlit screens and fluorescent lighting. Their kind staff humor me when I tell rambling stories, swear too much, or can’t decide what to have for dinner. They always have the strangely coloured green spinach wrap for my tofu-bean burrito, and never fail to put adequate amounts of cheese and sour cream on it. Their meatballs are made from whey fed pork and are cheaper than the Sysco lunch served down the street.

Supporting Your Local Market Co-op feels good: When Drea tells me there will be strawberries on Saturday and I get there in time to pick up the last pint; when I go to the Slow Food market and Loco Fields is out of shelling peas but has just dropped some off at the Co-op; when I run into Rebecca dropping off her aprons and bags, I feel good. I feel good knowing that I’m supporting local producers and building community, and I feel good when I eat fresh, healthy, and sustainable food.

Thanks to all of you: Chris, Katelyn, Heather, Drea, and all of the co-op’s employees and supporters. Together, we are building something truly good. 

Canada Reads 2011

Set and costumes from Jerome: A Historical Spectacle

When I first began following Canada Reads it didn't even occur to me to read the books. I was following it because I had spent some time with author Ami McKay and her family at Ross Creek Centre for the Arts in the summer of 2008. I was the Assistant Director for their summer camp programs and Two Planks and a Passion Theatre were performing Ami's Jerome: A Historical Spectacle which was done with a kind of dynamic sideshow charm.

I read The Birth House that summer and enjoyed it immensely. It was the kind of book that acts as a doorway into another existence. When I picked it up I became an observer of another life that took place all around me. My memories of the book are as tangible as things that have actually happened to me. It gently took hold of me, even to the extent that I started collecting jars full of herbs and reading up on their uses. The magic of Ami's words are something I rarely experience as an adult reader and I was thrilled to see The Birth House in the final two selections for Canada Reads 2011.

Quickly realizing that the Canada Reads program was intended to act as an incentive for Canadians to actually read, I went about placing holds on a few of the books at the Stratford Public Library. While I was waiting for my holds to come in I headed over to the website of Terry Fallis, author of The Best Laid Plans. Having had difficulty getting this gem published Terry recorded it and released it as a free podcast. It started gaining momentum and wouldn't you know, it is now the winner of both the Steven Leacock Award for Humor and Canada Reads 2011.

The book was fresh, well-crafted, and very amusing. Terry has excellent elocution and it was great to hear the novel told in the author's own voice. His anecdotes rolled gently along, building, like a wave approaching the shore until they broke leaving me in fits of laughter. While it may be the only political satire I ever read, it was a wonderful story that I won't soon forget.

The next time I was in the library there was a hold waiting for me. My excitement bubbled up and I tried to contain myself. The librarian disappeared and when she returned she was carrying a book as thick as an encyclopedia. Only slightly daunted I took hold of it, finding it lighter than expected, and carried it home in my arms. It was Essex County by Jeff Lemire.

The book is a graphic novel trilogy depicting the lives and histories of interconnected families growing up in Essex County Ontario. Their stories are touching, more-so than one would expect from a graphic novel if you consider the genre as a whole. The historic breadth and depth of character that the author has constructed make it a timeless piece and I have no doubt that it has won a place as the first significant graphic novel in the history of Canadiana. The illustrations, also done by Jeff Lemire, are what bring the story and the feelings it evokes to life. They are simple and emotive, the way the novel itself comes across. I enjoyed spending time with this book, like a distant relative who encompasses another side of your own story. I'd like to add to my library.

In The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou, the reader experiences a glimpse into the lives of two young and promising athletes as they prepare for the Olympic games. Their strength and ambition is contagious but as the tides turn and life begins to interrupt their regimented training schedule questions arise regarding the purpose and value of a life dedicated to athletics. The book was short and fast paced like swimming lengths of a pool. It tied me into the characters and left me empathetic, contemplating many of the questions they themselves struggled with.

Out of the top five Canada Reads finalists of 2011 the one book I have not yet read is Unless by Carol Shields. After reading summaries of the book I have to admit it appeals to me because I know I'll relate to Norah, the 19-year-old daughter of a successful writer named Reta Winters. Something happens to Norah to make her give up her semi-charmed life. She goes from the security of a loving family, boyfriend, and potential university degree to living on the streets of Toronto, a sign reading "goodness" hanging around her neck. The story is of Reta's struggle to understand her daughter's actions and the relation between goodness and happiness.

Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield's FreakAngels

I used to think that comics were stupid. Really. I didn't want to read about superheroes and crime-fighting gadgets. I thought the whole genre was for stinky, acne-ridden, anti-socialites.

Then my friend lent me Alan Moore's Watchmen, a literary masterpiece. (This was before the annoying smudge-faced, sticky-fingered, dirty-diapered baby brother of a movie started tagging along.) It opened my eyes to an entire genre of genius works.

The second thing I read was Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan. The work was crass, dirty, hard, critical, eye-opening. It felt like the cutting edge. It shadowed the Bush/Gore election scandal that at the time I was still hopping mad about. Spider Jerusalem is the unapologetic lead character, a gonzo journalist who's returned to the filthy metropolis to fulfill a book contract. I've seen it described as "mind-bendingly cool" and I whole-heartedly agree.

Warren Ellis is a media-tracking machine. He rips through news feeds like a mechanical velociraptor, biting off huge chunks, ripping them apart, and spitting the relevant stuff out here.

His most recent comic project is FreakAngels. He's teamed up with Paul Duffield and they're releasing it a week at a time online--for free. It reminds me of John Wyndham's The Chrysalids but with post-apocalyptic cyberpunks instead of kids. Anyway, it's got some adult content so watch the little ones: FreakAngels Episode 1.

I read to the end of book five in two days. He's on the last book.

Donate Food With the Click of Your Mouse

The Hunger Site has been around for over ten years. With the click of a button visitors can contribute one cup of food per day to the United Nations World Food Programme.

When I found out about this site I was astonished. I was sixteen years old and couldn't comprehend how the click of my mouse could translate into food for hungry people overseas.

The site is sponsored by Mercy Corps, Feeding America (formerly Second Harvest), and Millennium Promise. All advertising revenue is donated to charities through the site owner the GreaterGood Network. Fairly-traded gifts are also sold through the site support the communities in which they are made.

Sister sites that run on the same click-to-give system support Breast Cancer Research, Child Health, Literacy, Rainforest Preservation, and Animal Rescue. They can be found on tabs at the top of the website.

Free Rice, an initiative of the UN World Food Programme, is another click-to-give style site. This one is a quiz game with different levels of difficulty as well as different categories that include geography, math, chemistry, and languages. I can (and do) play this for hours.

To provide a hot meal to someone in Haiti you can take the Haiti Hunger IQ quiz.

The ways to contribute to an increasingly global community are numerous and sometimes as easy as clicking a button. If you want to contribute daily, set your browser's homepage to one of these sites by (in Firefox) clicking Tools --> Options, then copy and past the URL (www.thehungersite.com) where is says Home Page.

Happy Clicking!

The Hockey Sweater Revisited

In public school, whenever we visited the Welland Public Library, before we even got to smell the books, our class would be ushered into the AV room. As we took our seats on the floor, the librarian would roll out the film projector and welcome us to the library. She'd flick the light switches and the projector would start rolling...3....2....1....blink...and the screen would come alive with a story from the National Film Board-stories that are woven into the fabric of our Canadian identity.

This Christmas, I worked at Family & Company, the most wonderful toy store one could imagine. The wooden floors creak, Frosty and Soldier Boy dance in the windows, everywhere there are beautiful and unique items that are virtually undiscoverable in regular departments stores. The staff sing Christmas songs throughout the season and offer you a teacup full of hot apple cider as they lovingly wrap your gifts.

This year we offered a very special item homegrown in St. Mary's called the Hockey Sockey, made by the creators of the Pook Touque. Hockey Sockeys are toques meant to look like hockey pants and they come in colours for each of the NHL's teams.

One fateful day a woman came in to buy a small boy a Hockey Sockey. "What team would you like?" I asked expectantly and the woman replied, "...well his coat is red so I'll get that one." She pointed at the red and white one, the Detroit Red Wings. I inhaled sharply, failing to hide my shock and surprise. It was the NFB's film The Sweater all over again:

http://www.nfb.ca/playlists/hockey_movies/viewing/sweater/

Foreword

The intention of this blog when it was created in 2008 was to create a body of work that would one day, perhaps, come together as a novel. Over the span of a few years, the author dabbled in self-reflective and obtuse writings that nobody would really want to read. Ashamed, she kept it a secret and finally converted them into a word document and threw them into the vault.

While this blog is no longer a platform for the evolution of the novel, the author insists the title be kept despite the confusion this may cause for people now and down the road.

A Novel Evolution is intended to be a platform for creativity, critical thinking, encouragement, sharing of life experiences and perhaps the occasional rant. It is meant to be something you will enjoy reading and the author hopes that you do.


Cheers,
Ravioli Ralph,
Writer of Forewords