Selected writing
During the pandemic, when restaurants were complaining of a labour shortage, I delved into the supposed hiring problem and found a resounding theme: it's not so much a labour shortage as a shortage of decent work.
As I established the local business section at NOW Magazine over the last couple of years, I took a marked interest in labour: the digital divide, tipping, platform capitalism and the difference between minimum wage and living wage.
I also launched a new series called Toronto Pillars, a look at longstanding local businesses that make the city what it is: comic book shops, sex co-ops and other unclassifiable curiosities.
Since the time I was a high schooler flipping through for concerts to go to every weekend, Music Editor at the beloved Toronto alt-weekly NOW Magazine was a dream job. In the five years or so I actually got to do it, I collected more highlights than I can share here.
My proudest achievement was launching the Sound of Toronto series. The local music series was a great opportunity to show off the abundance and diversity of creativity bubbling up in the city. And the artists featured – Chippy Nonstop, Bambii, The OBGMS and Savannah Ré – were thrilled to be on the cover of their hometown weekly.
Music is a microcosm of city culture and politics, and that's how I approached it. Other highlights include this panel of DIY party promoters, a dive into Toronto's rehearsal space crisis and an uncanny look at the return of an old haunt.
I've also written plenty of profiles and concert reviews, logging my feelings around the return to live music during the pandemic.
Gamification, Leonard Cohen and more freelance work
Between editor and copywriting stints, I also have a rich and eclectic freelance portfolio.
Recently, for the cover of The Toronto Star's Together section, I looked at Queen West's last surviving goth store and took a dive into Toronto's still-thriving goth scene.
Here's the most recent piece I wrote for The Walrus about the blurring lines between books and TV. And another Walrus piece about fitness gamification and its dark side.
Over the years, I've also been published in outlets like Toronto Life, The Globe And Mail, Hazlitt, The National Post, The Canadian Jewish News and more. Click those hyperlinks and you'll see I'm comfortable in many topics, writing about music, tech and food, in deeply reported pieces, essays, even obits.
And hey, I'm available for hire.
