The W word

In their latest weather statement, Environment Canada was quite blunt (and possibly inspired by Jon Snow): Winter is coming. But it’s never an immediate magical transition from sunny picnic days to snowy winter fun – we often endure a November weather purgatory where there’s just enough snow to irritate commuters but not enough to do anything with. 

This is the beginning of the much-lauded creative hibernation period that many have credited as being essential for feeding Winnipeg’s relatively prolific cultural production. But if you’re not ready to bury yourself in a book or write that screenplay/novel or learning scales, there’s still a lot going on. 

Love musical theatre? Relive those early days of performance with Sing Out, Louise! Want to talk about mental health in a creative setting? Join Sarasvàti for their Mental Health Project Sessions. Wondering why everyone keeps going on about Shakespeare? Sit back and enjoy a fresh take on an old classic put on by the University of Winnipeg Theatre department. 

And for avid bookworms, we’ve got a few stories and reading recommendations: A review of Settler, and a Q&A with the author of Economics for Everyone. 

For those who love moving around, there’s always the gym, and many rec leagues move indoors at this time of year. We could talk about the Jets, but usually when The Uniter covers sportsball or some kind of organized movement-based activity, we tend to look for the more unusual and smaller-scale players. 

Parkour doesn’t use a ball, but it is a sport that’s burgeoning in the city. In our feature, we also look at all the ways parkour athletes use the off season to up their game. And our campus friends the Wesmen are back – the men’s volleyball team, this time – to talk about changing strategies for their season. 

Winter may be coming (and while this issue is on stands, it could already be here) but don’t despair – we’ll keep you up to date on how to keep busy. Or if you’d prefer to stay at home and live vicariously through these stories online, that’s fine too. We hope you enjoy this issue! 

- Anastasia Chipelski, Managing Editor

Published in Volume 70, Number 11 of The Uniter (November 19, 2015)