Read the Ravines
Join us for these free events, presented in partnership with the Toronto Public Library and the annual Keep Toronto Reading campaign.
This year, the TPL has selected Girls Fall Down by Maggie Helwig, as its One Book community read.
Please Note: These tours will run in place of our regular Site Tours.
Graffiti Talk and Tour
Sunday, April 15
12:30–2:30pm
Free
BMO Atrium and Walking Tour
In the anxious, post-9/11 world of Girls Fall Down, anonymous graffiti artists paint the word “Fear” in places across the city. Join Steve Ferrara and Lisa Martin of Well and Good Arts & Culture Agency for an engaging talk on the history and present state of the graffiti movement in Toronto and all over the world—both as a form of public art and a form of protest.
The free talk will take place in the BMO Atrium, and feature a display of art, followed by a q&a period. After the talk, join a free tour throughout the Evergreen Brick Works site, with a focus on the extensive graffiti throughout the site buildings.
Schedule
| 12:30–1:30pm | Talk with Steve Ferrara and Lisa Martin |
| 1:30–2:30pm | Tour of graffiti at EBW |
Lost Rivers Walking Tour
Sunday, April 29
12:30–2:30pm
Free
Join John Wilson of Lost Rivers and author Maggie Helwig for a guided tour of the ravines from Castle Frank Station to EBW. Learn about the history of Toronto’s Don Valley Ravine surrounding the great Don River. On this tour you will follow Milkman’s Lane, where dairy trucks once delivered milk to the mansions of Rosedale. Discover the ravines of "lost" Yellow Creek and Mud Creek, and see how they are being restored with tree plantings and wetlands. Walk along the Beltline, Toronto’s first commuter rail line.
The tour will meet on Bloor St, across from Castle Frank Station, and move through the Beltline trail, finishing at Evergreen Brick Works. Author Maggie Helwig will read excerpts from her book and talk about the inspiration behind her character, Derek, who lives in the ravines in her book, Girls Fall Down. Once at EBW, join a tour of the site and learn about how it has been transformed into the environmental community centre it is today.
Meeting Place: The North East corner of Castle Frank Road and Bloor Street East, across from Castle Frank Station.
Schedule
| 12:30–1:30pm | Meet at Castle Frank Station, tour through the Ravines towards Evergreen Brick Works |
| 1:30–2:30pm | Evergreen Brick Works Tour |
About the Author
Maggie Helwig has published six books of poetry, two books of essays, a collection of short stories, and two previous novels, Where She Was Standing and Between Mountains. Girls Fall Down was short-listed for the Toronto Book Award and the ReLit Award in 2009; and was NOW magazine's Best Toronto Author Pick for 2009. Helwig is currently the assistant curate at the Church of St. Timothy, North Toronto, and is the chair of the Social Justice and Advocacy Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. She has worked at meal and shelter programs for homeless and marginalized people, similar to the programs depicted in Girls Fall Down.
Event Partner
