Fresh coat of paint = yay! Vandalism = nay!

I had some leftover paint at home so I gave one wall in the Existere office a couple of coats last week and today I put the covers on the wall. Existere - Journal of Arts and Literature is the magazine I revived in 2007 and volunteer as publisher and mentor to students wanting to gain experience in producing a magazine. It's quite enjoyable and the students get a lot out of it. We produce two issues a year: the first in September and the second in March. The Journal has been published at Vanier College since 1978.

Come fall I'm reviving my In Conversation With... series when I have a chat with Vincent Lam this summer. I've published conversations with Nino Ricci, Diana Gabaldon, Michael Redhill, Jacob Scheier, and Anthony De Sa. I was hoping the students would follow my lead but the past few issues they have not done so. Perhaps they are afraid to talk to prominent writers and others in the arts. So, I shall do it. However, today I was on an York University alumni panel on careers in editing and publishing and one student is interest in maybe doing an interview of a musician or singer or someone in music. I said sure, if it's a good interview I'll publish it.

On the negative side, when I got to the Existere office I found the door (at right) vandalized - again. Last week I put up some pages from the last issue on the door so passersby can get a teaser of the content and maybe inspire them to buy a copy to finish the stories and read more. Somebody ripped down all but a few pages - and the office hours sheet on the lower cork board, too. Gawd, the annoys me. Why? What's the point of doing such stupidity? Youth, it's been said, is spoiled on the young.