City of Toronto seeking 'six words' from residents to help celebrate Canada's 150th birthday

The City of Toronto is asking residents to share a story in six words as part of the "My City, My Six" exhibition this fall in support of TO Canada with Love.TO Canada with Love is the City of Toronto's year-long program of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions honouring Canada's 150th birthday.Toronto's Poet Laureate, Anne Michaels, has created her own six-word story ("We belong where love finds us") as an example and inspiration for those who want to participate.From February through May, Toronto residents of all ages can share their six words via email to [email protected] and are asked to include their first name, the name of their neighbourhood and their age. Those details will be included in the exhibition displays. More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/culturalhotspot and on social media using #mycitymysix.Additionally, six local arts service organizations (LASOs) will work in partnership with the City to hold a series of word-a-thons and workshops from March through May.A jury, including Poet Laureate Michaels, will select stories for the exhibition – which will include City Hall, TTC sites and multiple public spaces in September and October. The City's LASOs will provide exhibition spaces beyond the downtown core, enlivening storefronts and local community spaces with stories.The My City My Six concept stems from the legacy of flash fiction, which has been used by writers in languages and cultures worldwide. In recent years the six-word story, a type of flash non-fiction, was popularized by U.S.-based Smith Magazine as six-word memoirs.My City My Six is part of the annual Cultural Hotspot initiative and TO Canada with Love. It is produced by the City in collaboration with the six city LASOs (Arts Etobicoke, East End Arts, Lakeshore Arts, North York Arts, Scarborough Arts and UrbanArts).The Cultural Hotspot program celebrates the arts, culture, events, food and communities that thrive in the city. This year's edition, from May through October, will be in East York. The Cultural Hotspot is produced by the City in collaboration with local arts, cultural, educational and heritage organizations, community partners, local businesses and multiple City divisions. It builds on existing community strengths while developing resources outside of Toronto's downtown, as recommended by the Creative Capital Gains Action Plan.TO Canada with Love is the City of Toronto's year-long program of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions honouring Canada's 150th birthday. The program is Toronto's cultural love letter to the country, offering a rich tapestry of more than 30 City-produced events taking place across the city throughout 2017. Look for information and updates at http://www.toronto.ca/canada150, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SpecialEventsTO, Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SpecialEventsTO, Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/SpecialEventsTO and Snapchat at SpecialEventsTO. The program hashtag is #C150TO.