{"id":24646,"date":"2023-11-15T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T17:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=24646"},"modified":"2023-11-29T10:13:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T18:13:17","slug":"the-words-behind-the-year-a-look-back-at-the-most-read-nexus-stories-of-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2023\/11\/15\/the-words-behind-the-year-a-look-back-at-the-most-read-nexus-stories-of-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"The words behind the year: A look back at the most-read Nexus<\/em> stories of 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been an unpredictable year. If the last decade has taught us anything, next year will probably be unpredictable too.<\/p>\n

What surprised me in looking over the list of the most-read Nexus<\/i> stories in a year of calamity is how much people gravitated toward the arts. Six of our top 10 stories were about theatre\u2014either reviews or interviews\u2014and many of those performances centred around feminist themes. This is the first year since the pandemic began that we\u2019ve properly been able to return to group events with any amount of safety, and it seems that what people missed most was sitting together and watching a good story.<\/p>\n

In the spirit of this desire for theatrics, let me give you a sneak peek at what you can expect from our top 10 list this year: a teacher going against the grain and working to release textbooks for free; a steamy sapphic love affair brought to light on the stage; a battle to raise awareness for a public-health emergency that\u2019s more likely to kill you than a car accident is; and explorations of witchcraft.<\/p>\n

I sincerely hope you enjoy the show.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

10. Camosun instructors awarded in recognition celebration<\/a><\/p>\n

Jordyn Haukaas, student editor<\/p>\n

In 2023, Camosun College held its second annual Teacher Recognition Award ceremony. Our student editor Jordyn Haukaas covered the event, shining the spotlight on biology teacher Charlie Molnar, who received the inaugural Mary Burgess Open Education Recognition Award. Molnar was celebrated for his contribution to open-access textbook Concepts of Biology<\/i>, which is not only freely available but also is updated regularly to stay current on classroom materials.<\/p>\n

The Teacher Recognition Award ceremony is an event that\u2019s important to everyone in the Camosun community. Students checked out the article to read about the teachers who made a difference in their lives, and staff and teachers alike rallied behind their peers.<\/p>\n

Anthropology instructor Nicole Kilburn was one of the teachers who received an award this year. She says that awards like these can help boost the morale of teachers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe put a lot of work into what we do. I think that sometimes that\u2019s unseen,\u201d Kilburn told Haukaas. \u201cI know when I was a student, I didn\u2019t really think too much about where lecture content came from, or, you know, how people come up with different assignments or assignment topics or whatever. And, you know, here I am on the other side of the equation, and I know that there\u2019s a huge amount of work that goes into that. And to have that seen, I really feel appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n

From a student\u2019s perspective, when a teacher is happy in their job they teach better. When the school takes the time to make sure our teachers feel appreciated in all that they do for us, everyone benefits.<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0<\/span>Have a great night with Goodnight Desdemona, (Good Morning Juliet)<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Emily Welch, contributing writer<\/p>\n

This particular review is fun because it pairs with Welch\u2019s earlier interview with the play\u2019s artistic director Tamara McCarthy. Goodnight Desdemona, (Good Morning Juliet)<\/i> is set in an academic environment, following an associate professor wanting to receive full credit for her work. This setting, in combination with the intensely feminist themes of the story, is important to Camosun students, who are navigating their own academic dramas.<\/p>\n

In addition to the thematic draw, the play was a huge success, and many readers would find the review after seeing the performance.<\/p>\n

Welch wrote that \u201cThe play is incredibly well written, with wit and humour that left me stunned at the gutsy storylines and perfectly cast characters. The actors play about five parts each, but none were overwhelmed; they carried off their opening night with complete grace, as if they had been performing the play for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0<\/span>The Last Five Years<\/i> gets non-linear with relationships<\/a><\/p>\n

Emily Welch, contributing writer<\/p>\n

Another phenomenal arts piece from Nexus<\/i>\u2019 Emily Welch. The Last Five Years<\/i> follows two characters who recently broke up as they recount their story, one starting from the beginning of the relationship, and the other starting at the end.<\/p>\n

While the show was written and first performed in 2001, it makes sense that a non-linear piece would be popular with audiences in 2023. Living through the pandemic left a lot of us with a changed relationship to time and added an intensity to a lot of our connections. This story marries these elements in a way that would be resonant for viewers today.<\/p>\n

Director Julie McIsaac shared a unique element of the rendition when talking with Welch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way it\u2019s originally conceived is that the only time the two characters meet up is in the middle of their story, but we\u2019re doing something a little different, where they are both on stage throughout the entire piece,\u201d she said in the story. \u201cIt\u2019s very exciting; it\u2019s new.\u201d<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0<\/span>Camosun College instructor runs for drug awareness<\/a><\/p>\n

Nicolas Ihmels, staff writer<\/p>\n

This was my favourite article on the list.<\/p>\n

In August of 2022, Camosun College School of Access instructor Jessica Michalofsky lost her son to toxic drug poisoning. She set out on a run to raise awareness of the public-health crisis and the lack of action being taken around it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
This story originally appeared in our November 15, 2023 issue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This article grabbed my attention in no small part because since graduating high school I\u2019ve lost three friends to the same thing. It\u2019s a paralyzing experience, but Michalofsky took action, running across southern BC in May and June of 2023 to raise awareness.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, currently in British Columbia seven people are dying a day from toxic drug poisoning,\u201d Michalofsky told Ihmels in the story. \u201cAnd we are in the seventh year of a publicly declared public health emergency. And yet, the rate of death is going up, not down. I think the rate is now double what it was when the public health emergency was announced back in 2016. So, I\u2019m running across BC to make people aware of the resources that exist and to protect themselves and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to remember that 100 percent of toxic drug poisonings are preventable. This is a threat to people who use drugs every day, but it\u2019s also a threat to those who are trying a drug for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want people to be alarmed, I want people to be worried,\u201d said Michalofsky. \u201cBecause, at this point I think everybody knows somebody who has died from this and I think that people aren\u2019t taking it seriously enough\u2026 A lot of people are dying from this, and the government\u2019s not taking it seriously, and the approaches they\u2019re coming up with, a lot of them are paternalistic and I think are not going to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michalofsky went on this run to hold local government to task for the lack of action around this emergency. This article is important to Michalofsky\u2019s Camosun community, but also to anyone who has lost someone to toxic drug poisoning.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0<\/span>Camosun alumnus creates award for mature students<\/a><\/p>\n

Jordyn Haukaas, student editor<\/p>\n

Did you know that in Canada anyone who begins their degree after the age of 21 is considered a \u201cmature student\u201d? When Pauly Singh returned to school at the age of 41 for his Digital Communications certificate, he found a shocking lack of resources for financial aid. He paid for his schooling out of pocket, but the lack of funding to help mature students stuck with him.<\/p>\n

In response to this, in 2023 he launched the Leap of Faith Award, for mature students in Digital Communications making the risky choice to change their career path by returning to school.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many other people are out there in the same boat as me and are scared to go back to school because of past teachers, or they don\u2019t have the financial opportunity, or they just don\u2019t have the right motivation or encouragement? And then I\u2019m sitting there and I\u2019m like, well, I want to say thank you to Lois [Fernyhough, Camosun Communications chair], thank you to the school, and the program itself to kind of keep that going, because positivity feeds positivity,\u201d said Singh. \u201cI called this The Leap of Faith Award because that\u2019s exactly what I did. I just went into a leap of faith, not knowing what was going to happen. I just did it and came out with flying colours.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a 27-year-old who returned to school this year for my own career change, I\u2019m so happy to see the community coming together to support the furthering of education for anyone bold enough to make the leap of faith.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0<\/span>Miss Julie<\/i> raises important questions with outstanding performances<\/a><\/p>\n

Emily Welch, contributing writer<\/p>\n

Victoria is a small city, but we\u2019re known across the country for our love of the arts (just take a look at how arts-heavy this list is), and Miss Julie<\/i> is a fantastic example of what Victoria can bring to the table.<\/p>\n

Miss Julie<\/i> is a play that explores the fallout of a steamy night of romance between two women, one of whom is the other\u2019s employer.<\/p>\n

Welch reports that \u201cMiss Julie<\/i> is… a production that requires intense concentration, as the whole play is one long, very heated, conversation between three characters. It might get a bit uncomfortable at times, depending on the viewer\u2019s ability to sit and watch people go through every known difficult emotion there is as they try to figure themselves out. It rises and plummets, then rises and plummets again.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was sad to miss this show. It seems unflinching in the face of difficult themes, such as feminism, classism, gender, and the generally complicated experience of sapphic desire in a homophobic world. It sounds like a firecracker of a play.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0<\/span>Vinegar Tom<\/i> well-produced but not much of a play<\/a><\/p>\n

Lane Chevrier, staff writer<\/p>\n

Amid the glowing reviews that make up the majority of our list this year, it\u2019s fun to look at a piece that is a bit more critical.<\/p>\n

Nexus<\/i> writer Lane Chevrier reviewed a production of Vinegar Tom<\/i> put on at the University of Victoria\u2019s Phoenix Theatre. Set in a university lecture, the script attempts to tackle the topic of witch trials (literal ones, not cultural ones) through the lens of academia.<\/p>\n

Chevrier has a lot of warmth for the production and the acting, noting the heart that shines through in the show\u2019s attention to detail. The criticism comes in when the source material is examined.<\/p>\n

As Chevrier puts it, \u201cUltimately, the Phoenix Theatre production of Vinegar Tom<\/i> was produced with great care by several dozen talented people who should be proud of what they\u2019ve created. However, the lacklustre source material takes the university venue far too literally by presenting an impassioned lecture rather than a compelling story.\u201d<\/p>\n

A note to university lecturers: feel free to treat your classroom as a theatre. The theatre certainly feels comfortable treating itself as a classroom.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0<\/span>The Unplugging<\/i> resonant and heartfelt tale of survival<\/a><\/p>\n

Amy Lynch, contributing writer<\/p>\n

I actually saw this play performed in the theatre, so it\u2019s especially fun to revisit the review.<\/p>\n

The Unplugging<\/i> follows two women surviving on their own following a global failure of electronic technology. One of these women is Indigenous and relies heavily on the teachings of her family to help her and her friend make a home through the winter.<\/p>\n

It makes sense to me that this kind of story would resonate with audiences. Our reliance on electronic tech has permeated into every crevice of our lives, and the loss of that would change everything. Particularly, the way we retain knowledge has shifted: if we need to know something, it\u2019s immediately available to us through the internet, meaning that we don\u2019t keep personal records of helpful information. We even throw out instruction manuals, because if we need to know something later, we can just Google it.<\/p>\n

This play was an interesting way of exploring that idea. While it didn\u2019t knock my socks off, I did like it. It felt like really cohesive community theatre. In this review, Lynch agreed that the story is ultimately told well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes these themes truly come alive are, of course, the performances,\u201d wrote Lynch. \u201cPlayed with heart, sincerity, and a good deal of comedy, the performances lend well to the characters they\u2019re portraying. A few lines here or there might feel overacted, but it\u2019s hard to complain about an over-expressed syllable when the whole of the play comes together so well.\u201d<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0<\/span>Yaga<\/i> looks at witches, Slavic culture through murder-mystery lens<\/a><\/p>\n

Nicolas Ihmels, staff writer<\/p>\n

Another play about witches!<\/p>\n

This much-anticipated murder mystery has several things that would lead readers to an interview with one of its lead actors.<\/p>\n

Yaga<\/i> is a show that plays off Slavic culture\u2014a culture that is central to both Ukraine and Russia. Meditations on the shared heritage of the mythology of Baba Yaga are going to be poignant and timely this year.<\/p>\n

Actor Nicholas Nahwegahbow said to Nexus<\/i>\u2019 Nicolas Ihmels that \u201cthe audiences can expect a fun murder-mystery ride which changes their perspective on the word \u2018witch.\u2019 I want the audience to take away a bit of knowledge about Slavic culture as well as a bit of knowledge of the story of Baba Yaga, which is very familiar to Ukrainian and Russian people. I would also like the audience to know that we are welcoming Ukrainian actors on our stages and that we support and stand with Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond this, readers and audience members alike this year were particularly drawn to feminist themes. With an older woman at the helm of the story, explorations of what it means to be a witch, and the tie-in with two countries on everyone\u2019s mind, it\u2019s no wonder this article captured people\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0<\/span>Open Space<\/i>: Terms \u201cfem-presenting\u201d and \u201cmasc-presenting\u201d need to go<\/a><\/p>\n

Kim Fehr, contributing writer<\/p>\n

Our most-read story this year goes to Nexus<\/i> contributor Kim Fehr!<\/p>\n

This is also interesting because it\u2019s the only opinion piece on our list. The opinion in question was the most attention-grabbing article we published, so let\u2019s unpack it.<\/p>\n

In May, Fehr argued that the terms \u201cfem-presenting\u201d and \u201cmasc-presenting\u201d were unhelpful. These are terms used as shorthand to describe someone as more masculine or feminine. While the aim is to define something in a way that is less gender-restrictive, Fehr says these terms fail at that goal.<\/p>\n

This is a piece that is close to my heart. I\u2019m a nonbinary person, and the way I present myself day to day is quite fluid. I agree with Fehr that while the intention is good, the final result is a vocabulary that continues to reinforce the idea that you can only be masculine or feminine. Most of the time I\u2019m not wanting to be either.<\/p>\n

In Fehr\u2019s words, \u201cAs much as I understand and love broad terms, this case should be an exception. The terms \u2018fem-presenting\u2019 and \u2018masc-presenting\u2019 suggest homogeny in how these groups present, how they are perceived, and how they experience that perception. However, such a wide range of people cannot possibly all be perceived in the same ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fact that this article not only exists but is the most-read article of the year warms my heart. The attention paid to this line of thinking shows that Camosun students tend toward a desire to understand their peers. Some may have read the article as an introduction to new ways of referring to each other, and others may have found solidarity in a published story that reflects their experience in the world a little better.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thank you for joining us as we revisited the most-read stories of the year. My fingers are crossed for all of us as we try to get an education in a chaotic and changing world. Look out for each other, keep making good art, take your vitamins, and remind your friends you love them. And thanks for reading our stories throughout 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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