Who makes a city, and How? We all do. Each of us who live work and interact, each of us who dream, scheme and create. The Description Rich Story Hour project is, at its core, about this. As a Collective, we dream and create a city that showcases, honors, and gives voice to more people. Our podcast series has included the stories of folk who leveraged their skills to make a park where art could happen, who made art that reflects the sounds of that space, who danced there, sang there, improvised with instruments there, and who told stories in ways that imagine, and offer a future that reflects all of us. In this final episode, the three members of our Collective, Katherine Sanders, Rebecca Singh and Christine Malec, swap impressions, highlights, and poignant takeaways from the project, and from the event day itself.

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The Description Rich Story Hour and The Hopewell Garden Audio Story are created by Christine Malec, Rebecca Singh and Katherine Sanders. They are a trio of artists who came together for the purpose of creating audio experiences of the natural world from a Blind-led perspective.

These stories are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Foundation.

Logo Image Description: A square with large yellow text that reads, "Described Toronto" and below it "PODCAST" in all capital letters, within a yellow rectangle. The title is layered on top of a photo of diverse women standing side by side outdoors in a park. One of the women holds a white cane.

The stage is set, the performers are ready, the amphitheatre has an audience sprinkled on benches and lawn chairs, the sun is shining, the air is soft, Lee Lifeson Art Park is full of the sounds of an Autumn weekend in an urban park, and it’s time for the Description Rich Story Hour. In this episode it’s all about the stories! Tellers Katherine Sanders, Shak Gobert, Rbecca Singh, olivia shortt, and Christine Malec take the limelight, on the appropriately named Limelight Stage, and tell tales of the park, past, present and future. These stories will take you places you never imagined, while never leaving the land on which they are told. Settle in; it’s story time!  

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The Description Rich Story Hour and The Hopewell Garden Audio Story are created by Christine Malec, Rebecca Singh and Katherine Sanders. They are a trio of artists who came together for the purpose of creating audio experiences of the natural world from a Blind-led perspective.

These stories are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Foundation.

Logo Image Description: A square with large yellow text that reads, "Described Toronto" and below it "PODCAST" in all capital letters, within a yellow rectangle. The title is layered on top of a photo of diverse women standing side by side outdoors in a park. One of the women holds a white cane.

As a Blind person Christine is always attentive to the sounds around her; they offer essential information, and it's how she navigates the world. For Sound Artist Anna Friz sound is also an anchor, but in a different way. In this episode, you'll hear a conversation Christine had with Anna about her sound art installation 120 Mirrors in Lee Lifeson Art Park. Christine had been to the park to experience the work before they spoke, but the conversation empowered her to do what she really wanted to do, which was make lots of playful noise in a public space, so she went back, and she wasn't alone... . Listen to what you can get up to in public spaces when so effectively invited to  go wild!

Follow our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/describedtoronto

The Description Rich Story Hour and The Hopewell Garden Audio Story are created by Christine Malec, Rebecca Singh and Katherine Sanders. They are a trio of artists who came together for the purpose of creating audio experiences of the natural world from a Blind-led perspective.

These stories are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Foundation.

Logo Image Description: A square with large yellow text that reads, "Described Toronto" and below it "PODCAST" in all capital letters, within a yellow rectangle. The title is layered on top of a photo of diverse women standing side by side outdoors in a park. One of the women holds a white cane.

Not every park is an art park, and not every art park is Lee Lifeson Art Park. In this episode, we hear from former City Councillor John Filion about how the Park achieved its current iteration, and there’s more wheeling and dealing involved than you might think. And we focus, rather appropriately,  on the Amphitheatre and the stage. What does it look like? What does it sound like? Who performs there? We hear from Dancer and Choreographer David Norsworthy about the Common Ground Dance Festival that will celebrate its fifth year on that stage the weekend of September 18-20, and we round off with a chat among the Described Toronto Collective about what it means to design and present inclusive events. And maybe there’s a few musical cameos by Christine, and our Associate Producer Janis Mayers.

Follow our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/describedtoronto

The Description Rich Story Hour and The Hopewell Garden Audio Story are created by Christine Malec, Rebecca Singh and Katherine Sanders. They are a trio of artists who came together for the purpose of creating audio experiences of the natural world from a Blind-led perspective.

These stories are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Foundation.

Logo Image Description: A square with large yellow text that reads, "Described Toronto" and below it "PODCAST" in all capital letters, within a yellow rectangle. The title is layered on top of a photo of diverse women standing side by side outdoors in a park. One of the women holds a white cane.

Where do stories come from? On September 27, 2025, in Lee Lifeson Art Park, 5 tellers will take the stage. Inspired by a prompt, and by the land they’ll be speaking from, each teller will share a unique tale. In this episode, we meet each of the tellers, and hear from them about where their creativity comes from, what stimulates their imagination, and what elements of the land currently occupied by Lee Lifeson Art Park gave birth to the stories they’ll share.

Follow our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/describedtoronto

The Description Rich Story Hour and The Hopewell Garden Audio Story are created by Christine Malec, Rebecca Singh and Katherine Sanders. They are a trio of artists who came together for the purpose of creating audio experiences of the natural world from a Blind-led perspective.

These stories are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Foundation.

Logo Image Description: A square with large yellow text that reads, "Described Toronto" and below it "PODCAST" in all capital letters, within a yellow rectangle. The title is layered on top of a photo of diverse women standing side by side outdoors in a park. One of the women holds a white cane.

In this introductory episode, the Described Toronto Collective, Rebecca, Katie and Christine introduce themselves, revealing themselves as a multi-talented, multi-disciplinary gleaming constellation of artists! They discuss what listeners can expect from the podcast series, and describe the upcoming Description-Rich Story Hour at Lee Lifeson Art Park on September 27, 2025.

Follow our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/describedtoronto

The Description Rich Story Hour and The Hopewell Garden Audio Story are created by Christine Malec, Rebecca Singh and Katherine Sanders. They are a trio of artists who came together for the purpose of creating audio experiences of the natural world from a Blind-led perspective.

These stories are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Foundation.

Logo Image Description: A square with large yellow text that reads, "Described Toronto" and below it "PODCAST" in all capital letters, within a yellow rectangle. The title is layered on top of a photo of diverse women standing side by side outdoors in a park. One of the women holds a white cane.

In this final episode of the Hopewell Garden Audio Story, Katie, Rebecca and Christine talk together about climate action, hope, the value in all of us working communally, and how much we loved working on this project together. If you’re new to the project, this short listen is a fantastic summary of what we’ve done, and an invitation to listen backwards.

Follow our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/describedtoronto

The Description Rich Story Hour and The Hopewell Garden Audio Story are created by Christine Malec, Rebecca Singh and Katherine Sanders. They are a trio of artists who came together for the purpose of creating audio experiences of the natural world from a Blind-led perspective.

These stories are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Foundation.

Logo Image Description: A square with large yellow text that reads, "Described Toronto" and below it "PODCAST" in all capital letters, within a yellow rectangle. The title is layered on top of a photo of diverse women standing side by side outdoors in a park. One of the women holds a white cane.

September is a poignant time in any garden. The season is changing, it's the harvest, and everything is gradually slowing down. In this time of natural transition, Rebecca Singh led a guided, described walk for members of Toronto's Blind and Visually Impaired community. And, Christine returned to once again talk with the gardeners about what they're up to, and to hear about life in the garden. From the look and feel of a New England Aster to parties in and out of the garden, this episode has a little bit of everything!

Voices you'll hear in this episode, in order are: Rebecca Singh, Christine Malec, Charlie Bush, John McMillan, Charity Landon, Kimberley Gibbons, Kim's feisty little hound.

Follow our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/describedtoronto

The Description Rich Story Hour and The Hopewell Garden Audio Story are created by Christine Malec, Rebecca Singh and Katherine Sanders. They are a trio of artists who came together for the purpose of creating audio experiences of the natural world from a Blind-led perspective.

These stories are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Foundation.

Logo Image Description: A square with large yellow text that reads, "Described Toronto" and below it "PODCAST" in all capital letters, within a yellow rectangle. The title is layered on top of a photo of diverse women standing side by side outdoors in a park. One of the women holds a white cane.

Why is the pollinator part of the Hopewell Community Garden so important for the folk who garden there? In this episode, we speak with renowned pollinator specialist Lorraine Johnson about pollinators, pollinator species, and how they can be incorporated into the life of a thriving urban environment. When pressed to describe what unifies her work, Ms. Johnson has settled on the term "cultivation activist". The author of numerous books on growing native plants, gardening for pollinators, restoring habitat, and producing food in cities, Lorraine’s work focuses on people and communities growing plants, ecological health, and connection to nature, and to each other. Interspersed with our interview, are snippets from a walk through the Hopewell Pollinator Garden, which took place last June, on a  damp and stormy evening. Umbrella in one hand and amplification mic in the other, Ms. Johnson shared her knowledge about the plants in the garden, and who they attract.

Follow our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/describedtoronto

The Description Rich Story Hour and The Hopewell Garden Audio Story are created by Christine Malec, Rebecca Singh and Katherine Sanders. They are a trio of artists who came together for the purpose of creating audio experiences of the natural world from a Blind-led perspective.

These stories are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Foundation.

Logo Image Description: A square with large yellow text that reads, "Described Toronto" and below it "PODCAST" in all capital letters, within a yellow rectangle. The title is layered on top of a photo of diverse women standing side by side outdoors in a park. One of the women holds a white cane.

Warning, this episode may lead to healthy snacking. In this part of the Hopewell Community Garden story, we'll get a guided tour through the lush veggie garden in high summer. Even more nourishingly, we'll get to know some of the people who garden there. As they talk through the why and how of their experience in this space, they map out a practical, emotional and thoughtful landscape of what a garden is and what it can do. They're warm, thoughtful, smart and caring, and in their words, we find answers to what we can do in the face of the climate crisis: form communities, and create spaces where nature can survive, adapt, and thrive. 

Voices you'll hear in the episode: Kimberley Gibbons, Charlene Bush, Xaviier Blake, Charity Landon, John McMillan, Dennis Boyes, Marias, Amelie Gibbons Basha

Follow our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/describedtoronto

The Description Rich Story Hour and The Hopewell Garden Audio Story are created by Christine Malec, Rebecca Singh and Katherine Sanders. They are a trio of artists who came together for the purpose of creating audio experiences of the natural world from a Blind-led perspective.

These stories are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Foundation.

Logo Image Description: A square with large yellow text that reads, "Described Toronto" and below it "PODCAST" in all capital letters, within a yellow rectangle. The title is layered on top of a photo of diverse women standing side by side outdoors in a park. One of the women holds a white cane.