By Jade Palmer
The sun sets earlier and earlier behind Mont Royal. The breeze picks up speed whistling down Sainte-Catherine. Thankfully, along with shorter days and dropping temperatures, fall will also bring a cornucopia of literary events to Montreal! This autumn’s round-up focuses on the younger and lesser-known organizations that will brighten up our darkening months, while still including some of the city’s favourites. One thing’s for certain: the bookish of us will be busy reading, writing, performing, and learning all season long.
Readings and Open Mics
Formerly known as Plateau Symposia, Soapbox Lit returns fresher than ever on September 6th with readings by four major up-and-coming writers: Zoe Lubetkin, Curtis McRae, Gwen Aube, and Misha Solomon. Tickets are $25 and grant you access to an open bar at the cutting-edge Ctrllab. To support organizers Ari Mazur, Imogene Mahalia, and Ben McInnes’s efforts to resuscitate a culture of literary performance, buy a ticket here. What’s being said on this soapbox is well-worth a listen!
Did you write a poem while on vacation this summer that you’ve been dying to share? Accent Open Mic is a welcoming place to hone your performance skills. Arrive at Bar La Marche à côté by 8:00pm on every first and third Sunday of the month to sign up to read, cheer on your friends, or just grab a pint and listen to the featured performers. Find all open mic reading themes (not mandatory, but encouraged!) and the invited readers on Accent’s Facebook page. The October 6th event is especially exciting, because it’s the 100th edition of the series!
The Suppart Collective and their Young Artist Showcases are not exclusively literary, but are crucial for supporting activist groups and emerging artists. Every Thursday in September and October, at a rotating list of Montreal’s most socially-conscious venues, local writers, DJs, and artists will perform. Attending these fundraising events also helps Indigenous rights organizations and Palestine relief groups. Follow Suppart on Instagram to see the list of venues and performers when they are released.
Festivals and Fairs
The Knowlton Literary Festival, from October 17th-19th in the Eastern Townships, is a must-see for those exploring beyond Montreal this fall. The festival notes that its fifteenth year is the most diverse yet, with writers John H. Vaillant, Tawhida Tanya Evanson, Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang, Amanda Peters, Ann Cleeves, Louise Penny, and Ronald J. Deibert giving talks, interviews, and readings. Tickets go on sale September 5th. Enjoy the scenic drive!
Want to experience the wealth of Quebec literature a little closer to home? Check out the Read Quebec Book Fair hosted on December 7th and 8th at Casa d’Italia by the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ). After browsing the publishing houses’ booths, stick around for author interviews and book signings, spoken word performances, and a 5 à 7 cocktail on the house!, Plus, get the little ones interested in local literature at the Kids’ Nook. The full list of this year’s activities will be announced on their website.
Bookstores and Libraries
Librairie Pulp is a bookstore in its infancy at less than a year old, but their cozy Verdun location is already an indispensable community meeting place. The following events, both taking place from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, require RSVPing here.
The second edition of the Death & Poetry Over Coffee series takes place on September 5th. Participants in this workshop will explore the wonder of death in verse with the co-founders of The Canoe, Alexce Frenoy and Paul Simard. The Canoe helps individuals, families, and communities reclaim a nourishing relationship with dying, death, and grief.
For fans of fiction, Alice Zorn will be in conversation with Elise Moser for the launch of Alice’s new novel on September 24th. Colours in Her Hands is an exploration of intellectual disability, family, and art that highlights main character Mina’s dignity, inventiveness, and aplomb.
Even if you can’t make it to these events, Pulp is a necessary stop on any walk down Wellington. Visit them to grab a coffee (they are a café, too!) and find your next fall read.
Westmount Library has been welcoming book lovers into its ornate space for 125 years, and while it might not be on your literary event radar, everyone should take in an event à la bibliotheque.
On September 25, novelists and poets unite for Dr. Emily Kopley’s lecture, Virginia Woolf’s Poetry Library, which will explore the Modernist author’s complex relationship with poetry.
Terry Mosher will launch his book, Montreal Expos: A Cartoonist’s Love Affair, on September 29th, which is the twentieth anniversary of the last Expos Game. The work features cartoons and anecdotes about the storied team, and there will be artefacts on display.
Don’t miss the unique opportunity to meet the first Canadian in space, Marc Garneau, as he discusses his biography, A Most Extraordinary Ride, on October 16.
From literary history buffs to hockey aficionados to those interested in the world beyond earth, Westmount has an event for all.
Book Clubs and Workshops
Hosted by Christopher DiRaddo, the Violet Hour Book Club is a free event which doesn’t require expertise in literature, just a love of LGBTQ books and an open Saturday each month!
September 7th’s meeting will focus on Oliver Sacks’s autobiography, On the Move: A Life, which chronicles the author’s love of motorcycles, discoveries as a neurologist, romantic and intellectual love affairs, and more.
A work celebrated with accolades such as the Stonewall Book Award, the group will discuss Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H on October 12th. This memoir compares the author’s queer immigrant experiences with stories in the Quran to celebrate what it means to be the architect of one’s own life.
Alice Winn’s In Memoriam was described by The New York Times as “a great tragedy” but “also a moving portrait of young love” set during World War I. Feel all the feelings at the meeting on November 9th.
Make sure to check out the event details on Christopher DiRaddo’s website or join the Facebook group here, as the venues and times may change from month to month. Brooke Lee wrote a beautiful article about Violet Hour with more information on the series.
If all these events make you want to learn more about the publishing industry, AELAQ’s professional development workshops on October 1st are for you. Topics include book design, sustainability, succession planning, distribution and exchanges between French and English-language publishers. Keep an eye on AELAQ’s website for more details and to buy your ticket.
Ones to Watch
The yolk literary team is busy frying up some fantastic fall events. At the second edition of their Literary Oktoberfest, meet local small presses, lit mags, and university journals while listening to readings by some of Montreal’s finest writers. Last year’s participating publishers can be found here. Also forthcoming is the launch of issue 4.1, which promises to be another packed event by a journal quickly breaking into the national scene. All event information will be posted on their Instagram.
Conclusion
Montreal has so many young, unique, and long-standing organizations celebrating the literary arts. Whether you’re going to the new bookstore on the block to the reading of the season, don your pea coats and make room in your tote for some local books. Can’t wait to see you this fall!
Jade Palmer (she/her) studied English and creative writing at Concordia University. Her poetry, concerned with the dark imagination, the familial, and the found, has previously been published in long con magazine, Headlight Anthology, Encore Poetry Project, yolk, and LBRNTH. She was the recipient of the 2023-2024 Concordia Creative Writing Award in Poetry, and she cohosts Accent Open Mic.
Illustration by Justine Morin (@quiquinem).