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White Noise Talks: Love versus Hate

White Noise Talks: Love versus Hate

Thursday, February 12 • 6-10pm
TELUS Spark – 220 Saint Georges Drive NE, Calgary
General Admission: $19.95 + GST*
Wordfest Rate: $14.95 + GST. Mention “Wordfest” when booking tickets at the door. Discount not available for online or phone bookings.

Admission includes access to all activities during Adults Only Night at TELUS Spark. For more information or to purchase tickets by phone, please call TELUS Spark at 403 817 6800

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Is “love at first sight” a real thing? Is chivalry dead? Is love a matter of destiny or an intricate game and, if so, why do we play?

Join the conversation on Twitter. Share your best pick up and break up lines using the hashtag #wntalks

Wordfest is proud to partner with TELUS Spark’s Adults Only Night for the second instalment of its White Noise Talks on February 12, where an eclectic panel will tackle these and other questions regarding the theme “Love versus hate.”

Join host Matt Knapik, poet Ian Williams, Dr. Susan Boon of the Love Lab at the University of Calgary, professor Peter Toohey, author of Jealousy, and It’s Date Night and Branded magazine founder Mandy Balak as they filter through the “white noise” surrounding our love lives in two 45-minute sessions held in the Inspiration Stage.

Hear the experts weigh-in on the topic of love and dating from 7pm to 7:45pm followed by a selection of audience questions for the panel from 8:15pm to 9pm.

Between sessions, listen to live music, enjoy drinks, swing by the Wordfest booth for contests, and check out TELUS Spark’s interactive exhibits and activities exploring the polarity of love and hate.

About the Presenters

Mandy Balak is the founder of It’s Date Night and Branded Magazine- both were created through her personal love of people, relationships and exploring the best of our city. Mandy is a date connoisseur who strives to enrich peoples’ lives and provide a platform for Calgary’s up and comers to connect.

Susan D. Boon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary. A social psychologist by training, she is passionate about the topic of personal relationships and has a particular fascination with their darker sides. Together with her students, she has been investigating a broad range of topics in the field of personal relationships since 1992.

Matt Knapik is a Calgary designer, educator, and co-host of the morning radio show Charmer’s Almanac on CJSW. He currently runs a design studio called kilometre, and teaches part time at the University of Calgary.

Peter Toohey is Professor in the Department of Greek and Roman Studies at the University of Calgary, and the author of Jealousy (Yale University Press) in which he argues that jealousy is much more than the destructive emotion it is commonly assumed to be. It helps as much as it harms.

Ian Williams is the author of three books. His most recent collection, Personals, a jittery, plaintive suite of almost-love poems, was shortlisted for the 2013 Griffin Poetry Prize, the Robert Kroetsch Poetry Book Award, and the ReLit Award. Williams will offer his insight on the theme of love and relationships from a literary perspective.

Wordfest is proud to partner with TELUS Spark for Adults Only Night* on February 12, 2015. In celebration of Valentines Day, the theme of the evening is Love versus Hate. Visit sparkscience.ca for more information and the full program.

The second Thursday of the month, TELUS Spark is open for extended hours, from 6pm – 10pm. With no children around, TELUS Spark brings out authentic materials, expanded challenges and more involved programs. Each event features a different theme and attendees enjoy access to a licensed bar and music throughout the evening.

Wordfest thanks Andrew Guilbert, Erika Ho, Sandeep Kaur, Parisa Radmanesh, Sarah Taekema, Ulrike Thomas and Trevor Wilde for their help organizing the White Noise Talks series.

*Wordfest Rate: $14.95 + GST. Mention “Wordfest” when booking tickets at the door. Discount not available for online or phone bookings. Adults Only Night is a licensed event and only those 18 years of age and older are able to attend. All visitors must provide valid government issued photo ID. Regular admission rates are in effect.