Skip to content

The Arts Incubator

Winnipeg, Manitoba

This year's spring arts exhibition will take place in Northwestern Ontario!
Primary Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • Artists, Collaborators And Mentors
    • Winnipeg, Manitoba
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota
    • Funders and Supporters
      • Canada Council for the Arts
      • Global Dignity Canada
      • Labovitz School of Business and Economics
      • Manitoba Arts Council
      • Local Services Board of Melgund
      • Minneapolis College of Art and Design
      • Ontario Arts Council
    • Reports
      • 2023-2024 Report
      • 2021-2022 Report
    • Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Tracker
    • Resources
      • Adaptive Phased Management
      • Climate CO-STAR Builder (ECO_STAR)
      • Entrepreneurship Resources
      • Framework for Recreation in Canada
      • Funding Programs and Sources
      • Parks for All
      • The Common Vision
  • Projects
    • Books and Short Stories
      • Barnes and Noble
      • Ex Libris
      • Hugendubel
      • Lehmanns Media
      • Palace Marketplace
      • Orell Füssli
      • Standaard Boekhandel
      • Thalia
      • Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
      • BL Stories. Unbound.
    • EPUB Reader
    • Food Security
      • Manitoba: Come Eat With Me Cookbook
      • Melgund: Come Eat With Us Cookbook
      • Towards a Framework for Northern Food Systems Innovation
      • Food Preservation Training and Curriculum Development
      • Relationship Development and Engagement with the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and University of Minnesota Duluth
      • Relationship Development and Engagement Activities with the University of the Arctic
      • The Art of Canning and Creative Entrepreneurship
    • Incubating Artificial Intelligence
      • Artist Bio Builder Writing Tool
      • Art Idea Generator
      • Asteroids
      • ECO-STAR North
      • Inuit Innovators
      • Proposal Library
      • Step Inside Your Content
      • The Creative Entrepreneurship CO-STAR Guide
      • Winter City Stories
    • Media Arts and Storytelling
    • 创新与灵感
    • Melgund Integrated Nuclear Impact Assessment Project
    • Melgund 综合核影响 评估项目
    • Melgund Township Oral History Project
    • Stories & Publishing Skills
      • Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
      • BL Stories. Unbound.
      • Bookstore Links
      • Spring Short Stories
      • Winter Stories
    • Youth Engagement
  • News
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Arts & Creative Leadership
    • Borups Corners News
    • Creative Entrepreneurship
    • Motivation Matters!
    • Food Security and Innovation
    • Melgund Township News
    • Photos and Short Stories
    • Unfinished Tales: Methods in Generative Storywork
    • Winnipeg
  • Events
  • Recreation
    • Art Borups Corners
    • Melgund Recreation, Arts and Culture
  • Contact
  • Home
  • In Bookstores
  • The Quiet Lunchbox
  • In Bookstores

The Quiet Lunchbox

Brian's quiet lunchbox hides a secret. Popular Jenny notices his struggle. Can she help, protecting his pride, and show the true power of empathy?
The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg 18 Sep 2025

Short Stories from Art Borups Corners and The Arts Incubator Winnipeg

Written by Tony Eetak and published by the Arts Incubator Winnipeg and Art Borups Corners Storytelling Club, The Quiet Lunchbox asks a powerful question: What if the quietest person in the room is carrying the heaviest secret? For popular sixth-grader Jenny, lunch is a lively affair, filled with friends, laughter, and a rainbow of snacks. But across the cafeteria, Brian sits alone, his plain white bread a stark contrast to the bustling scene. He’s always guarded, always observing, and always seems to shrink when food is involved.

Jenny’s curiosity turns into concern after a school pizza party reveals more than just shyness. Brian’s hurried departure, his worn clothes, and the careful way he treats every bite of food ignite a realization: his isolation isn’t just about being quiet—it’s about something far more profound. Jenny understands she can’t just ask; a direct question could shatter his pride.

Now, Jenny faces a delicate dilemma: how to offer help to a classmate who guards his secret with fierce dignity. This heartwarming story explores the true meaning of empathy, the quiet courage it takes to observe, and the profound respect required to act when someone needs it most. Join Jenny as she navigates the complexities of friendship and compassion, discovering that the greatest acts of kindness often begin with the quietest observations.

Support Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba Literacy and Publishing: Order Your Books and Short Stories Today

Books, short stories and publications are available in bookstores across Canada, the United States and internationally in outlets such as:

Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Casa de Libro, Cultura, Decitre, Fable, Fnac, Hugendubel, Librarie E.Leclerc, Librería de Porrúa Hermanos y Cía, Morawa, Palace Marketplace, Rakuten Kobo, Smashwords, Vivlio

ISBN: 9781069806345
OCLC Number: 1545040107

About the Author

Tony Eetak is a youth artist and musician whose creativity knows no bounds. Originally from Arviat, Nunavut, he finds his voice on the piano and keyboard. An avid composer, Tony translates the world around him into melodies and harmonies, crafting music that speaks with a quiet and powerful beauty. His work has been supported by the Manitoba Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts and the OpenAI Researcher Access Program.

ISBN: 978-1-0698063-4-5

About the Author

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg

Administrator

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg is a participatory arts collective and living lab, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. It's a space where innovation and creativity thrive. It's latest iteration was launched in 2021 with funding and support from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse. Today, working with students and faculty from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, we fuse traditional and participatory media arts with artificial intelligence, music, storytelling and community-driven, land-based artist residencies to cultivate new voices and bold ideas. Whether through collaborative projects or immersive experiences, our small but vibrant community supports creators to explore, experiment, and connect. Join us at the intersection of artistry, technology, culture and community—where every moment is a new opportunity to create.

Visit Website View All Posts
Tags: SDG 2 SDG 4

Post navigation

Previous: Big Sky Country
Next: Stories Today: Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Meets Horror

Related News

In this latest edition of Unfinished Tales and Short Stories, author Eva Suluk presents a collection that explores the profound weight of what remains unsaid. Eschewing the comfort of tidy resolutions, these narratives are deliberately unfinished, functioning as invitations for the reader to step into the gaps and become a vital collaborator in the storytelling process. Within these pages, the ephemeral becomes enduring through a shared exploration of memory, emotion, and connection.
  • In Bookstores
  • Reading

Unfinished with Care

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg 24 Feb 2026
In Unfinished Notes on Silence and Sound, the third volume of the Unfinished Tales and Short Stories series, Tony Eetak from the Arts Incubator Winnipeg invites readers to inhabit the "gaps"—the quiet pauses, the shrugs, and the lingering moments between days that define the most real parts of our lives. This collection rejects the idea of a clean narrative exit, opting instead to capture the "fragmentary nature of memory" through stories that are purposefully messy. From the "erratic flicker" of city lights to the "ancientness" of a Winnipeg winter that never seems to thaw, Eetak explores the weight of things that remain in pieces.
  • In Bookstores
  • Reading

Unfinished Notes on Silence and Sound

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg 15 Feb 2026
A Collection of Broken Resolutions is a gritty LGBTQ+ slice of life anthology and gay romance collection that explores domestic tension and male vulnerability. These unfinished tales and short stories serve as a contemporary BL response to the quiet isolation of the closeted experience. Centered on young adult themes and New Adult fiction, the book tackles the seasonal tyranny of the holidays, mental health, panic attacks, and the emotional struggle of finding belonging. Perfect for fans of realistic queer fiction, slow burn chemistry, and angsty character studies, this literary collection offers an honest look at men in love, coming out, and the bravery required to be truly seen.
  • In Bookstores
  • Reading

A Collection of Broken Resolutions

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg 12 Jan 2026

Recent Posts

  • April 1: Apply for the Under $100 Art Show in Winnipeg
  • Spring Exhibition 2026 welcomes Eva Suluk
  • 2026 Spring Arts Exhibition: Leanne Nicholson
  • Creative Consensus
  • The Myth of the Happy Client

Upcoming Exhibitions

The Art Spot Canada Under $100 Art Exhibition is coming to Winnipeg, Manitoba this August! ART SPOT was created in 2008 in Calgary to support local emerging artists.  ART SPOT has curated and facilitated over 100 successful art events, including solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, workshops, concerts, body painting competitions, markets, community events and more.

You may have missed

under-100-art-show-winnipeg-manitoba-arts
  • Arts & Creative Leadership
  • Photos and Short Stories
  • Winnipeg

April 1: Apply for the Under $100 Art Show in Winnipeg

Art Borups Corners 23 Mar 2026
In the 2026 Spring Arts Exhibition in Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario, Inuit artist and filmmaker Eva Suluk showcases her acclaimed work from Isuma TV’s Inuit Makers series. Her eight-part documentary films capture traditional land-based practices, including caribou harvesting, butchering, and meat preservation, highlighting the intergenerational transfer of Inuit knowledge, skills, and storytelling. Shot in a meditative “Slow TV” style, Eva’s films provide an immersive glimpse into Inuit culture, northern Canadian traditions, and Indigenous heritage. Visitors can explore her work alongside visual art, photography, and interactive exhibits, connecting local audiences with northern Indigenous perspectives. Watch the full series on Isuma TV and experience the continuity of Inuit land-based practices and cultural storytelling.
  • Arts & Creative Leadership
  • Photos and Short Stories

Spring Exhibition 2026 welcomes Eva Suluk

Art Borups Corners 23 Mar 2026
This year’s Spring Arts Exhibition at the Dyment Recreation Hall in Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario is proud to spotlight the powerful work of local Borups Corners artist Leanne Nicholson. Deeply rooted in the landscapes of northwestern Ontario, Leanne’s striking mixed-media practice—ranging from intricately painted skulls and antlers to evocative wildlife imagery—brings the spirit of the land into the space in a way that is both raw and deeply moving. We are excited to welcome her work into this year’s exhibition and to share her unique voice, shaped by nature, resilience, and lived experience, with the community.
  • Photos and Short Stories

2026 Spring Arts Exhibition: Leanne Nicholson

Art Borups Corners 22 Mar 2026
This beautiful, but heavily worn, Volvo P1800 sports coupe—famous for its elegant design and starring role in The Saint—now sits quietly, its original red paint fading to purple. The distinct curves and chrome details are still visible beneath the rust, suggesting a glamorous life that ended here among the trees.
  • Arts & Creative Leadership

Creative Consensus

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg 20 Mar 2026

MANITOBA ARTS PROGRAMS

This platform, our Winnipeg, Manitoba hub and programs have been made possible with support from the Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program. We gratefully acknowledge their funding and support in making the work we do possible.

Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Arts Incubator was seeded and piloted with strategic arts innovation funding from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse. We thank them for their investment, supporting northern arts capacity building and bringing the arts to life.

Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse Logo

NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO ARTS

This platform, our Northwestern Ontario hub and programs have been made possible with support from the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects Program. We gratefully acknowledge their funding and support in making the work we do possible.

Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects Program
Copyright © All rights reserved. | MoreNews by AF themes.