Arts and Social Sciences

Stand-up success: Alumna takes comedy from stage to screen

Courtney Gilmour performs stand up comedy Alumna Courtney Gilmour is a two-time Juno-nominated stand-up comedian and television and voice actor (PROVIDED BY C. GILMOUR/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Courtney Gilmour (BA ’12) is a two-time Juno-nominated stand-up comedian, a voice on PAW Patrol and a recent addition to the cast of Trailer Park Boys.  

She built that career the hard way — starting with zero comedy experience on a Windsor stage she had no business being on. 

Children’s author to open writer-in-residence term with public reading Friday

Famed children’s book writer Christopher Paul Curtis Children's author Christopher Paul Curtis will be taking on the role of writer in residence at the University of Windsor this month. (Courtesy: Nicole Markotic/ University of Windsor)

Famed children’s book writer Christopher Paul Curtis will be taking on the role of writer in residence at the University of Windsor this month.

The Michigan-born author, whose work includes numerous magazine and journal articles along with eight books — including three he penned in Leddy Library — will return to campus Friday, March 6, where he will kick off his month-long residency with the writer in residence’s inaugural reading.

Curtis’s first novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, was released in 1995 and brought him immediate and well-deserved recognition.

Colloquium to explore precarity in children’s literature

Nicole Markotic in front of a bookshelf of books with a close up of children's picture books in a separate imageDr. Nicole Markotić is one of the organizers of an upcoming colloquium on precarity in children's literature (left: K.HARGREAVES/University of Windsor; right: CANVA STOCK/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

With children’s literature becoming a flashpoint for controversy in both the United States and Canada, the question of who is represented in stories for kids and how those stories are told appears more urgent than ever. 

An upcoming colloquium hosted by the University of Windsor department of English will focus on precarity in children’s literature, examining the ways in which marginalized identities are represented in texts for children. 

Beauty is Me: Social work alumna shares message of belonging

Joan Simpson speaking at a podiumUWindsor alumna Joan Simpson is the founder of the Beauty is Me non-profit (KYLE ARCHIBALD/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Belonging has always been at the heart of everything University of Windsor alumna Joan Simpson (BSW ‘06, MSW ‘14) does. 

From supporting newcomers and those facing socioeconomic barriers to co-founding the Beauty is Me non-profit, Simpson’s work is all about empowerment and reminding people that they belong. 

It’s a drive that has been with Simpson since her youth.  

Neuroscience research and voice-controlled drums: Rock drummer Satoshi Yamaguchi to deliver public lecture

Satoshi Yamaguchi at his VXD drum kitDrummer and researcher Satoshi Yamaguchi will present a public lecture at SoCA Feb. 23 (PROVIDED BY S. YAMAGUCHI/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves

For any musician, losing the ability to play their instrument sounds like a nightmare.

For Satoshi Yamaguchi, drummer for the Japanese rock band RADWIMPS, this became a reality while on a national concert tour in 2009.

Having developed musician’s dystonia, a rare neurological condition impacting his motor control, Yamaguchi continued to perform until 2015 when he made the decision to step away from drumming due to progressing symptoms.

Education and early intervention critical to eating disorder prevention

apple on a scaleEating disorder awareness week runs Feb. 1 to 7 each year (stock: Microsoft SharePoint/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Education and awareness are key when it comes to preventing eating disorders. 

Each Feb. 1 to 7, eating disorder awareness week encourages Canadians to learn more about eating disorders, challenge weight and body stigma and become familiar with resources and services that can help those who are struggling. 

This year’s theme is “health doesn’t have a look,” challenging harmful beliefs that suggest being healthy means being thin. 

UWindsor installation reveals unseen life of Great Lakes

Creative Currents event photoCreative Currents: Art and Science on the Great Lakes is an installation bringing the lakes’ offshore monitoring systems onto shore, giving visitors a glimpse into the currents, cycles and microscopic life that usually go unseen. (Courtesy Domenica Mediati/ University of Windsor)

The hidden world of the Great Lakes will be revealed at the University of Windsor, where scientific instruments are being transformed into an immersive art installation. 

Creative Currents: Art and Science on the Great Lakes is a collaboration between RAEON, the Regional Aquatic Environmental Observatory Network, and INCUBATOR Art Lab, bringing the lakes’ offshore monitoring systems onto shore, giving visitors a glimpse into the currents, cycles and microscopic life that usually go unseen. 

UWindsor’s Kim Nelson joins Concordia talk on civil discourse - Feb. 10

Professor Kim NelsonDirector of the Humanities Research Group, Professor Kim Nelson, speaking at a past talk at the University of Windsor. (KYLE ARCHIBALD/ University of Windsor)

What defines “civil” discourse, and how do power, privilege and social context shape it?

University of Windsor Humanities Research Group director Kim Nelson will take part in a public talk at Concordia University, Civil Discourse on Campus: Controversies, Challenges and Opportunities, examining the meaning and limits of civil discourse.

SoCA faculty take the stage for annual jazz concert

4th annual jazz faculty concertFaculty from the School of Creative Arts will step out of the classroom and onto the stage Saturday, Feb. 7 for their fourth annual Faculty Jazz Concert at the Capitol Theatre in Windsor, Ont. (Trevor Pittman/ UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR)

Windsor’s Capitol Theatre will hum with the rhythm of jazz this Saturday as faculty from the School of Creative Arts step out of the classroom and onto the stage for their fourth annual Faculty Jazz Concert.

The concert features a varied program of instrumental and vocal jazz numbers, selected by Mike Karloff, Shahida Nurullah, Bob Fazecas, Steve Wood, Mike Palazzolo, Miles Finlayson and Vanessa Harnish.