We're more connected then we've ever been in history, and yet we're lonelier than ever. So, what does it mean to be close to another human being, now? Is it a matter of physical proximity? Trust? Vulnerability? This is the connection paradox of the networked world, but it's not the only area of our lives that is undergoing a massive shift: Near, far. Online, offline. Real, virtual. Private, public. Intimate, social. We have smart machines that rival the intelligence of people, and we’re so glued to our devices they’ve practically become appendages. So, what does all of this mean? What impact does this constant connectivity have on our relationships with each other, and with the world around us? Is it a coincidence that as we come to see our mobile devices more as parts of ourselves than as products, we also see the rise of bespoke crafts, local diets, and movements to "unplug"?

When it comes to life in the digital age, what is the "new normal," and how do we reverse engineer a future that we want to be a part of? Join Ramona Pringle, Ryerson Professor and producer of Rdigitialife, and The Academy of the Impossible, in a salon to brainstorm a collective manifesto on what community, connection and well being means in today's fast paced world, so that we can create a shared social blueprint on how we want to live, with each other and with technology.

Want more poetry in your life? Specifically, musical poetry? Come to the Academy for another of our program's final event. Infinite Sound Poets, on Friday, May 31 at 8 pm, fuses the performance and passion of spoken-word, the innovative composition of sound, and the rhythm and lyrical crafting of hip‐hop music and poetry.

The free event will showcase and celebrate the works of Impossible Arts’ newest workshop series, the Sound Poets’ Circle, and will feature live performances and music on the turntables all night. Plus: an open mic!

Diverse members of the hip-hop and spoken-word community will perform, including music partners rosina kazi and Nicholas Murray of lal, hip-hop artist and educator Mindbender Supreme, and Toronto battle emcee The Grimace.

No organization (or person) is an island. Since the Academy opened in January, 2012, we've been collaborating, partnering and co-sponsoring programs with fantastic local artists, cultural, intellectual and social organizations. Click through to their sites to find out the amazing things they do.

“A new academy where young people can learn from and network with professionals from a variety of fields.”—Lily Ames, CBC Radio segment

“It's radical, in the sense of transformative, yet conservative, in the sense of preservative. And it worked.”—Rick Salutin, Toronto Star

“Part community centre, part alternative school, the Academy of the Impossible offers its students a DIY education.”—Stephen Spencer Davis, The Grid

“Learning in this school is just like on the internet, where bits of data are exchanged peer-to-peer.”—Joshua Errett, Now Magazine

“The impossible dream — like that recurring one where you’re a skilled hacker who not only knows how to kick some serious butt, but can also throw down some killer beats — isn’t all that far from reality when you’re a student at Parkdale’s Academy of the Impossible.”—Brianne Hogan, Post City