another time. another world.

2 September, 2025

Porphyry Island, Ontario

I spent a portion of this summer living in a lighthouse. The restoration project exists on a tiny little island on Lake Superior, and is composed up of workers who are investing time into fulfilling the mandate. Several volunteer programs, Artists-in-Residency, conservation work and a variety of offerings see Porphyry Island as a revolving door for many who seek the ultimate isolation, and wish to explore these lighthouses. I was there to visually document the unique experience and act as a true Host Keeper, like many of which back in the day. Learning about these souls gave me so much gratitude, and reading their personal journals was a whole 'nother endeavor.

Lighthouses have such a rich past. Acting as a navigation tool for the incoming and passing safety to port. For many, they aren't even aware lighthouses still exist in the province, let alone being maintained by a number of dedicated locals. Currently, most light stations across the country are now full automated, yet the Canadian Lighthouses of Lake Superior are actively trying to revive history.

To verbally paint you an image of the sights and sounds of this island would be next to impossible. The immense feeling I received with the remote landscape, zero light pollution, the roar from what simply MUST be an ocean, and meeting a handful of memorable tourists. And for someone who has yet to get a full eight-hour sleep this year, some of the best snooze of my life.

I am honored to be apart of the story of not only Porphyry, but it's surrounding neighboring islands, too. Some of which, only a handful have ever had the pleasure of visiting. I pray my offering of my Apple Watch to the Gods of Shaganash serve them well, and may the brave kayakers who seek shelter during a sudden storm surge remain cozy in their newspaper-decorated guest rooms.

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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)

I've watched this several times and it never fails to enlighten me. Long live black education films with pure substance and craftsmanship. This flick acknowledges the colonizers who have stripped continents of their resources for generations, and sheds light on the culture and struggles this community sees on a regular basis. Malawi is often referred to as the warm heart of Africa, and it's people are passionate about their families and government, Maxwell Simba is the most badass name ever, and he demonstrates throughout the film that education is important, and should be free for all.

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Cormac McCarthy's The Passenger (2022)

The longevity of writing this novel has to be some sort of record, right? Set in the early 80's, this book alludes to a missing aircraft passenger, but really shadows Bobby Western throughout his travels. It's made up of discussions - conversations about ideas, history, and just sad, questions about life with zero answers. The reader find themselves so engulfed in details, it's as if they're in the very room during the chat on JFK's assassination. This book truly proves that it's never too late to create art, and I'm very much looking forward to the follow-up.

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Miya Folick - Talking With Strangers

This song will push you to take the car and drive across lost roads to find yourself. It brings me great joy that she is beginning to gain more recognition. You can really feel the vibrancy in the way she performs her tunes, and her messaging is a beautiful release of everything that's been bubbling underneath the surface. It's so underrated, it could be our little secret. Winter, here we come. I feel you nearer.

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Noir: Heart Archive by Şeyda Noir

Highlighting the ongoing struggle between emotions and internal thoughts, these poems will energize the ability to express yourself with self-love. We are all encouraged to share our experiences with one another, and brought up to believe that neither of us are alone in our daily challenges. It's uplifting to read pieces like this, to make sense of what it's really like to be human. The inclusion of hashtags here truly bring the elements of community and connection to its readers. Noir is an attempt to guide us through it all, while maintaining its eloquence and simplicity. Poetry you can revisit time after time should forever be prioritized.

Nautical Nonsense

12 June, 2025

Providence, Rhode Island

There's a current study being conducted in the marina of Matunuck. These coastal areas, nearshore tidal zones and other water spaces represent where and how urban pollution, including microplastics and other contaminants, enter the marine ecosystems. Floating wetlands have been developed as a nature-based solution to support biodiversity and improve water quality. The study will provide data towards a filtration method for microplastics and heavy metals. This project also pioneers the use of biocompatible and plastic-free materials by using myco-buoys to construct the floating wetlands. These will be deployed in these environments and monitored regularly.

I can't thank the team at 5 Gyres enough for having me on this project, and I'm excited to share the visuals and representation in the near future. Engineering a pilot study for future sustainable design in ecological restoration is no easy task, and it's important to capture the story in a captivating manner. As fait would have it, the moment we called 'action,' it simply wouldn't stop down-pouring. The things done for science.

A huge shoutout to Roger Williams for finding Rhode Island.

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Your Tomorrow (2025)

Compiled of interviews, memoirs and standpoints during the redevelopment of Toronto's Ontario Place, Your Tomorrow demonstrates the evolution and impact this park had on the city. A perfect representation of how much the residents of this city admired nature space. A story to help the feeble-brain understand that we don't need a business plan for every backyard this place offers, and selling off pieces of Ontario to line your pockets isn't exactly a high praise. I had spent a great deal of my childhood at this park, and during it's abandoned stages, I would reflect heavily whether running or attending a movie at the Cinesphere. It's still an underrated piece of history that brought so many people together, and presently a shameful reality-check for the clueless.

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John Green's Everything is Tuberculosis (2025)

Excited for a new John Green. Deep diving into the current state of such a horrendous disease. Though curable in some parts of the world, it remains a devastating entity for other areas. John contemplates the 'why aren't we choosing to?' task for humanity to distribute the cure where it's needed the most. For many, TB seems like an ancient disease, yet millions die every year from it. I wrote a speech in elemntary about Tuberculosis and am horrified to learn how bad it still is today....

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Hamilton Leithauser - This Side of the Island

The Walkmen proved their legacy when I had finally caught them live a few years back. Hammy's comeback is a time capsule taking you back to your old friends. Written during some pretty tough times, Hamilton portrays themes of disillusionment, acceptance and resolve. A bonafide toe-tapper. With a voice that perfectly paints a memory accompanied by big-band instruments, there couldn't possibly be a better time like the present to inflict this on the music world.

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Somewhere, Someone is Thinking of You by Henry Rollins

The words and lyrics from this man have never not placed a stranglehold on me. From his early days in the DC punk scene, Rollins has existed in some form of car-ride, opening band's cover and even public-poetry - and has been a lyrical master for forever. Sure, by the time you find yourself in the back-half of this poem, there are some questionable thoughts on paper, but what's more punk than truly not giving a damn how people perceive your inner thoughts? The bluntness is shockingly emotional. I think at one point in another, throughout all of our lonely existence, it's moving to fantasize that somebody out there may in fact be thinking of you.

fundamentally unquantifiable

14 May, 2025

Pemberton, British Columbia

A country divided. After being more actively involved with this year's federal election, I've gained far more knowledge than ever before. I'm always eager to converse on any of these items in politics, but in a healthy way. Some, surely don't have the capacity. I believe there is a wicked energy that constantly separates us from one another, coming from the two party system. It is incredibly easy to lose sight of everyday needs when we are all force-fed news and headlines that aim to anger the herds.

Some takeaways? There is a liveable planet within our reach. There are issues that we need to continue to work with our MP's despite our political standpoints. I think it's also safe to claim that we urgently need electoral reform. The loss of the NDP party status is obviously a setback for progressive politics, but it then lies on the voices of all those who wish to build a sustained movement. We are all free to be loud and desperately passionate for a nation we've called home for decades, but just try and keep in mind of your familiar friends & faces? I'm beyond taken back by the countless hatred that spills out onto my screen on the regular. If you're this driven about the government and feel the need to thumb-grenade your words onto a digital cloud, can you imagine the productivity you could accomplish outdoors?

For some of you, and I'm guilty of it every now and then, we're fairly cooked. I learned that word at Easter dinner! In the widespread of things, there is a beautiful scenic view all around us. It takes your sense of adventure to set aside some differences and explore those regions. Inhale, and take it in. For me, it helps to reinstate that this is in fact, the whole point.

With patience, smiles are slowly coming back to faces. It feels good to be home.

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Kes (1969)

Within this pre-Thatcher, English, Northern, working-class motion picture, we grasp a true depiction of the time period. A masterpiece with a spineless ending. David Bradley plays a true Billy Elliot in the making, forming an emotional bond with a wild bird. I have always held the art of falconry in high regard, and intrigued by the experts and members who I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with. Though I hope the people of Barnsley never lose their accent, the dialogue is quite a thick struggle throughout - where even those from Lancashire had a tough time deciphering several scenes (rofl). The curiosity of childhood is portrayed properly, and the ominous wonder of a young lad in a rather intense school system is too real for comfort. Hailed as an all-time classic in British cinema.

'If she flies off, she flies off and can't be helped.'

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Ayana Elizabeth Johnson's What If We Get It Right? (2024)

It's no surprise of our surrounding crisis. If you spend even half a fraction of time with this book, you will get a sense of current climate warriors in an interview-style presentation, that illustrates the concept of refuse, repair and repurpose. Lean into possibility together. Though I don't know how I feel about climate poetry, the fact remains that we are all choking on mountains of plastic waste. It's not on the consumer to deal with the plastic distribution, and we need imaginative new stories to bridge the gap of what we know and what we need to know.

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Fucked Up - In The Company of Sisters

Powerful voices collide to represent lyrics of a vivid story that many women sadly face today. Julianna Riolino brings truth in every word sung in this devastatingly beautiful song. As you listen, the track's teeth surely sink deeper & deeper. What sort of world can we manifest moving forward? One that we would actually want to live in? There is kindness and regret in the seeds we can plant.

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ferry delay, terminal by Rob Mclennan

Must have been Blenz coffee... Of course, there's a notion of British Columbia being the scenic force it always stood out to be. Many of the more hidden and desolate sights discovered once hopping on a BCF. Sight unseen, there's a constant