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This Magazine
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Progressive politics, ideas & culture.
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Hi, Bluesky!

We're This Magazine, a Canadian-based national magazine reporting on a little bit of everything: feminism, LGBTQ+ issues, politics, mental health, pop culture, and more!

*This* is the place to go for hard-hitting journalism and arts and culture with a uniquely Canadian voice.
"The only time he could really be honest with himself was when he sat out there in the quiet of the morning. Then, he could finally admit that this was never the way he saw his life going." Happy Friday, readers! Enjoy some lovely fiction from @sofiaosborne.bsky.social 🦀

this.org/2025/05/15/a...
An Offering
The crab trap was neon orange. He whipped it like a frisbee, far out, and watched it sink below the dark blue of the sea. It was early and he was the only one on the pier, cold in his camping chair. T...
this.org
November 7, 2025 at 7:08 PM
The rising cost of living is making it harder for Canadian Chinatowns to attract young families. Michael Koy reports on the shifting demographics we're seeing in these cultural urban hubs.

this.org/2025/05/16/a...
A changing Chinatown
In Toronto's Chinatown, an average morning goes on as usual, with longtime business owners setting up shop and elderly residents chatting loudly in local bakeries. But underneath the mundanity lies ch...
this.org
November 6, 2025 at 7:32 PM
While looking for a place to live, @rachelcairns.bsky.social realized that housing is increasingly becoming a privilege, and it seems tenants are the only ones working to correct that in a meaningful way.

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Housing handcuffs
“This is not a scam,” I read the email aloud to my partner. “We are seniors looking to move to Nova Scotia and have a 2-bedroom plus den.” The sender had reached out after reading an opinion piece I ...
this.org
November 5, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Catering is the quintessential gig economy, but temp-worker agencies and the informalization of labour in the sector pose new challenges for workers’ rights in a precarious industry, writes Lital Khaikin.

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Catering to capitalism
A pharmaceutical company reportedly linked to tax evasion to the tune of over $4 million through offshore Cyprian accounts gathers for a lunch and cocktail at Montreal’s Old Port. Initiation into the ...
this.org
November 4, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Reposted by This Magazine
"I am a fallen tree limb caught in the arms of
another, still-attached limb."

#TodaysPoem #poetry
Impossible Dream by Leigh Nash (@nashls.bsky.social) (2017 @thismagazine.bsky.social) this.org/2017/02/16/t...
Two poems by Leigh Nash
RAM Forehead smooth as bone china, you are the witness, clinging to opinion as though it were fact, convinced of your own divinity. Your voice reverberates against empty streets. Streetlights pick ...
this.org
November 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
🚨Reminder for Writers!🚨 Today is the LAST DAY to get your pitches in for our next issue of This Magazine! We're looking for features, news pieces, columns, and back page letters. Information on how to submit can be found at the link below:

this.org/contribute/
Contribute to This Magazine
Our themes for 2026 will be announced soon! Writers’ Guidelines This Magazine welcomes queries only, not already written pieces. A good This Magazine article offers background and context to ongoin...
this.org
November 3, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Happy Halloween, readers! 🎃 This week, we're revisiting our 2014 Oh, The Horror column!

Religious themes are an intrinsic part of most horror films. Ideas of pure evil, seeing the light, and lost souls are immediately tied to religious ideas.

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Oh, The Horror: Holy horror
Thanks to horror movies, I could probably perform a perfect exorcism. I know exactly what demons to look out for, the ways in which they can deceive you during an exorcism, and how to request permissi...
this.org
October 31, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Happy Halloween, readers! 🎃 This week, we're revisiting our 2014 Oh, The Horror column!

Religious themes are an intrinsic part of most horror films. Ideas of pure evil, seeing the light, and lost souls are immediately tied to religious ideas.

this.org/2014/11/14/o...
Oh, The Horror: Holy horror
Thanks to horror movies, I could probably perform a perfect exorcism. I know exactly what demons to look out for, the ways in which they can deceive you during an exorcism, and how to request permissi...
this.org
October 31, 2025 at 5:42 PM
This week, we're revisiting our 2014 Oh, The Horror column!

Horror does not do disability well. Most “good” characters are able-bodied, whereas many villains in horror wear masks to cover birth defects, which the audience is supposed to find frightening.

this.org/2014/12/15/o...
Oh, The Horror: Filming Physical Disabilities
Grotesque deformities and burlap sack masks: these are the faces of physical disabilities in horror. Horror does not do disability well. Most "good" characters are able-bodied, whereas many villain...
this.org
October 30, 2025 at 5:21 PM
This week, we're revisiting our 2014 Oh, The Horror column!

One characteristic of demonic possession always stays the same: the insatiable lust of the demon, now acting through its female host—and it’s almost always a female character.

this.org/2014/09/12/o...
Oh, The Horror: Demons and women's sexuality
Exorcisms are a distinct, massive subgenre in horror films for good reason. There’s just something about watching a good ol’ demonic possession movie that always hits the spot for horror movie craving...
this.org
October 29, 2025 at 2:26 PM
This week, we're revisiting our 2014 Oh, The Horror column!

Horror breaks so many boundaries, smashing through our comfort zone, and pushing our perspective on what crosses the line. And yet the boundaries of mainstream body image stand as strong as ever.

this.org/2014/11/07/o...
Oh, The Horror: Body image
The last place I expect to feel bad about my body is when I’m curled up on the couch watching a horror film. Guts being ripped out of peoples stomachs and demon vomit splashing across the screen shoul...
this.org
October 28, 2025 at 11:43 AM
This week, we're revisiting our 2014 Oh, The Horror column!

Providing actual historical or scientific context is an excellent way in bumping up a horror movie’s credibility, but sometimes the reuse of the same time periods can feel lazy—or even racist.

this.org/2014/10/03/o...
Oh, The Horror: Historical horrors
Providing actual historical or scientific context is an excellent way in bumping up a horror movie’s credibility. Throw in some real science, or something spooky that actually happened, and suddenly e...
this.org
October 27, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Itching to keep up with stories about progressive politics, ideas, and Canadian culture? Want to know more about what goes on behind the scenes at This Magazine? Make sure to subscribe to our monthly newsletter!

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Subscribe to our newsletter!
Every month, our newsletter delivers fresh content from This Magazine straight to your inbox. Read web exclusives and your favourite stories from the mag, and learn what's happening behind the scenes ...
this.org
October 24, 2025 at 4:15 PM
"For me, podcasts were patient companions who didn’t mind repeating themselves...They kept me company when I was too sick to leave the house." @nisamalli.bsky.social tells us about the cognitive impacts of Long COVID, and how she used podcasts to recover.

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How TV podcasts helped me regain my memory after Long COVID
When my girlfriend of six years broke up with me by text, followed by a short call, I couldn’t comprehend it. It wasn’t grief, shock, or denial. My brain, damaged from 16 months of Long COVID, couldn’...
this.org
October 22, 2025 at 3:14 PM
"Is sharing stories online enough to take control of our health?" asks @desiredpaths.bsky.social. While seeking answers about her own body and healthcare options, Jac D. B. explored the world of feminist health activism.

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Vagina dialogues
When I learned I had precancerous lesions on my cervix and that my doctor was recommending I remove them surgically, my reaction went as follows: One, muted panic. Two, I’m definitely going to die. Th...
this.org
October 21, 2025 at 2:37 PM
By re-framing language as advocating for parental rights rather than literary censorship, right-wing groups have been able to successfully ban books in the US. Asha Swann tells us what this could mean as this ideology migrates into Canadian libraries.

this.org/2024/10/28/t...
The right to read
Ronnie Riley learned through social media that their first novel was facing censorship. Riley was scrolling late one evening when they saw what appeared to be a leaked school memo. Their middle-grade ...
this.org
October 20, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by This Magazine
🚨Attention Writers!🚨 Reminder that This Magazine is open for pitches until November 3! We're looking for columns, features, back page letters, and news pieces. More information on what we like to see and how to pitch us at the link:

this.org/contribute/
Contribute to This Magazine
Our themes for 2026 will be announced soon! Writers’ Guidelines This Magazine welcomes queries only, not already written pieces. A good This Magazine article offers background and context to ongoin...
this.org
October 10, 2025 at 6:58 PM
"The benefits of receiving comprehensive sexuality education have been proven by science, and they’re not just about healthy and safe sex." @aubrisnow.bsky.social tells us more about the youth across Canada advocating for well-rounded sex education in schools.

this.org/2025/05/16/t...
The birds and the UCPs
Isabella Calahoo-Zeller was attending eighth grade in Alberta when she received sex education for the first time. It consisted of a YouTube video about consent, and not much else. “We didn’t really ge...
this.org
October 17, 2025 at 3:01 PM
While it’s a scary time for young trans and gender-diverse kids and their families, @natashaemmcee.bsky.social tells us the best way to support transgender youth in the wake of anti-trans legislation: show up and speak up 🏳️‍⚧️

this.org/2025/05/16/s...
Save the children
On a cloudy February day in Edmonton, Alberta, a giant trans pride flag flies over Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park, marking the meeting place for a rally in support of the trans community. It’s days after P...
this.org
October 16, 2025 at 3:59 PM
"I knew that buying fast fashion was wrong, but the packages arriving at my door every few weeks offered me respite from the shame I felt shopping in person," Megan Hunt tells us in "On the plus side."

this.org/2024/08/22/o...
On the plus side
In the summer of 2020, for all the obvious reasons, I didn’t have much to look forward to—aside from the packages of clothes. Online shopping was a popular crutch during the harsh days of COVID-19 re...
this.org
October 15, 2025 at 11:15 AM
"Chinatown is falling behind its suburban counterparts. Although this can be chalked up as the result of the declining Chinese population in the area, the issue runs deeper than a natural pattern of migration." Michael Koy tells us the real reasons:

this.org/2025/05/16/a...
A changing Chinatown
In Toronto's Chinatown, an average morning goes on as usual, with longtime business owners setting up shop and elderly residents chatting loudly in local bakeries. But underneath the mundanity lies ch...
this.org
October 14, 2025 at 1:57 PM
🚨Attention Writers!🚨 Reminder that This Magazine is open for pitches until November 3! We're looking for columns, features, back page letters, and news pieces. More information on what we like to see and how to pitch us at the link:

this.org/contribute/
Contribute to This Magazine
Our themes for 2026 will be announced soon! Writers’ Guidelines This Magazine welcomes queries only, not already written pieces. A good This Magazine article offers background and context to ongoin...
this.org
October 10, 2025 at 6:58 PM
"Part of what makes protests so effective has always been art. Right now, street art is one of what feels like few things validating Palestinians in large and small communities alike in a time when they may feel alone and threatened." 🇵🇸 From Saffina Jinnah:

this.org/2024/12/21/f...
From the river to the street
Yara Jamal rarely heard anyone mention Palestine in Halifax, and it made her feel lonely. “Being Palestinian is such a controversial thing,” she says. “I felt like there was genuinely no representatio...
this.org
October 9, 2025 at 5:17 PM
"The 3,000-year-old art form and its current resurgence represents Palestinian women’s defiance of their oppressors." In this piece written by Sarah Samuel, tatreez embroiderers speak on how their art reflects Palestinian resilience and resistance 🇵🇸

this.org/2024/12/21/a...
Archiving Palestine
Razan Samara is a longtime Palestinian activist. She’s volunteered with the Toronto chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement. She’s made banners and fundraised for Palestinians in the homelands. But ...
this.org
October 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Zehra Kamani's stunning memoir reminds us of the connections we can make across oceans. Reflecting on her faith, motherhood, and a genocide that "unfolded before our eyes," Kamani muses on Palestinian resilience in the face of the unimaginable. 🇵🇸

this.org/2025/05/05/o...
On motherhood and activism through a genocide
On October 7, 2023, I was just about three months pregnant. As a genocide unfolded before our eyes in the weeks that followed, I reflected a lot on the parallel lives mothers live on both sides of thi...
this.org
October 7, 2025 at 11:33 AM