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Jen Zoratti

@jenzoratti

Winnipeg Free Press columnist/arts writer.πŸ—žAuthor of the newsletter NEXT, a weekly look forward at culture.πŸ’Œ jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca

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19.11.2024
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Latest posts by Jen Zoratti @jenzoratti

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The Singularity is upon us: Apple's AI summarized a text message that read "I'm still down to clown if you are" to.... "clown event still possible."

10.03.2026 16:39 πŸ‘ 7487 πŸ” 1561 πŸ’¬ 87 πŸ“Œ 152

β€œTim Chalamet can stick it, brother!”

10.03.2026 00:06 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Opinion: Chalamet’s comments about art asinine

β€œNo one cares. Oh, really? Then why is there β€” and this is real β€” a full, multi-chapter work of Heated Rivalry fanfic set at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet during Nutcracker season, written by someone who isn’t even from here?β€œ my column from Saturday: www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...

10.03.2026 12:33 πŸ‘ 21 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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Why Your Next Flight Is Likelier to Hit Turbulence With climate change, the skies are becoming bumpier. Can today’s planes still keep us safe?

Interesting to find that the subject of turbulence has been featured in the @newyorker.com

Why Your Next Flight Is Likelier to Hit Turbulence www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

08.03.2026 16:27 πŸ‘ 534 πŸ” 177 πŸ’¬ 26 πŸ“Œ 10

Heat ye, hear ye, the Folk Fest lineup is here. Lucy Dacus, Father John Misty, Of Monsters and Men, Jesse Welles, Wolf Parade and more.

06.03.2026 00:12 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Yours too!

04.03.2026 19:02 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you!

04.03.2026 19:00 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I've written about this and am gonna quote myself, but I fear all these AI interventions just keep people in a state of bargaining instead of allowing them to get to acceptance. And acceptance isn't "cured" either; it's learning to live with that ache.

04.03.2026 18:47 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Jen Zoratti: Next Signup Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada

Yes! That’s exactly what Next is β€” you can subscribe here! Thank you! www.winnipegfreepress.com/newsletter/n...

01.03.2026 03:31 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I have a weekly culture newsletter called Next! In the paper you can find me in arts & life!

01.03.2026 02:20 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

🎯
"For a bunch of gold-medalists, the U.S. men’s hockey team sure acted like a bunch of losers."

28.02.2026 18:31 πŸ‘ 15 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Thanks for reading!

28.02.2026 16:11 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Opinion: Female Olympians take gold in showing class

β€œHe sounded like a little boy apologizing for the fact his mom is making him invite the girls to his McDonald’s PlayPlace birthday party. He might as well have added β€œEw, cooties!β€β€œ Today’s column: www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...

28.02.2026 13:53 πŸ‘ 39 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1

Right!? So good.

24.02.2026 20:08 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Eat a ftira! It’s a UNESCO-designated sandwich!

24.02.2026 16:25 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I was there in November and LOVED it β€” have a great time!

24.02.2026 16:23 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

ahh thank you!

21.02.2026 14:14 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Opinion: BrontΓ« film sumptuous fanfic… and that’s just fine

My contribution to The Discourse. www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...

21.02.2026 13:31 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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Changement New Royal Winnipeg Ballet artistic director takes big leap with new season

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s forthcoming 2026/27 season will mark the start of a new chapter for the company: it’s the first to be entirely programmed by newly minted artistic director Christopher Stowell.

19.02.2026 17:01 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Opinion: β€˜Looksmaxxing’ hammers home a new standard of attractiveness β€˜Pain is beauty” is not a new concept. Guys hitting themselves in the face with hammers? That’s new. Welcome to the warped world of β€œlooksmaxxing,” an online community of young men trying to become as...

Listen, I think if more 40-year-old columnists at middle-market newspapers wrote about this we could put a stop to it entirely. www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...

15.02.2026 16:57 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

It was in today's!

13.02.2026 21:38 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, I asked U of M ethics guy Neil McArthur about who is using romantic AI chatbots (it’s maybe not who you think), why they’re using them (it’s not just loneliness) and if what people are feeling for their chatbots is actually love (it’s complicated).

13.02.2026 21:20 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

It is, and I think it was actually set in 2025!

13.02.2026 21:19 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Just when you think things are bad, a story like this comes along. Great work, @evawasney.bsky.social !

13.02.2026 20:33 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Jan 2018: Opinion: Another spin in her skates Like many women who grew up in the 1990s, I lived for figure skating. The β€˜80s and β€˜90s were the glory days of the sport. Figure skaters were my rock stars before I discovered actual rock...

I'm also resharing this. Time for an I, Tonya rewatch! Also from 2018: on Harding, the particular millennial nostalgia for figure skating, and who gets to be America's Sweetheart. www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...

12.02.2026 02:09 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Jan 2018: Right place, right time, one career-defining photo Tonya Harding’s iconic moment was captured by the Free Press’s own Boris Minkevich, fresh out of college at the time and having wheeled and dealed his way to the 1994 Winter Olympics in Li...

From 2018: that iconic photo of Tonya Harding with her leg up on the boards at the 1994 Olympics? It was taken by a Freep photog! The story of the shot: www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...

12.02.2026 01:29 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Exhibition digs into colonial ideas, societal pressures and resource use of lawns Carrie Allison has thought a lot about lawns. Specifically, the Halifax-based multidisciplinary artist thought about the time, money, resources and energy spent on the endless pursuit of the perfectly...

Carrie Allison's we tend to care, on view now at Urban Shaman and WAG-Qaumajuq, examines the concept of the lawn, and the the colonial ideas about value, virtue, class and wealth it upholds. See her in an artist talk tonight as part of WAG Wednesdays!
www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...

11.02.2026 19:51 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Day, sorry! I am willing to be insufferable but we needn’t exaggerate!

08.02.2026 20:36 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Opinion: Catherine O’Hara flipped tropes, brought humanity to every role

I wrote about our girl, Catherine O’Hara and her singular brilliance. Also a reader said this article was the best part of his weekend and he likes sports, so. www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...

08.02.2026 20:24 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Is it time for the annual share!?

03.02.2026 15:42 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0