What Is Soul: Deep City Breaths

Panel discussion hosted by Anupa Mistry, featuring Alanna Stuart, Ladan, SATE and Kamilah Apong.

In The Meaning of Soul (2021) Emily J. Lordi writes of soul logic, "a theory of life designed to fortify one's sense of belonging to a buoyant black collective." Lordi theorizes soul music as diverse, experimental, feminist, and a nonpartisan force of "group encouragement" away from the violence of settler-colonialism, white supremacy, and neoliberal atomization. In 2020, Toronto urbanist Jay Pitter forwarded the idea of forgotten densities,making visible the spaces occupied by communities most vulnerable to COVID-19. These Black, Indigenous, and various migrant communities "consistently rise above discriminatory design practices and policies, to nurture the well-being of their communities." As Torontonians anticipate an end to cycles of lockdown, this conversation invites panelists — including some of the city's eclectic soul artists — to linger a little longer in the hyperlocal and consider Toronto's forgotten densities as creative frontiers animated by soul logic. We ask, how can urban resilience, cultural exchange, and femme resourcefulness liberate the soul of the city?

Register for the workshop here - space is limited.

This event is free of charge, but you can support it and donate here.