Written by Caleb Smolenaars
Last month, I sat down with the creator of net, Guelph’s free offline alt-weekly zine, at a downtown cafe. We chatted about community, discovery, and what inspired him to start a print publication in 2026.
Part alt-weekly, part events guide, net brings together local arts, music, food, events, and a little bit of everything else happening around the city. The idea behind net is simply to make it easier for people to explore the city we call home.
For net’s creator, Michael Newton, the inspiration came partly from nostalgia and partly from his own difficulty finding community in Guelph. After moving from Toronto to Guelph with his wife in 2019, he found himself missing the community he had built in Toronto. Publications like NOW Magazine and Eye Weekly had previously helped him learn about what was happening around Toronto, but he found it harder to make similar connections in Guelph, especially with so much information scattered across online platforms. The pandemic only made that more difficult.
In April of this year, Newton decided to do something about it.
“It all comes down to being the change. [I try to] see where there’s disconnections within communities, then try to bridge those in a way that fosters people getting out and about,” he said.
net isn’t just a place to learn about upcoming events, though. Reflecting on his appreciation for the old alt-weeklies that inspired net, Newton mentioned how they would often sit around on his kitchen table, becoming something he would pick up and interact with, rather than just read and throw away. That’s part of the reason he leaves blank spaces in net for doodling and colouring, alongside its DIY features like a crossword and Mad Libs-inspired “Weekend Intentions” section.
Newton shared that one of his favourite experiences so far has been seeing the doodles, notes, and colouring on copies of net left behind at various locations when he’s out on distribution runs. He loves seeing how people interact with and make each copy their own.
Another thing that makes net feel like more than just an events listing is its human-made nature. There’s something special about flipping through a physical copy and knowing that a lot of thought and effort went into putting it together.
When asked about the apparent AI-slopification of so much of the content we’re forced to take in every day, Newton emphasized the importance of the “human touch” in his process for putting together each issue of net.
He explained that net’s physical nature is part of its appeal, especially in a world where so much of what we discover online is shaped by algorithms and what we already know we like. His research process relies on a mix of online digging, spotting physical posters around the city, and tips shared to net’s good-old-fashioned telephone hotline.
Of course, putting together a print publication takes considerably more work than managing an online events listing or social media page. The team is small, with Newton doing much of the writing and production, alongside his wife, who contributes illustrations and editing. A longtime friend of Newton’s, who writes about food under a pseudonym, also contributes, as do occasional guest writers. Printing around 400 copies takes roughly five hours, before they’re hand-folded, stapled, and distributed to an ever-growing list of more than 30 locations around the city.
At present, the work is largely unpaid. While advertising is beginning to cover printing costs, the project is still something Newton has to fit around other jobs. One of his shorter-term goals is to eventually pay himself for one day of work a week. Donations to help cover printing costs can be made here.
Looking ahead, Newton hopes to make net a little more sustainable, both financially and creatively. One idea he’s been exploring is a sponsored fund that would allow him to pay young writers, including high school students, for their contributions. The goal is to bring more voices into the publication and give people an opportunity to write about the things they care about. He’s also interested in finding a workspace outside of his apartment, because as long as he’s making net at home, he’s never really not working on it.
Newton doesn’t see net as a replacement for local journalism, but as another way to help Guelphites connect with their city. Its focus is on pointing readers toward the people, places and events that make Guelph what it is, while making room for voices beyond his own.
As Newton put it, the idea is to “go explore your city… and use [net] as a map. In a city with so much happening, sometimes a little paper guide is all you need to find something new.
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At publishing time, net can be found at the following locations in Guelph, new issues every Thursday: 10C, Art Not Shame, Beat Goes On, The Bookshelf, Bonza Pizza, Carmico Indie Market, CFRU Studios, The Cornerstone, Diyode, The Dragon, Double Rainbow Cafe, Guelph Arts Council, Guelph Civic Museum, Guelph Music, Janus Books, La Poche, Loose Goose Cafe, Noki Farms, OPIRG-Guelph, Planet Bean, Red Brick Cafe, Revel Cider Bar, Royal Cat Records, Rumors, Simply Wonderful Toys, Speed River Bicycle, Stag Shop, Sonic Hall, Three Pieces, TNC Wellington, Two Faces, and The Wooly
Learn more and print previous issues at: https://netweeklyguelph.com/.
