#downtownkitchener — Public Fediverse posts

PARENTHOOD AFTER LOSS: ELLIE ANGLIN’S FIRST MEMOIR

On Mar. 14, 2026, local art space and small-scale risograph print shop, Dirty Work Studio, hosted a book launch event for Kitchener artist and writer, Ellie Anglin, for her first book, Reproduction: Death, Birth & the Turkey Baster, published by Publication Studio Guelph.  

The book is a graphic memoir and practical guide that traces Anglin’s pursuit of parenthood in the shadow of profound loss.   

Anglin describes her attempts to conceive a child with her wife, while navigating the fertility industry, which is interrupted by overwhelming grief after losing her parents. The couple’s struggles push them away from institutional practice and toward home insemination, affectionately known as the Turkey Baster Method.  

While the subject matter is heavy, Anglin emphasizes the underlying warmth of the work.  

“Although death and birth are very painful and dark subjects… there’s a lot of joy and humour in it as well,” Anglin said. “All of these things are only so important to us because they’re all about love.”  

Anglin is a multi-media visual artist and writer based in Kitchener. She takes inspiration from feminist and queer art traditions, and her works blend different motifs and elements such as collage, memoir and self-publishing practices that explore identity, magic, pop culture and the collective imagination.  

The publication of her book marks a major milestone for Anglin, who has long been a staple of the local do-it-yourself (DIY) scene.  

“I have been making zines for probably over 20 years now, and I’ve self-published 35 zines,” she said. “So, to have my first official book publication is a big honour.”  

Shalaka Jadhav, Kitchener-based curator, writer, cultural strategist, co-founder of Dirty Work Studio and a long-time collaborator of Anglin’s, noted that independent spaces are crucial for first-time authors who often face significant barriers in the Canadian publishing industry.  

“It can be really intimidating,” Jadhav said. “So, it’s really important to have the space where you can invite family and the general public and allow for people to mix.”  

The book launch was hosted at Dirty Work Studio, which is located at 100 Park St.  

“I’m so, so excited to have a studio like this in downtown Kitchener,” Anglin said. “Such an awesome arts community here, and then this studio is just like the cherry on top with so much celebration of DIY queer and women’s art.”  

The event transformed the studio into an immersive gallery, featuring Anglin’s surrealistic collage work and looping video remixes of the book’s illustrations.  

Jadhav explained that the goal of the night was to help the work burst out of Anglin’s book.  

“We want to be a space where artists can realize all kinds of projects and to sort of experiment,” Jadhav said. “Having a DIY space where things can be a little bit more experimental and loose means that Ellie can try new things and expand her practice.”  

The highlight of the evening was a live performance involving costumes and props, a project Anglin developed over the final weeks of her three-year journey to bring the book to life.  

Anglin said that the visual components from the event were a natural extension of the book’s creation.  

“I kind of took the collage fragments but then reassembled them into different collages to create new meanings,” she said.  

The reach of the project extends far beyond Kitchener due to Publication Studio’s unique open source model. As Jadhav explained, any of the studio’s sister locations worldwide, from Guelph to Brazil, can download, print and bind Anglin’s work locally.  

Ultimately, the launch served as a testament to the resilience of the local creative scene.  

“This is a total labour of love,” Jadhav said, noting that the studio is a self-funded effort by its members. “The more people show up to our events, the more we see it as a show of support that this space should exist.”  

THE COMMUNITY EDTION GUIDE TO BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT AREAS

From the Uptown Waterloo Business Improvement Area (BIA) to the Downtown Cambridge BIA and everywhere in between, BIAs support business communities in city cores with networking and events that bring more people to dine, drink and shop.   

The BIA concept started on Bloor St. W. in Toronto. As foot traffic shifted to suburban malls in the late 1960s, shopkeepers banded together and convinced City Hall and Queen’s Park to let every business contribute to streetscape upgrades and joint promotions. Their experiment became the Bloor West Village BIA in 1970, a model soon copied across Ontario and around the world.  

Since then, BIAs have spread across the province. Today, there are over 300 BIAs in Ontario and more than 500 across Canada. The Uptown Waterloo BIA was the second to be incorporated in 1972.   

Waterloo Region now has eight BIAs, each anchoring its own main street with a distinct mix of shops, streetscape touches and marquee events. Here is a snapshot of who they are, where they sit and what they do.  

Uptown Waterloo BIA  

With King St. S. at its core, the Uptown Waterloo BIA represents businesses from Avondale Ave. to Willow St., and Union St. to Elgin St. The Uptown Waterloo BIA runs several events throughout the year, including Winterloo, the LUMEN Festival and nighttime art markets throughout the summer.    

Downtown Kitchener BIA   

The Downtown Kitchener BIA is the largest of the local BIAs and is bounded by Victoria St. on the west, Cedar St. on the east, Joseph St. to the south and Weber and Duke St. to the north. Its events include Palette x Palate, Día de Los Muertos, Sunset Sessions and more.  

Downtown Cambridge BIA  

Main, Water and Ainslie streets shape Galt’s heritage grid between Concession St. and Park Hill Rd. Summer events include Latin Music on Main and Friday Night Twilight Markets. In the spring, the Downtown Cambridge BIA is a partner in Cambridge Wedding Week, one of the region’s largest wedding events.   

Preston Towne Centre BIA   

King Street runs the length of the Preston Towne Centre BIA from Waterloo St. to Dolph St., with Central Park as its green heart. Wednesday Preston Towne Market (June-Sept.) anchors the summer, and the autumn Preston Lantern Project lights up the park after dusk.  

Hespeler Village BIA   

Queen St. hugs the Speed River between Guelph Ave. and Tannery St., backed by converted mill buildings. #WalkQueen closes the street to cars every weekend throughout the summer, and the Friday-night Hespeler Village Market features a mix of produce, artisans and live music.    

Downtown Elmira BIA   

Arthur St. and Church St. frame this small-town core, with most storefronts grouped around the Gore Park intersection. The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival draws tens of thousands each April, and the self-guided Elmira Art Walk exhibits murals and sculptures throughout the year.    

St. Jacob’s Village BIA   

The St. Jacobs Village BIA follows King St. N. and Front St. between Cedar St. and Henry St. Tourists and locals alike flock to the twinkling St. Jacobs Sparkles nights in November and return for the village-wide Sidewalk Sale every June.   

Belmont Village BIA  

The unofficial BIA of midtown, the Belmont Village BIA runs down Belmont Ave. from Union Boulevard to Glasgow St. The Belmont Village Bestival turns the street into a two-day art-and-music fair each September, and A Holly Jolly Village decks the avenue for holiday shopping in late November.  

From St. Jacobs’ Sparkles nights to Uptown’s light-art takeover, every BIA shares the same goal: to turn a quick errand into a reason to linger.   

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