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Simon Lewsen

Simon Lewsen has contributed to the Globe and Mail, enRoute, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, and MIT Technology Review. He teaches writing at the University of Toronto.
A robber contemplates a painting while another removes one from a gallery wall
Arts & Culture

What Canada’s Largest Art Heist Reveals about the Art World’s Shady Side

September 1, 2022September 8, 2022 - by Simon Lewsen

The stolen masterpieces have never turned up—and nobody’s really looking for them

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Orville Peck rides a pink and aqua-coloured horse with leopard spots
Arts & Culture

Orville Peck Rides Again: How the Singer Nods to Queer Country History

April 22, 2022May 2, 2022 - by Simon Lewsen

Some may reckon that Peck is subverting the genre. Instead, he’s highlighting themes that have always been part of it

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A composite image: on the left, a university building with greenery and a blue sky. On the right, a dark campus with a streetlight in the middle.
Education / November 2021

Inside the Mental Health Crisis Facing College and University Students

October 26, 2021October 27, 2021 - by Simon Lewsen

Campuses are offering more wellness programming than ever before, so why are rates of student mental illness on the rise?

Read More
Illustration of the human brain in neon pink and teal against a black background
Health / June 2021

What Happens to Our Brains When We Get Depressed?

May 19, 2021May 5, 2022 - by Simon Lewsen

The human brain, in all its complexity, is nearly impossible to model. One neuroscientist is trying anyway

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Black and white photo of a group of newspaper carriers wearing masks.
Health / September/October 2020

The Spanish Flu Rewrote History. Will This Pandemic Do the Same?

July 16, 2020June 6, 2022 - by Simon Lewsen

Disease magnifies inequality, brings social turmoil, and offers a shot at meaningful change

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A black and white photo of a row of four empty phones mounted on a chain-link fence.
Justice

Social Distancing Is Impossible in Prisons. Why Are They Still Full?

April 27, 2020May 12, 2020 - by Simon Lewsen

Bail courts have gone virtual and trials are suspended. But prisons, which pose a severe public health risk, are still open

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The singer Grimes, wearing a red velvet dress and with her hair in puffy orange-and-black pigtails, sits on a concrete throne and stares at the screen.
Arts & Culture

The Terrifying, Techno-Dystopian Visions of Grimes’s New Album

February 27, 2020March 3, 2020 - by Simon Lewsen

The singer’s new album explores a dark truth: the most dangerous social forces are also the ones that fascinate us

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Uncategorized

Aren’t Public Parks for Everybody?

August 20, 2019March 27, 2020 - by Simon Lewsen

After complaints of partying and loud music, one Toronto park became nearly impossible to access. Inside the fight to take it back

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The senate chamber with red carpeting and wood panelled walls.
Arts & Culture / June 2019

Canada’s Most Despised Political Institution Gets a Makeover

June 7, 2019July 16, 2019 - by Simon Lewsen

Will the Senate’s new look make it more popular?

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December 2018

How to Make Opera Cool

January 11, 2019July 12, 2019 - by Simon Lewsen

As interest in traditional performance declines, upstart indie companies are fighting to keep the art form alive

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