FEEL WAYS Presents SEEN: A Literary Map of Scarborough
SEEN brings us Scarborough's words and wordsmiths, remapped. Presented by FEEL WAYS, a trailblazing anthology by writers from the east end of Toronto, this digital map of new Scarborough literature provides a glimpse into this vibrant community from the eyes and pens of its residents.
This interactive map was created by Jeremy Singh, and was curated by FEEL WAYS co-editors Adrian De Leon, Tea Mutonji, and Natasha Ramoutar. Excerpts from the print anthology are provided by Mawenzi House Publishers. We gratefully acknowledge Canada Council for the Arts for the financial support.
Using the map
Select a map marker to see written pieces.
See author details below:
The Pastor's Wife (Excerpt) by Chantelle Cho
Chantelle Cho is a Korean-Canadian and Singaporean-Chinese writer, editor, and coordinator. She holds a BA in English from the University of Toronto Scarborough and a graduate certificate in publishing from Centennial College. You can find her on Twitter (@chantellecho_).
What does Scarborough mean to you?
Scarborough marks my defining years; I crossed into adulthood in Scarborough. At first, as a young person who had come to the area for university, I was filled with loneliness, living apart from my parents and siblings and in a major that wasn’t for me. Over time, however, I got to know Scarborough through its landmarks, its people, and through moments that became memories. Now, Scarborough represents comfort and community. It’s a place I “come back” to.
Tell us about the specific location you wrote about:
When my family first came to Scarborough, two years after I did, the five of us lived in a two-bedroom apartment with bed bugs and cockroaches, and my mom hand washed all our laundry in the only bathroom. When we finally moved into a bigger place, it ended up being a mere three minute drive away. Both places are within walking distance to Agincourt Mall, the community centre that we often turn to for our daily needs. I’ve been to its stores a hundred times. I’ve picked up wine from the LCBO on the way to a friend’s, dropped by No Frills and Walmart for the ingredients to a recipe my brother and I spontaneously decided to try, bought sausage buns and egg tarts from Kin-Kin Bakery for a cheap lunch, eaten at Congee Queen with the whole family for birthdays and graduations. The Agincourt Library, which serves as a haven for the community, is a stone’s throw away. It’s convenience, it’s comfort, and it holds many preciously mundane memories.
Running Late by Elizabeth Mudenyo
Her first poetry chapbook With Both Hands is forthcoming through Anstruther Press." to "Her first poetry chapbook, With Both Hands , is available through Anstruther Press. www.elizabethmudenyo.com
What does Scarborough mean to you?
Scarborough is my favourite part of the city. For me Scarborough feels like one of the most real parts of a city that is becoming increasingly artificial. It’s where all the best people and food come from. It is where and how the city gets its multicultural claim. It is overflowing with artists and talent. And it’s going to get the recognition and resources it deserves.
Tell us about the specific location you wrote about:
K/E was my local library. It’s small and in a plaza by where I used to live. It was like a three minute walk and I was always skating in right before closing- picking up holds, returning things to the library, sometimes even browsing. I remember sometimes getting yelled at that library for talking too loudly with my friends. Still I had always seen myself working at a library. I used to sort books at a young age and it just made sense given all the time I spent there.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays by Mary Joy Pascua
Mary Joy Pascua is a Toronto based writer and multimedia artist. Her practice examines selfhood, belonging and the role of family histories and memory to inform the present. Mary Joy’s work, whether visual or written, is an effort to make room for feelings and vulnerabilities of all kinds, especially the ones that are difficult to name and hard to place.
What does Scarborough mean to you?
Scarborough is where I fell in love for the first time and it’s where I was declared a Knights of Columbus Free Throw Champion in the 6th grade. It’s where I held my first job and understood the value of every dollar earned and it’s where I spent a lot of time with boys I shouldn’t have. It’s where I truly understood how it felt to be lonely for the first time as the new kid in school and it’s home to some of the most creative and inspiring people I know. Scarborough is where I’ve spent countless hours on the 24 Victoria Park hearing and overhearing stories of love and loss and stories of loyalty and betrayal. Scarborough is home.
Tell us about the specific location you wrote about:
In many ways, this piece is dedicated to my mom. She worked multiple jobs, as many immigrant families do, and her second job took her to Shepard Village on Birchmount and Shepard a few days a week. I don’t really recall spending too much time with my parents growing up because they were always working but the evening trips to join my dad and pick up mom from work are some of the softest memories I have.
Phase I, II, II Re-Opening by Nazbah Tom
Nazbah Tom is Diné from Dinétah, their ancestral homelands in what is currently the southwestern United States. They see themselves as a guide in the healing work of community members. They believe we are always moving towards healing and their work supports that process using somatic theory, practice, and hands on bodywork. As a guest on this land in Tkaronto, their goal is to continue to build community and power with Indigenous folks here who have taken care of this land for thousands of years.
What does Scarborough mean to you?
Patchwork quilt of a multitude of diasporas. It’s the crystal we all look through, with its many angles, to show how brilliant, resilient, talented, and world-making we all are.
Tell us about the specific location you wrote about:
Port Union/Lawrence has been my home base since I moved here. My mother mentioned once that the elements have to know you in order to feel at home anywhere. To that end, the sweltering humid summers, the maple candy crisp falls, the bone slapping cold winters, and the impatient spring buds sighing at winter have all gotten to know me. They know my stride along the lake. They know how much snow I can shovel. My feet have stripes of brown where the sun has burned through my sandals. They know how much tobacco and corn pollen I have offered. Now that we are acquainted, I feel it is now gifting me poems.
Mango by Oubah Osman
Oubah Osman is a Somali writer from Djibouti. She has been published in 20.35 Africa: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, The New Quarterly, and CV2, among others. Her chapbook titled Hereditary Blue was published by Anstruther Press in 2019, and was shortlisted for the bpNichol Chapbook Award. She is an MFA graduate from the University of Guelph. She is based in Toronto.
What does Scarborough mean to you?
Scarborough for me is comfort. I love moving through Scarborough. I love the faces I see, the patterns I can notice, the ways other people move. I love the weirdly redundant used furniture stores and the parks. There are a lot of difficult things experienced, too, and I think we can talk about things in our own sort of language here. But people are moving around, living life. It’s also changing a lot. Lately I’ve been feeling like there are a lot of faces and patterns I just don’t recognize. Lots of condos popping up overnight!
Tell us about the specific location you wrote about:
I wrote about the buildings near Markham and Eglinton where I grew up. I have so many fond memories of being there because all of my friends lived just a few floors away. That area has changed a lot but every time I pass it I think about my childhood. Most of the memories I had of that place are gone but I remember specific images, most of which are in this poem.
Pre-loved Connection by Teaunna Gray
I’m an Afro-Indigenous Director, Film Photographer and business owner based in Toronto. Through visual storytelling, I hope to develop unique stories that are made even stronger coming from my genuine and multi-cultural point of view. The inclusion of women, people of colour and the Deaf community impact the work I create. I find it exciting to try and group all my passions into every project I do and am empowered to beat the odds placed on me by a society rife with systemic barriers. I hope to be a source of inspiration to the younger generation of those who look like or those who feel like an outcast because of their quirks and unique interests. teaunnagray.com
What does Scarborough mean to you?
Scarborough was a place that I never felt connected to, even when I lived and went to school there briefly. I realize now that it was in part due to the stigma attached to it. I have grown to have such an appreciation for what its given me and for the many beautiful cultures that reside in that part of the city. Without Scarborough I wouldn’t have gone to an art school to meet the people who pushed me to be as great as I wanted to be; nor would I have found a little thrift shop that would one day provide me with the dream and opportunity to start my own business.
Tell us about the specific location you wrote about:
The location I wrote about is a thrift shop located at Victoria Park & Eglinton. I discovered my love of vintage and the art or reusing & reselling. I also found my own unique style with the one-of-a-kind pieces I would hunt for at every chance I could get.
SCARBOROUGH (Place/Space) by Victoria Mbabazi
Victoria Mbabazi is a mental health major pursuing a double minor in creative writing and philosophy at the University of Toronto. Her can be found in The Puritan, CV2, Feels Zine, Bywords, Untethered Magazine, Grain, and Release Any Words Stuck Inside You Volume 2. Her poetry placed second in The Hart House Review contest and her work has been shortlisted in Plenitude’s Flash Fiction contest and long-listed in Room’s Poetry contest. She’ll be doing an MFA with a concentration in poetry at NYU in the fall and is currently working on a poetry collection.
What does Scarborough mean to you?
I was a commuter for most of my time at UTSC. The two years I lived on campus felt like a prologue. I always think of Scarborough as my home in transition because I am always leaving it or going to it.
Tell us about the specific location you wrote about:
It was the first time I went to do groceries by myself. I was kind of an idiot and a little bit nervous about shopping in general. It’s also the first time I saw iced tea in a carton which makes it the most significant.
A Damn Shame on Fundy Bay
A lifetime immersed in the performing arts has made Joshua “Scribe” Watkis entirely devoted to the gift of storytelling. Through Spoken Word Poetry and Hip-Hop, he has taken thousands into his world to experience it as he does. The Scarborough born poet has performed on stages across Canada, appeared on CBC and has opened for the legendary Hip-Hop band ‘The Roots’ with ‘The Uncharted’ collective. As a competitor he has attended the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in 2014, 2015 and 2017, never having missed a finals stage, winning the championship in 2019. Scribe, owner and facilitator of Word is Bond, is an Arts Educator and event organizer, as well as a member of the Up From The Roots collective. His goal is not only to bring his audiences through his story, but to gift them with the courage to do what he calls the “bravest act on Earth.”. To share their own stories, in their words, out loud.
What does Scarborough mean to you?
Scarborough, to me, is the brown skinned world gathering in one place. It gave me Anime, Kothu Roti, multi-ethnic basketball runs. Scarborough is Kedar’s (I know he moved the shop tho). Scarborough is where I learned about God & gun violence. It’s knowing that somewhere in the city, somebody is turning their nose up at you, & still feeling patriotic. Scarborough is Kidztown or choosing between STC or Eglinton for a movie date. Scarborough is lifelong loyalty from a childhood on road, in a community that loved and cared for each other in person. It’s home, still.
Tell us about the specific location you wrote about:
The story of this piece happened in a neighbourhood called Fundy Bay, between Warden & Birchmount just north of McNicoll. I lived there from grade 3 through til the summer of grade 9. This location was the first place I played street ball. It was my first time not living in an apartment building, and feeling safe interacting with my neighbours. Despite that interpersonal safety, it didn’t shield me from harsh realities impacting the communities around us. My time in Fundy Bay (specifically Hawkshead) flavoured my life, toughened me up without taking my tender heart from me. My best friend from those years was one of my groomsmen & a neighbouring family was at my wedding. It has stuck with me all these years.
