Bonus points for anyone who can find me in the above photo! Photo by Jon Lim.

Ladies Learning Code, “a collective of women working to empower everyone to feel comfortable learning basic, beginner-friendly technical skills in a social, collaborative way” has run two workshops so far in Toronto and I’ve happily attended and loved both. So far I’ve learned about HTML/CSS and JavaScript, and I just love the concept and atmosphere of learning about web development amongst other brilliant and fascinating women. I loved it so much, that I eagerly agreed to chat with the fantastic Bronwyn Kienapple last week for an article she was writing for Torontoist. The article came out this week, and here’s a sneak peek of what I had to say:

Two-time attendee Suzanne Gardner, a writer, editor, and social media marketer by trade, has no background in coding. She pins herself as a typical Ladies Learning Code workshopper: grateful to have a friendly space to test out the world of tech.

“Not that I would be against working with men, but I like that [female-only] aspect of Ladies Learning Code,” said Gardner. “I am a somewhat feminist so I like that it inspires women to enter this industry and educate themselves about web development.”

Clearly I write a bit better than I speak, because I would’ve sounded way less awkward if I had said “I consider myself to be somewhat of a feminist”. Honestly, self. Anyway, go read the rest of the article over at Torontoist. And if you’re in Toronto with nothing to do tonight, why not join me at the Ladies Learning Code Launch Party?

Some of the Books, Etc. ladies (L to R: Jen, Jenna, Kendra, Chantal, me, Bonita)

Today on the CBC Books site, blogger Julie Wilson (@BookMadam) interviews me about my book club, Books, Etc. Julie asked some great questions about our club and I had tons of fun answering them. I love hearing about other book clubs and why people join them, so I really enjoyed sharing my own insight on that. One of my favourite parts, where I talk about what I get most from my book club, is below:

Q: What do you get most from your book club?

A: Aside from great discussions with great friends, what I love most is the opportunity to read books that I might otherwise never have chosen for myself. Many of us have very different tastes from each other, and I thrill at the opportunity to be forced outside my comfort zone. For example, Push is a stream-of-consciousness novel narrated by a 16-year-old illiterate girl from Harlem who has been repeatedly raped (and twice impregnated) by her father, and physically and mentally abused by her mother. That description alone would usually scare me out of reading the book, but it was very powerful.

Read the full interview here. Thanks again, Julie!