{"id":52,"date":"2010-06-30T17:00:23","date_gmt":"2010-06-30T17:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontowots.wordpress.com\/?p=52"},"modified":"2010-06-30T17:00:23","modified_gmt":"2010-06-30T17:00:23","slug":"reading-the-rails-part-1-public-transit-and-printed-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/reading-the-rails-part-1-public-transit-and-printed-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading the Rails – Part 1: Public Transit and Printed Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently graduated from Centennial College\u2019s Book and Magazine Publishing program. In other words, I am basing my future on the written word\u2014specifically, the printed word. As many have thoughtfully pointed out, however, the printed word is an endangered art form<\/a> (and I realize the irony in stating this on a blog).<\/p>\n

Printed media is under pressure not only from other forms of literature, like the internet, e-books, and digital readers, but also must fight with other forms of entertainment, like T.V., movies, and video games, for the consumer\u2019s attention. It is proving to be a tough battle.<\/p>\n

I got into publishing because I have an unexplainable love (and obsession) for the printed word. It is an intimate experience. Books and magazines engage the senses: touch, smell, sight, sound, and maybe even taste\u2014if that\u2019s your thing. But who reads anymore? And with the internet now available literally at your fingertips, who reads anything that isn\u2019t digital? I thought that perhaps I was a member of a dying breed. Then I moved to Toronto and bought a metro pass.<\/p>\n

Toronto commuters and public transit users have restored my faith in printed media. Every day I see dozens of people absorbed in their books or leafing through magazines. The magazine stands in the subways have a far greater variety of magazines than any of the convenient stores I frequent, and nothing makes a long subway ride zip by like your latest favourite novel or the disastrous exploits of Hollywood socialites.<\/p>\n

So, in honour of my fellow paper loving commuters, my blog series will discuss reading while commuting: what people read, books or magazines, the digital reader, and reading versus other commuting favourites, like the iPod.<\/p>\n

Even with all the distractions (I mean, have you seen True Blood<\/a>?), I believe that the written word and printed media will always be around, and the proof is in the hands of those riding the rails.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s Commuter\u2019s Choice<\/strong>: The Flying Troutmans <\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Miriam Toews\u2019 most recent novel is the travelling tale of Hatti, her eccentric niece, and troubled nephew as they embark on a road trip in search of the kids\u2019 long lost father. It is at once a touching and hilarious story of finding happiness, even if you find it where you least expect. It is a fast and absorbing read, perfect for short commutes. An added bonus: it will probably make your daily commute seem less arduous in comparison to the Troutmans\u2019 multi-national trek.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently graduated from Centennial College\u2019s Book and Magazine Publishing program. In other words, I am basing my future on the written word\u2014specifically, the printed word. As many have thoughtfully pointed out, however, the printed word is an endangered art form (and I realize the irony in stating this on a blog). Printed media is […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[158,168,198,204,217,224,226],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}