is a poet, novelist, storyteller and veteran whose novel Predators, Reapers and Deadlier Creatures is available from Double Dagger Press.

Today, Matt writes and teaches in Paris: leadership at the 脡cole Militaire and creative writing at SciencesPo. His many published works interrogate themes of dehumanization, poetics, monsters, masculinity, cross-cultural exchange, and healing. He also co-hosts the by-donation Write Time workshop, and organizes fitness enthusiasts who use trees as barbells: the Log Club.

Follow his work and receive .

杏吧原创 the Novel

Predators, Reapers, and Deadlier Creatures tracks Jones, a drone operator stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 2010. As he monitors Sahar, a teenager and suspected terrorist, Jones commits the ultimate crime: he cares.

Jones鈥檚 supervisor is similarly stained, a fierce soldier who champions Afghan women. By day, Jones and the Major track Taliban down the cratered highways. By night, they wish their love had never hurt so many.

Beneath the base, Jones befriends Noah who, despite his cruel fangs and horrifying strength, is the only gentle creature in the entire desert. As Jones contends with a brutal predator stalking soldiers, Noah鈥檚 bids for freedom grow desperate, and the fighting season renews with a fresh crop of Taliban.

In Kandahar, there鈥檚 a monster in every window. And there鈥檚 also one in every mirror. As the war grinds him to ever-finer particles, Jones grapples with the toll鈥攎adness, craters, grief.

The post 杏吧原创 English Grad Matthew James Jones Launches First Novel appeared first on Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.

By Emily Putnam

Those from the 杏吧原创 community tuning-in to the this weekend may get to see a familiar face on screen.

, who is now a Juno nominated composer, started her journey at 杏吧原创 in 2002 to study jazz guitar.

Brandon says she feels overwhelmed and excited for her first-time nomination.

鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful to have this acknowledgement from my peers and to be in the company of the other nominees I admire so much, such as Dinuk Wijeratne, Emilie Lebel and Nicole Liz茅e.鈥�

Brandon is nominated for Classical Composition of the Year for , a piece recorded with and cellist , who she says she wrote the piece for.

鈥淪imulacra is essentially a sonification of my own experiences with identity鈥�, says Brandon. 鈥淟ike many others, I鈥檝e often felt intense pressure to alter aspects of my fundamental self in order to better 鈥榝it in鈥�.鈥�

鈥淚 express this in the piece by making the timbre of the cello a metaphor for this kind of self-inhibition and self-suppression 鈥� it travels from the narrowest of timbral ranges to the fullest, undergoing continuous transformation, eventually ending in an uneasy balance.鈥�

Brandon鈥檚 compositions have been described as 鈥�…gut wrenching and horrific鈥� (Critipeg), and “otherworldly, a clashing of bleakness with beauty” (Minor Seventh).

鈥淚 get great satisfaction from creating music that has a certain physicality, although sometimes that quality is not necessarily beautiful in the traditional sense. But to me, this manipulation of timbre is what carries the most communicative aspects of music.鈥�

The piece, conducted by , was first performed at the in 2023 and was supported by , and .

鈥淭he title of the cello concerto, Simulacra, refers to Baudrillard鈥檚 famous book on semiotics, and the concept of 鈥榓 copy that does not have an original鈥�. This is a nod to the idea that sometimes we create our identities out of nothing, creating a kind of hyperreal self that replaces us in the real world.鈥� says Brandon.

She says her education at 杏吧原创 helped to instill important values that she carries with her today.

鈥淚 worked with Wayne Eagles, Garry Elliott, Tim Bedner and , all of whom had a profound impact on me musically and as a person. I was lucky to have had the chance to work further with Roddy beyond my degree – we toured a little together on the East Coast and he is featured on my first album, ‘‘ which was released in 2016. He’s a brilliant guitarist and composer.鈥�

鈥淚 also took classical guitar lessons from Garry even after I graduated. His approach to teaching gave me a foundation of discipline which I relied on later in life as I moved into composition. He taught me that nothing good comes without effort and practice, which is a philosophy I use to this day twenty years later.鈥�

Brandon says 杏吧原创鈥檚 music program was always encouraging of her innovative and unique sonic interpretations.

鈥淥ne thing I appreciated about 杏吧原创 as a whole was its openness to musical ideas and influences from beyond the traditional conservatory system. I never felt that my musical ideas, however outlandish, were considered unwelcome. This musical openness definitely laid the foundation for my later approach to composition and performance in more experimental and free improvisational styles.鈥�

She says her compositions help bring her internal emotions outward.

鈥淔or me, composing is as simple as wanting to take everything that I hear inside, and bringing it outside. Simulacra, and all my pieces are these kinds of personal communications to ‘the outside world’.鈥�

鈥淚’m grateful that other people have found these expressions to be something worthwhile, and I cherish all the collaborations with performers that have come from that.鈥�

This year鈥檚 winners will be revealed in Halifax, Nova Scotia at the  Presented by Music Canada on Saturday, March 23 and The on Sunday, March 24, live on CBC.

The post 杏吧原创 Music Alum Amy Brandon Receives Juno Award Nomination appeared first on Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.

The post appeared first on Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.

Have you ever considered why a painting or song can make you cry? Perhaps you鈥檝e wondered about the effects of pervasive social media culture, lasting stress, or the casual use of marijuana? Are you curious why we鈥檙e so obsessed with the lives of the rich and famous?

If you asked yourself any of these questions or spent any time at all deliberating the many secrets of the human mind, this Throwback 2018 event is for you!

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the invites you to a live recording of the popular podcast hosted by world-renowned experts and 杏吧原创 professors Kim Hellemans (Department of Neuroscience) and (Institute of Cognitive Science).

 is a show about the part of you that鈥檚 reading this right now: your brain! The standard format for the has Hellemans and Davies interviewing each other and other specialists about a different mind-related topic every month. For example, in 2018, episodes covered issues such as concussions, drugs, and how we imagine our futures.

For this special live recording episode of the podcast titled 鈥�20 Questions with Kim and Jim鈥�, the award-winning Hellemans and Davies will answer your questions, any and all, about the brain.

You are encouraged to submit your questions in advance of the event by tweeting to or through the registration form below.

Once Hellemans and Davies have answered the 20 submitted questions, they will open up the floor to our live audience.  A post-recording reception with drinks and snacks will offer guests the opportunity to chat and pick the brains of the podcast鈥檚 hosts.

Join the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science for a fun and fascinating evening on Monday, September 10, 2018, from 6-8 pm in Dunton Tower, room 2017.

Everyone from the 杏吧原创 community and beyond is invited, and admission is free of charge.

Bios

Dr. Jim Davies is a professor of Cognitive Science at 杏吧原创 University. He is the author of Riveted: The Science of Why Jokes Make Us Laugh, Movies Make Us Cry, and Religion Makes Us Feel One with the Universe.

Dr. Kim Hellemans is a senior instructor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at 杏吧原创 University. She has received several prestigious teaching awards that recognize her passion and dedication to university teaching, including the Provost鈥檚 Fellowship in Teaching Award and the Capital Educator鈥檚 Award.

The post Throwback 2018: Live Podcast Time! Minding the Brain appeared first on Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.

by Nick Ward

The title track of Avalanche, fifth studio release, was nominated for Video of Year for the 2016 Juno Awards and has won the 2016 Prism Prize Award for Best Canadian Music Video.

Six months after its release, the video鈥攚hich reimagines 35 classic album covers, from Jay-Z to Springsteen to Wilco鈥攈as over 130,000 views on YouTube and has helped solidify the indie rocker as a rising star on the Canadian national music scene. A skillfully written, upbeat track with a hint of melancholy, Avalanche is representative of 惭补迟迟蝉辞苍鈥檚 dexterous and impressive discography.

鈥淚 try not to think about genres or how to classify my music at all, I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 helpful when making songs,鈥� explained Mattson. 鈥淚 do think my songs are in line with some sort of folk tradition, or Canadian songwriting tradition, but at the same time not stuck in the past, and I really try to incorporate more modern and pop production techniques in my records.鈥�

The Prism Award and the Juno nomination are not 惭补迟迟蝉辞苍鈥檚 only prominent recognitions. He was also nominated for a Polaris Music Prize in 2014 for his most recent full-length album, , which he described as 鈥渁n extremely personal record in which I felt I took a lot of risks in the subject matter, but also financially in recording and self-releasing it.鈥�

Although he鈥檚 just 25 years old, Mattson carries himself with distinguished composure and pragmatism. When asked about these accolades, he responded with the confident sensibility of a cagey industry veteran. 鈥淚t feels like a nice sort of benchmark accomplishment. Awards mean something to everyone, you don鈥檛 really have to justify it, everyone knows what it is and what it means. You never go into making music with the goal of winning them, but when it does happen it鈥檚 a really nice surprise to be recognized for your work.鈥�

Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Mattson came to 杏吧原创鈥檚 Music program in 2010 to refine his craft. 鈥� had a big effect on me. I had quite a few classes with him in my four years and he really expanded my view of music and composition. Really, I think that one of the main things university is supposed to do is just expand your thinking and expose you to new things.鈥�

Mattson isn鈥檛 certain whether or not acquiring a university degree is going to make or break a songwriter鈥檚 career, but he does believe it helps provide musicians with 鈥渢he tools to be able to do your job better鈥攖heory, ear training, that sort of thing.鈥�

鈥淭he biggest thing I got out of my time at 杏吧原创 was a work ethic and the knowledge of how to practise well and how to make the best use of your time practising. I use that every day.鈥�

Mattson is currently writing and recording his upcoming full-length album and is preparing to play with Canadian icon Jason Collett. Mattson has a variety of tour dates and festivals for 2016, checkout for details.

For those aspiring artists reading this article, Mattson suggests, 鈥淵ou never know if you never try, and if you never try, you never know.鈥�

Wise advice from a young success story.

杏吧原创鈥檚 Bachelor of Music (BMus) program now has a Singer-songwriter stream which features related courses, research, performance and artists in residence working with songwriters. 杏吧原创鈥檚 BMus is the only program in Canada (and one of only a few in the world) to have a Singer-songwriter stream. For more information, please visit: 

The post An Avalanche of Success for Talented Music Grad appeared first on Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.