Just last year it was an event for the Department of Sociology, but now UTSC Reads invites the whole campus community to come together.
“Our main goal is to get people reading the book and using it as kind of a touchstone for creating a greater sense of community on campus,” says creator and sociology professor Kathy Liddle. “It gives us something common that we can be reading and talking about.”
The program, which launched January 16, invites students, staff, and faculty to attend literary discussions and artistic workshops inspired by the novel Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez.
Scarborough tells the stories of a culturally diverse neighbourhood through the voices of the residents. The novel tells stories of three children fighting against a failing system to rebuild their community. The stories shine a light on the societal issues like racism and prejudices that plague these characters. The novel depicts the low-income area on the east end of Toronto with the perception only a Scarborough resident could communicate.
This is the first full-length novel by Hernandez, a proud queer women of colour, activist and theater practitioner. Scarborough is on the long list for Canada Reads, was a part of Globe and Mail’s list of 100 best books of 2017, and was a finalist in the Toronto Book Awards. Hernandez’s other published works include a children’s book and two plays.
UTSC Reads provides a comprehensive reading guide for those who want to gain more insight into the book and its author. The guide also gives discussion questions and detailed information about who the characters are.
Featured in the guide is artwork created by U of T Scarborough first-year student Ujwal Mantha. Mantha moved from India to Canada to attend U of T Scarborough in September and found the book helpful to gain information about his new surroundings.
“I’m still new here and it made me understand Scarborough a bit better from a perspective that I would not see,” says Mantha.
“I’m still new here and it made me understand Scarborough a bit better from a perspective that I would not see,” says Mantha.
Last year, Liddle’s students suggested creating a piece of artwork that represented the 2017 title, Birdie by Tracey Lindberg, and paid homage to the indigenous women and children in the book. The workshop was hosted by Aura Last, an indigenous artist.
In collaboration with Paloma Villegas, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, this year’s workshop will feature a body mapping project where attendees will use an array of craft tools to create collages that are representative of the characters in the book.
“The art workshop provides a different entry point to interacting with the book, rather than talking about it,” says Liddle. “It’s designed for anybody; you don’t have to know anything about art. You just show up, we will give you supplies and talk you through what to do.” The workshop takes place on Thursday February 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. in room MW324.
On February 8, an informal bookchat will be held from 5:00-7:00 p.m. in room MW324. On February 13, Catherine Hernandez will do a reading from Scarborough at 4 p.m. as well as hosting a workshop for writers at 2 p.m. You can follow UTSC Reads on Facebook for more information on upcoming events.