We were extremely fortunate that Leah and Willie were able to find time for us to sit down and have a chat about the Humanizing The Homeless project. Willie hails from Texas and was only here for a brief whirlwind trip through Ontario for his project in collaboration with Leah.

Both Leah and Willie have largely dedicated their lives to raising awareness of our growing homelessness issue. Through their work they were able to find eachother and develop an incredibly moving, cooperative exhibit that showcases both of their individual approaches to raising awareness of the issue. While Leah's work focuses more on the individual through her incredible photography and storytelling abilities, Willie has acquired signs from unhoused individuals he's interacted with over two decades through his project "Signs of Humanity", creating a captivating gallery of messages that will move you.

We hope you enjoy this timely conversation.

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Learn more about the Collingwood Public Library: https://www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca/

For over two decades, Rosemarie O'Brien was the driving force behind the Collingwood Elvis Festival — the largest Elvis tribute festival in the world. In this heartfelt episode, Rosemarie sits down to reflect on the passion, people, and purpose behind her 23-year journey.

From turning a small-town celebration into an internationally recognized event, to fulfilling her dream of bringing Priscilla Presley to Collingwood, Rosemarie shares the highs, the challenges, and the love that made it all worthwhile.

Thank you, thank you very much for listening.

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Learn more about the Collingwood Public Library: https://www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca/

This week on Syllabus, we dim the lights, cue the eerie music, and welcome a very special guest: Suzanne McLean, our Local History & Genealogy Coordinator at CPL. While Suzanne usually spends her time unearthing the past at the Collingwood Public Library, today she's digging into something even creepier—her deep love of all things frightening!

From vintage scares to modern scream-fests, Suzanne walks us through why spooky season is the most wonderful time of the year, and why she’ll always root for the final girl. Along the way, we discuss local legends, terrifying tropes, and the bizarre joy of being scared in a safe space.

Send us a message to let us know what you think of the Pod!

Learn more about the Collingwood Public Library: https://www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca/

Our guest is someone whose energy could power an ultra-marathon—and probably has! Molly Hurford is a passionate storyteller and athlete who's made it her mission to get more people—especially girls and women—fired up about adventure, movement, and the great outdoors.

She’s the author behind both powerful nonfiction and the empowering Shred Girls fiction series, and co-host of the Consummate Athlete podcast. She also has her own publishing house, Strong Girl Publishing

Molly's work has appeared in Bicycling, Outside, Canadian Running, and more. And whether she's developing content for brands like New Balance, Canyon, and Liv Cycling—or out racing trails, riding bikes, or hiking with her mini-dachshund DW—Molly brings a contagious enthusiasm for sport, wellness, and storytelling.

So buckle up for a great conversation that’s equal parts inspiration and action—this is Molly Hurford!

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Learn more about the Collingwood Public Library: https://www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca/

Get inspired to lean into your passion with our latest conversation with Liv Collins and Jesse Thomas Cook of the Collingwood Film Co.

We discuss the challenges of breaking into and establishing yourself in such a competitive industry along with the highs and lows of film production. Hear about how Jesse and Liv have found a dynamic that works for them when juggling the challenges of raising a young family along with the demands of co-running a growing film company.

We really enjoyed revelling in Liv and Jesse's passion for film and hope you do too.

Thanks for listening!

Learn more about the Collingwood Film Co.: https://www.collingwoodfilmco.com/

Send us a message to let us know what you think of the Pod!

Learn more about the Collingwood Public Library: https://www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca/

Say hello to Syllabus.

In between episodes of Colling/It, Jeff and Jenn will be joined by a library worker guest to talk all things library-related!  Enjoy episode 2 featuring CPL's Elaine Kelly.  Storytelling is part of library work, right?

Send us a message to let us know what you think of the Pod!

Learn more about the Collingwood Public Library: https://www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca/

We're baaaaack! 

We're hitting the ground running for Season 2 with a great first guest, Stef Richardson of Lokal Digs! 

Stef is Meaford proud, (#MeafNation rise up!), but works in Collingwood and is a wealth of knowledge on the the Southern Georgian Bay hospitality scene. Be sure to have a notepad ready to jot down some of her great recommendations. She started Lokal Digs as a blog to showcase her love of food and beverage, and it has evolved with the times into a trusted Social Media brand that profiles and celebrates the best and brightest of our region.

Enjoy!

Check out the blog: https://lokaldigs.com/

Social Media handle: @lokaldigs

Send us a message to let us know what you think of the Pod!

Learn more about the Collingwood Public Library: https://www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca/

Say hello to Syllabus.

In between episodes of Colling/It, Jeff and Jenn will be joined by a library worker guest to talk all things library-related!  Enjoy episode 1 featuring CPL's Youth Services Coordinator, Amy Arsenio.

Send us a message to let us know what you think of the Pod!

Learn more about the Collingwood Public Library: https://www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca/

Unfortunately Jenn wasn't able to make this interview, but I was fortunate enough to have a great conversation with Doug Mathews about his sobriety journey and "recovering out loud" via his podcast Canadian Sober Eh. This one took longer than we hoped to publish, but we're glad we were able to get this out during the Holiday Season, as this is often a difficult time for those that are working towards sobriety.

Please listen with care to this episode as there are potential triggers during portions of this conversation that include mentions of suicidal ideation as well as addiction. This is a difficult, sensitive topic, but Doug is able to sprinkle in humour and positivity throughout, which are skills that greatly aid him on his sobriety journey and have helped so many other people feel comfortable enough to share their sobriety story with him.

We hope you enjoy this episode and we at the Collingwood Public Library wish everyone a safe and happy holidays.

https://canadiansobereh.buzzsprout.com/

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Learn more about the Collingwood Public Library: https://www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca/

This episode we were joined by Muckpaloo Ipeelie, Inuit Cultural Consultant and CEO of the Urban Inuit Identity Project.  Muckpaloo discusses the desire to reclaim her culture as being the catalyst to launching the business, as well as the hustle that was involved in getting started.  We had a big discussion about family and history and what sparks joy - and to our surprise and delight, we got to hear Muckpaloo practice throat singing.  Have a listen and enjoy.

Learn more about Urban Inuit Identity Project by visiting the website here

**Please listen with care as residential schools and the impacts of them are discussed in this episode**

Send us a message to let us know what you think of the Pod!

Learn more about the Collingwood Public Library: https://www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca/