Welcome
Sylvie Hill was active as a WRITER, POET, and EDUCATOR (in the era of print media) who turned ideas into opportunities. (News posts are re-published from earlier dates).
:: Passion for provocative authors became a university Continuing Education course :: Fierce appreciation for a band inspired a magazine article that sold albums :: An adventure abroad was translated into a book of poetry and art!
This [ancient] website features news about Sylvie’s past arts, culture, and education projects.
::: WRITER
| Music/Culture Reviewer
| ex-Columnist
Sylvie Hill was known around Ottawa-Gatineau (Canada) for writing “Shotgun,” a hip and hilarious column (2004-2006) in The Ottawa XPress, an arts and entertainment weekly for Canada’s Capital City (and for Montreal’s sister paper, hour.ca). (NOTE: now defunct, the Ottawa XPress site was hacked and does not represent the original site.) She also contributed articles on music, books and arts for the paper, and feature pieces and a column called Charger for Guerilla Magazine, an edgy/eclectic arts & culture quarterly.
She was a part of Four Culture Magazine, writing about England’s dark disco, indie and alt-country music and Canadian/Spain street artist, Juan Carlos Noria. Add to that, one of her favourite American musician and artists – Joseph Arthur. She wrote about UK alt-electronic tunes in Sound Of Confusion Music Blog and for Vader Evader. Today, she continues networking bands through Twitter, helping connect musicians through writing to opportunities, and fans to albums.
A recent book review: for Demeter Press of Motherhood in Precarious Times.
::: POET
| Spoken-word poet
Find Sylvie’s old poems, here. Winter 2020, she started to compile the couple hundred poems following the 2015 publication of her second book “Russell Square Station: mine the trash,” that featured the amazing street art of Artist, Juan Carlos Noria (aka dixon).
London, UK Artist/Musician Ashley Reaks and Sylvie collaborated on a track of her spoken-word poem, “The Gentle Art of Ignoring.” Have a listen – it’s off his album, “Growth Spurts” featuring some fantastic stuff like this.
Another successful arts entrepreneurial project, Sylvie, together with artist Juan Carlos Noria, crowd-funded $6,233 through Kickstarter in 2014/15 for a new collection of provocative poetry/art called Russell Square Station: Mine the trash (2015) about a fated reunion in London, UK with a bombastic British Muse from her first book.
Russell Square Station is a follow-up to Sylvie’s first book of spoken-word poetry called Hoxton Square Circles: Starfucking Tales of Sexless One-night Stands. Her 2001 book launch was made into a video documentary.
Hill also plays guitar and writes songs. London, UK’s Photostat Machine re-did her tune “Protection,” and she contribute vocals to their “Periphérique.”
::: PERFORMER
| TV Host
| Emcee
| Curator
Sylvie was the Host for Season 2 of the Canadian national romantic & literary television dating series, The Letters: Rediscovering the Art of Courtship by Ottawa’s GAPC for CHUM Television. It aired on Book TV, Canadian Learning Television (CLT), Access Alberta and on BRAVO! Watch it here.
| Emcee
She has emceed popular and high-profile events, including Westfest Festival for Music, Art & Life, Mustaches for Kids through Make A Wish Foundation and Amnesty International’s 50th Anniversary Celebration & 9th Annual Write For Rights (2011).
She returned June 2014 to host alongside CBC superstars!
| Curator
Sylvie was the Curator for WESTFEST Lit – Adults Only! A sold-out affair featuring five wonderful local and Montreal literary performers!
::: EDUCATOR
| Professor, University Continuing Education Programs
Relentless in her pursuit for answers, and always curious, Sylvie thought up novel literary courses to share with inquiring minds!
She began in 2013 to teach her workshops at the University of Ottawa’s School of Continuing Education through the Personal Enrichment Activities Program. She wanted to explore: Why is James Joyce’s Ulysses so hard to read? And why are people consuming 50 Shades when Lady Chatterley is a steamier read? Finally, can women really “use” a man for artistic inspiration — didn’t Edith Piaf? So then she set to work – passion to pen to paper, and course offerings:
COURSES:
How to Enjoy Reading James Joyce’s Ulysses
Introduction to James Joyce and his book, Ulysses.
Mastering a Masterpiece: The artistry of James Joyce’s Ulysses
In-depth analysis of Ulysses and the author’s intent.
“Tales of Female Betrayals: 8 stories of wives, unsatisfied”
Explore eight women who fled their marriages (in creative and tragic ways).
Women Who (M)use Men: Fated Attractions
Explore how women use and muse men to fuel their art.
Ces Chansons Qui Ne Nous Quittent Pas: Piaf, Brel and Gainsbourg
Explore the powerful poetry of in song of Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel and Serge Gainsbourg.
June 2016: Sylvie gave a two-hour workshop on James Joyce’s Ulysses at McGill as part of Bloomsday Montreal (June 14)
