Out in Toronto: March 15–21, 2018

Choice events in the city this week


Thursday, March 15

Queer and Trans Asian Poetics: A Night of Readings

Enjoy a night of poetry, art and literature celebrating queer and trans Asian diaspora. This event includes readings by of local authors Trish Salah and Tom Cho and US-based authors Margaret Rhee and Chin-In Chen. The venue is accessible.

6:30–8pm. Glad Day Bookshop, 499 Church St. For more info, visit Facebook.

Friday, March 16

Unzipped: Grade 9 High School Dance

Members of Forte, the Toronto gay men’s chorus, perform songs from whatever year they were in Grade 9 (and reserve the right to lie about what year that actually was). This is the latest edition of the chorus’ cabaret series. The venue is accessible.

9pm–2am. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. For more info, visit Facebook.

Members of Forte performs at Unzipped on March 16, 2018 at Buddies.
Credit: Courtesy Motion and Still

Björk Party IV

This dance party endeavors to, billing says, “celebrate our extraterrestrial kween with a night of 100% Björk music, hits, missed, Björk remixes and rareiteez.” DJ Phillipe spins, and dressing up and “weirding out” is encouraged.

9pm–3am. Baby G, 1608 Dundas St W. For more info, visit Facebook.

DJ Phillipe spins at Björk Party IV on March 16, 2018 at Baby G. Credit: Courtesy Patrick Moher

Saturday, March 17

Firefly Pub

Pretending you’re Irish for one night of the year to get drunk on green beer is no longer something enjoyed only by the straights. This queer take on a St Patrick’s Day party includes music by Bubblegum Bikini, Ticky Ty and Sandy Duperval. The venue is accessible.

6pm–midnight. The 519, 519 Church St. For more info, visit Facebook.

Ticky Ty spins at Firefly Pub on March 17 at The 519. Credit: courtesy Duro the Third

Beth Ditto

Beth Ditto, the self-proclaimed “fat, feminist lesbian from Arkansas,” swoops into the city to perform her indie rock hits. She is joined on the stage by punk band/art project SSION. The venue is accessible.

 

8–11pm. The Mod Club, 722 College St W. For more info, visit Facebook.

Pitbull: Eight Year Anniversary

The sexy party for guys celebrates its eighth anniversary with hunky daddy DJ Ted Eiel. The night includes drag performances, go-go dancers and anniversary surprises. The venue is not accessible.

10pm–4am. The Phoenix, 410 Sherbourne St. For more info, visit Facebook.

Sunday, March 18

Designing the Movies: Auntie Mame (1958)

Designing the Movies host Nathalie Atkinson and designer/TV presenter/House and Home editor Tommy Smythe talk about the visually stunning classic film Auntie Mame. Billing describes the film as “a rite of passage for every aspiring interior designer.”

3–6pm. Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave. For more info, visit Facebook.

Wednesday, March 21

Book Launch: Fire Song by Adam Garnet Jones

Cree/Métis filmmaker and writer Adam Garnet Jones launches the book adaptation of his award-winning feature film of the same name. It’s a story about loss, resilience and coming out on the reserve. The venue is accessible.

7–9pm. Glad Day Bookshop, 499 Church St. For more info, visit Facebook.

Author Adam Garnet Jones launches his book Fire Song on March 21, 2018 at Glad Day. Credit: Courtesy Adam Garnet Jones

Jeremy Willard is a Toronto-based freelance writer and editor. He's written for Fab Magazine, Daily Xtra and the Torontoist. He generally writes about the arts, local news and queer history (in History Boys, the Daily Xtra column that he shares with Michael Lyons).

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Culture, Event listings, Toronto, Arts

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