Brennan's Old Blog

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world. -Jack Layton

 

REVIEW: Virtuous Retribution and Shedding Velvet in “Deer Woman”

CW: Gore, CSA, MMIWG, Trauma Deer Woman, a visceral, profoundly moving play written by acclaimed playwright Tara Beagan, leaves an indelible mark on the psyche of the audience. Presented by National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre, and brought to life by...

The Feminine Liberation of the Mind

Madness or insanity is a term that has been used throughout history to describe a wide range of mental health conditions. Women have often been diagnosed with mental illness at higher rates than men, and their experiences with mental illness...

REVIEW: “The Extractionist” and Disconnections

“The Extractionist’’, a modern-day mystery play written by local Michaela Jeffery, was commissioned and performed at Vertigo Theatre in downtown Calgary. It attempts to raise difficult questions regarding the nature of personal choice and the extent to which individuals can...

OUTSIDER/INSIDER POETRY

Poetry — and more broadly — creative writing, has become an integral part of my identity over the past decade. The poem is the culmination of hundreds of lived nights and days, a diary, a retelling and reformulation of our collective experience out of...