Applause for Hagen

I have to say that I absolutely loved Hagen's book "The Edmonton Queen". When I went through the U of A bookstore to pick up my outrageously expensive text books, I paused when I grabbed this one. I remained completely speechless as I read the back, looked at the cover and flipped through it. I had no idea how this book would fit into any class, even one exclusively about Edmonton literature. I had never known that Edmonton had this underground scene that was so colourful and explosive. Then again, if you look through the rest of my posts, I seem to have no idea about most of the going-ons in Edmonton... it's becoming a reoccurring theme.

Reading the book was really quite jarring. Some parts were hysterically funny, while other parts were painfully sad. The experiences that Hagen describes are far and away something I would have never pictured happening in Edmonton. The city to me seems kind of vanilla, so it was amazing to hear that there is real sense of diversity. I read books all the time, both fiction and non-fiction, but reading a book that's then expanded on  by the author who lived through the experiences and knows everyone else in the book is almost surreal. When I read biographies or "true stories", they still have a sense of fiction about them because there's no personal attachment to the story. So, having Darrin come in was a really neat experience. He should be honored to know that he is the most famous person I've ever met. This experience just trumps the time when Josh Classen went shopping where I work and I was the lucky cashier that got to ring him through. He was really polite.

When Darrin came in and spoke to the class to expand on his book as well as offer more insight to the gay community, I was once again surprised. Hearing about the bus tours, and his many plays made that part of the city really stand out and seem closer. I've never experienced anything in these communites first hand in Edmonton, but simply knowing that there are diverse communities scattered around really changes my view of the city. I've been guilty of simplifying the city and not giving it enough credit for being something close to an actual metropolis. I guess this goes to show to not judge a book by its cover (cliche!), because this book really made a change in the way I see Edmonton.

Mapping the Mapless

I can't say that I've ever had the need to use a map before. I'm a person who very much so enjoys routine; I like going to the same coffee shop every morning, when I'm not at school I'm driving to work, and I take a bus when I am going into Edmonton. I always know exactly where I'm going and how to get there, so maps are not usually necessary. I also have bad eyes so when I am travelling I don't get stuck with the job of navigator because staring at the tiny interwoven roads gives me a headache.
This kind of illustrates my previous opinion of maps; They are just visual tools that make me go cross eyed. I never attached any kind of deeper or creative meaning to them because I've never spent much time on them. Seeing the different ways people have mapped concepts, issues and locations really broadens my view and understanding of creative cartography.
The Map of Edmonton that I enjoyed exploring the most was the Edmonton Crime map, it was interesting seeing the different areas and neighborhoods and it gave me an understanding of how big and diverse this city is. Some maps that I thought would be interesting to see would be a festival map. Edmonton is a festival city so mapping out the different features of each event would really demonstrate their excitement and attraction. Using a sound map for the Fringe would probably be extremely interesting to use to experience it.
When I Look back at my first blog post about my experiences in Edmonton, I think that I could very easily map where I go. My map would just include Whyte Ave and the University area but I'm hoping to expand that because my knowledge of Edmonton is a bit sad.

"My Edmonton.” What is your sense of this city? How do you inhabit it? What do you regularly see? Where do you go/hang out – and where do you not go? Do you observe “city limits”?

"My Edmonton" is almost non-existent. I kind of feel that I've taken the city for granted because it is pretty much attached to my home town and there is probably tons for me to do and see, but I tend to avoid it at all costs. It's never felt that exciting to me and people are constantly griping about it: "our hockey team sucks, there's nothing noteworthy to do, and they don't clear the snow quickly enough." I mainly only go into the city for school or, if there is a special event happening and I need something fancy, I might amble on down Whyte Ave. My bus route even takes me straight down Whyte Ave, so that and the university area are the only places I frequent. Being a full time student as well as holding down a full time job really inhibits me from going places that I deem "far away" (that mean's longer than a five minute drive). My perception of Edmonton as the far off big city coupled with my blatant lack of interest in it, really prevents me from exploring it at all. My city limit for Edmonton is really anything outside of the University and my bus. I'm hoping that with this class I change my view of Edmonton and get out and actually see it. Maybe I'll discover a really great restaurant or find that there's a really nice area of parks or shops that I'd really like. My goal is to learn more about not only what the city can offer me, but also to learn what I can offer the city because I'm nearing the end of my academic career and soon will have to start a real job. I know that I can't live in my bubble forever, so understanding the city will definitely help me in the long run.