2024 Read Quebec Book Fair
December 7 at 12:00 pm - December 8 at 5:00 pm EST
The Read Quebec Book Fair is back! Join us on December 7th and 8th at Casa d’Italia (505 rue Jean Talon est) to discover the latest releases of new works from local publishers, authors, and translators. We’re also looking forward to a full program of literary events – including an interview with author and Mohawk activist Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel on Saturday, a comics panel with a stellar lineup, and QWF Spoken Word Prize Showcase performances on Sunday – as well as a multitude of author signings.
Produced by the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ), the Read Quebec Book Fair celebrates the vibrancy of the English-language literary scene in Quebec, with local publishers displaying their titles, and Librairie Paragraphe selling books from Quebec writers and translators published elsewhere. The Fair will offer fun for young booklovers, with a cozy, book-filled Kids’ Nook both days, and a musical performance for children by Connie Kaldor and Paul Campagne on Saturday at noon. There will be an opening cocktail Saturday evening —it is free and open to all, wine and bites will be served.
The fair is open from 12pm-7pm Saturday, and 12pm-5pm Sunday at Casa d’Italia. The building is accessible directly across from Jean-Talon metro and fully accessible to wheelchairs and strollers. In accordance with public health guidelines, mask wearing for in-person events is optional, though encouraged, with hand sanitizing stations available at all locations.
Schedule
Saturday, December 7th
A Duck in New York City – Musical Performance for Kids of All Ages
Saturday, December 7 2024
12 pm – 1 pm
20th Anniversary Celebration with Connie Kaldor and Paul Campagne, complete with anniversary cake!
Based on the Parents’ Choice Gold Award-winning musical picture book of the same name, a heartwarming children’s story and a dozen happy-go-lucky songs about self-esteem and determination. Follow a little duck from the Prairies who has a big dream: making it to New York City and doing his ducky dance on Broadway!
Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel in Conversation with Dr. Samir Shaheen-Hussain
Saturday, December 7 2024
2 pm – 3 pm
Join Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, longtime activist and visual artist, to hear about her new book, When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance. A memoir of a deeply engaged life, with an account of the siege at Oka, where she was a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) spokesperson. In conversation with Samir Shaheen-Hussain, MD, author of Fighting for a Hand to Hold: Confronting Medical Colonialism against Indigenous Children in Canada.
Create Your Own Comic Strip! A workshop with Vasilios Billy Mavreas.
Saturday, December 7 2024
2 pm – 3 pm
We’ll explore the basic building blocks to get you started on drawing and writing a (mostly silly!) comic strip featuring fun characters we’ll create together. Close up faces, word balloons, sound effects and more! For kids 5 to 9.
The Violet Hour Book Club Reads Subterrane by Valérie Bah
Saturday, December 7 2024
3 pm – 4:30 pm
Led by founder Christopher DiRaddo, this monthly discussion group for lovers of classic and contemporary works of LGBTQ literature will hold its December meeting on the stage at Casa d’Italia. Author Valérie Bah will make a special appearance at 4 pm for the last half hour of the group discussion.
Opening Cocktail
Saturday, December 7 2024
5 pm – 7 pm
A very special edition of the Read Quebec Book Fair’s 5 à 7. Come have a drink at the end of an exciting day of book browsing and literary events. Meet public historian, artist and educator Cassandra Marsillo, author of Dalla valigia alla tavola, an oral history of Montreal immigrants from the Italian region of Molise, complete with 40 recipes – and enjoy Molisan antipasti created from the book’s recipes. This event is also a “Super Schmoozer” bringing together members of the Quebec Writers’ Federation, the Writers’ Union of Canada, Quebec chapter, and the English-language Arts Network. Chat about books, writing, and the delicious food! Everyone is welcome.
Sunday, December 8th
Archives Out Loud: A Panel Discussion on Italian-Canadian Writing in English in Quebec
Sunday, December 8 2024
12 pm – 1 pm
Moderated by Nancy Marrelli, archivist of the Italian-Canadian Community Archives of Quebec, which are housed at the Casa d’Italia, an exchange between: Domenic Cusmano, publisher of Accenti: The Magazine with an Italian Accent; novelist and literary impresario Christopher DiRaddo, and playwright Michaela Di Cesare. Reception in the Archives office in the basement to follow.
How I Got Published: Fiction Edition
Sunday, December 8 2024
1 pm – 2 pm
Looking for tips on getting your own writing into print? Writer/translator Mélissa Bull, editor of the QC Fiction imprint at Baraka Books, will moderate as panelists Rebecca Morris (Other Maps), Sofia Ajram (Coup de Grâce), and Lili Zeng (Dear Haider) recount their journeys to publication. There will be plenty of time for questions from the floor.
Postcards to the Future! A workshop with Vasilios Billy Mavreas
Sunday, December 8 2024
1 pm – 2 pm
Mail a message to your older self. We’ll be designing with words and pictures a double sided postcard with a message you’d like your future self to know. It could be serious or playful or both, you decide what the adult version of you should know! For kids 10 and up.
Comic Book Confessions: Montreal Cartoonists Tell All
Sunday, December 8 2024
2 pm – 3 pm
Montreal has emerged as one of the most vibrant comic book scenes in the world, with a remarkable range of local creators producing weird, wild, and wonderful work that crosses over genres, generations, and languages. Join superstar cartoonists Walter Scott (Wendy), Éloïse Marseille (Naked: The Confessions of a Normal Woman), and Chris Oliveros (Are You Willing to Die for the Cause?) for a candid discussion about creating stories in pictures and words, finding humor in everyday life, and contemplating what could be next for Montreal’s thriving comic arts scene. Moderated by François Vigneault.
Cards for Peace: A workshop with Vasilios Billy Mavreas
Sunday, December 8 2024
2 pm – 3 pm
Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize Showcase
Sunday, December 8 2024
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
The Quebec Writers’ Federation’s Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize Showcase will once again display the creative talents of the finalists for the Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize.
Moe Clark “committing a dream / pawâkan Palestine”
Lucia De Luca “Congratulations”
Emilia Malpica-Iruegas “twenty-one”
Roger Sinha “Hater’s n Baiters: The Culture Collision”
Mac van den Hoeven “Memory Justice”
Children’s Programming with Vasilios Billy Mavreas
At any time during the Read Quebec Book Fair, wee people can hang out in our Babar Books Kids’ Nook and look at children’s books, draw and colour, or just relax in a cozy spot meant specially for them. Kids and their big people can also do some creative activity of their own at one of the three fabulous activities led by artist and writer Vasilios Billy Mavreas. For younger kids: Create your own comic strip! For older kids: Postcards to the Future! And for all ages: Cards For Peace.