Here in Calgary, the weather makes it hard to remember that we’re already in December. We’ve had weather far more typical for September or October lately. As averages tend to even out, this likely means that January will be brutal, but we’ll leave that for another time.
What December means for The Voice Magazine is that it’s time to start getting ready for our Best Of edition that will happen on January 5, 2024. If you don’t know, each year we like to look back and see which articles represent the best of what The Voice Magazine had to offer over the year. This also serves a secondary purpose in that it means I don’t have to struggle to try to get writers to put aside holiday celebrations and hangovers to give you content.
For me, however, it means re-reading all the submissions that get nominated by folks like you, and trying to come to the impossible decisions of which of them are the best. Of course, for that to happen, I need those submissions from you. So once again I ask that if you happen to remember any particular article from over the last year, maybe it was an intriguing piece of fiction, a recipe you followed, a bit of inspirational writing that hit home. Maybe it was a student interview that reminded you why you’re at AU, a music review that turned you on to a new group, or a bit of reporting that made you consider an issue in a brand-new way. Whatever that piece was, if it made an impression, I want to hear about it.
Who knows, it might even be a piece from this week, as Alek Golijanin continues to explore Canada’s response to organized crime, in an article that has worked to make me think about an issue that, previously, I simply assumed was being handled to the best of the ability of those involved. However, his reporting has made me realize that things are much worse than that. And while organized crime hasn’t touched me directly (I don’t think), it is worth considering how much of Canada’s resources are being siphoned off and how much harm is being done to innocent people by organized crime across the country.
Also, the holiday season, with its rampant consumerism, can be a difficult time for anybody who’s trying to walk the walk of caring about the environment. So this week, Barbara Lehtiniemi gives us some tips on how to take a few small steps toward an environmental holiday season that sound like they could be fun and even work to get the kids out of your hair for a bit while you try to cram for that end-of-year exam.
We round out our features with [blue rare]’s take on why being false may be the best thing we can be, and has an argument that is compelling enough to make you remember that there can be two sides to literally anything.
That plus we have an interview with Vanessa Phillips, of punk group One Square Mile, some inspirational pieces, a look at the funding of protests around the Israel crisis, events, scholarships, unusual gardening advice and more!
Enjoy the read!