by Calvin Halvorsen

Following a two-year hiatus, the Concordia graduate student-run journal returned to win the prestigious Forces AVENIR Universitaire 2023 prize in the Arts, Literature & Culture category.

I made twenty-four wishes.
                                                           Each wish
the same.
In essence, to survive, to survive,
to survive.

Manahil Bandukwala’s hybrid poem, “Turning Twenty-Four on the Rise of the Sturgeon Moon,” opens Headlight Anthology’s twenty-fourth issue with a singular refrain: “survive,” and for the embattled graduate-run journal out of Concordia, its inclusion was a no-brainer. 

For over twenty years, Headlight never failed to publish, with twenty-two consecutive issues being selected, edited, printed, and distributed to the English writing and reading communities of Concordia, Montreal, and beyond. Names like Moez Surani, Erín Moure, and Robyn Sarah populated the steady outflow of rising and razing voices, voices adept at turning a sharp eye to the personal, political, hypocritical, and emotional. In other words, twenty-two years of Montreal. 

Until the pandemic. 

Like so many journals, COVID-19 placed Headlight firmly on its back foot. A combination of financial and organizational complications brought twenty-two years of consistency to an abrupt halt. The editors hit the brakes on issue twenty-three, and 2020 became the first year without Headlight. 

Unfortunately, the next year would bring much of the same. Despite reopening for submissions, retooling the masthead, and working with a year of pandemic experience under the belt, 2021 again saw a failure to publish. Headlight had gone silent. 

Cue 2022. The new year brought several critical changes. One was clearly the lifting of restrictions and reopening of campus life. Another was the increase in funding for creatives and their projects. But these alone wouldn’t guarantee a lift from the fog that had enveloped the publication. There was still the problem of submissions: two years of backlog had accumulated in the emails of the editing team. Two years of poems, short stories, essays, selected and left to linger in the suspension of COVID-induced limbo. 

Then, Carlos Pittella, a poet and MFA recipient whose 2021 submission to Headlight was one of those stuck in limbo, joined Sherine Elbanhawy, a fellow MFA recipient, writer, and researcher, as co-managing editor for 2022–23, tasked with breaking through the fog and delivering an issue worthy of the two year wait. “The lost issue,” as twenty-three would come to be known, was immediately seen by the novel leadership as an unquestionable precursor to moving forward with twenty-four. 

“It was just, I think, embracing the full responsibility, not just twenty-three… we [were] gonna take it all on,” said Sherine in a brief Zoom interview. 

This “responsibility” became no less than a complete overhaul of the publication in its entirety, from website, submissions, and code of conduct, all the way to a personal favourite: Carlos’ cross-campus book-hunt in search of all twenty-two editions; a consolidation of Headlight’s history both physically and digitally. 

“Literally, Carlos went room to room in the English department, searching boxes until we found almost all [of the issues].” 

The result was twofold. A renewed vision and sense of purpose for numbers twenty-three and twenty-four, and a team whose understanding of Headlight went beyond the simple resume stamp that such publications usually represent. 

Sorting, contacting, and editing took another three months, September to December, but finally, on December 1, 2022, the world received Headlight issue number twenty-three: “fragments of a lost issue.” Notable inclusions such as “The Party” by Cailas Wiebe, in which an author who has discovered the key to happiness succumbs to toxic despair under the positivity he’s unleashed on the world, and “Interview with a Chichiman” by Linzey Corridon, a brief yet powerful poem on queer confidence and strength that crosses continents, led the online-only edition to be met with warmth from both readers and former members of the editing team. But most importantly, “the lost issue” returned a sense of self to Headlight as a journal. 

Issue twenty-four came next, opening with questions of legacy and positionality. How to honour Headlight’s past and present? How to be conscious of former honorees who had failed to uphold the journal’s values? How much weight should an author’s personal identity carry in discussions on their writing?

“What that line is is different for every editorial team, and as long as it’s not offensive I want art to always push us to think,” said Sherine on the topic of positionality. Either way, talking to the team at Headlight makes it clear: the days of one-size-fits-all representation is over, and whether or not the editorial team’s stance on these questions led to a better overall edition, the results are certainly convincing. Headlight’s issue twenty-four is complex, diverse, and painfully raw. Its sixteen pieces range from a tender and hilarious poem on the ubiquitous nature of tubes, to Bandukwala’s ash-soaked elegy, to an engrossing short story about a girl taking on the life of her recently deceased celebrity doppelgänger, all packed into the textured personality of risograph print.

Unique in both form and content, it’s no surprise why, despite the inevitable politics of language in Quebec, Headlight won big in the Arts, Literature, and Culture category at the 2023 Forces Avenir awards in Quebec City. With its award-winning twenty-fourth turn, the Concordia staple and its team finally managed to cast aside their limbo and, in doing so, curate a mosaic of contemporary concern, identity, and personality so vulnerable it stings. 

Now, all eyes turn to issue twenty-five, where a new team headed by Misha Solomon, the author of the previously mentioned “tubes,” and Alex Affonso, a Brazilian-Canadian writer with a passion for the fantastical, are hoping to carry the momentum into 2024, all while placing their own twist onto the flagship publication. For them, Headlight is exactly what its name indicates: a beacon for writers from all backgrounds, perspectives, and passions. A place to survive together. 

In Misha’s words: “We like it weird, we like it good, we like it Headlight.”

To see how other student publications have navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic, check out the three journals below:

1. Soliloquies Anthology
2. The Veg Literary Magazine
3. The McGill Tribune Creative Supplement

Calvin Halvorsen is a writer who spends his time working between Montreal, Toronto, and the Cree territories of Eeyou Istchee. He draws on the width of his background, including experience in genetics research, educational programming, and AI consultation, to fuel his fiction and the passion he holds for the fiction of his peers. 

Illustration by Emily Sweny.

The post The Resilience and Reality of Headlight Anthology appeared first on Read Quebec.

Following the book fair events in the 4TH SPACE, attendees are invited to attend a wine and cheese reception to mingle with fellow book lovers, peruse and purchase books.

Explore other 2023 Read Quebec Book Fair events here, and discover more English-language books written, published, or translated in Quebec at ReadQuebec.ca.

The post Read Quebec Book Fair Opening Cocktail appeared first on Read Quebec.

Produced by the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ) in partnership with the Quebec Writers’ Federation (QWF), 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 creative activities on Saturday afternoon. There will be a wine-and-cheese reception on Friday and coffee on Saturday morning.

The fair is open Friday and Saturday November 3-4, 2023, from 11 am – 6 pm, in the Atrium of the McConnell Building at Concordia University, 1400 De Maisonneuve Boulevard W. The building is accessible directly from Guy 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.

Find below the full Read Quebec Book Fair Events Calendar, as well as author signing schedules. 

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Montreal Review of Books – Fall Issue Launch
Wednesday, November 1, 2023, 7 pm.
La Petite Librairie Drawn & Quarterly (176 Rue Bernard O) In-person and livestreamed.  Free, no registration required.
Join us for the launch of the Fall Issue of the Montreal Review of Books, featuring Sean Michaels (Do You Remember Being Born?), Chris Bergeron (Valid) and Mostafa Henaway (Essential Work, Disposable Workers). Hosted by Montreal Review of Books editor, Malcolm Fraser. RSVP on Facebook.

Friday, November 3, 2023

Perfect Your Pitch Panel
Friday, November 3, 2023, 12 pm
4TH SPACE, McConnell Building, Concordia University
(1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W)     In-person and livestreamed. Free, no registration required.  
In partnership with the Quebec Writers’ Federation and the Writers Read series of Concordia University, a panel discussion on how to make successful nonfiction book and magazine pitches. Tips and feedback from the pros, followed by short workshops for pre-registered participants. With With Nour Abi-Nakhoul, Maisonneuve Magazine; Leigh Nash, Assembly Press; and accomplished journalist and author Adam Leith Gollner. Moderated by Matt Hays, Concordia University.

Perfect Your Pitch Workshops
Friday, November 3, 2023, 1:30 pm
Concordia University
(1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W)     In-person. Registration required.  
The panel will be followed by 90-minute workshops with Nour Abi-Nakhoul and Leigh Nash for pre-registered participants. Workshops are free, but pre-registration is required. Each workshop will be limited to 10 participants. A waiting list will be created if needed. Visit the event page for registration details.

Eight Voices: Finalists for the QWF Spoken Word Prize
Friday, November 3, 2023, 3 pm
4TH SPACE, inside the McConnell Building, Concordia University 
(1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W) In-person and livestreamed. Free, registration required for livestream.
In an exciting live event, the finalists for the Quebec Writers’ Federation Spoken Word Prize will showcase their talents in short performances.

Read Quebec Book Fair Opening Cocktail
Friday, November 3, 2023, 4:30 pm
McConnell Building, Concordia University Atrium
1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal.  Free, no registration required. In person.
Following the book fair events in the 4TH SPACE, attendees are invited to attend a wine and cheese reception to mingle with fellow book lovers, peruse and purchase books.

Saturday, November 4, 2023

On Saturday morning, coffee will be offered to browsers with the compliments of the Read Quebec Book Fair.

The books of the participating authors will be available for sale at the in-person events, and a curated selection of books by Quebec writers will also be available through the Read Quebec online catalogue. This is a wonderful opportunity to find the perfect holiday gift for your loved ones! 

Create Your Own Comic Strip!
Saturday, November 4, 2023, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm
Atrium of McConnell Building, Concordia University
(1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal). Free, no registration required. In person.
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.

Getting Lit with Linda: Live podcast recording featuring guests Catherine Hernandez and Eva Crocker
Saturday, November 4, 2023, 1 pm
DeSève Cinema, McConnell Building, Concordia University
(1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal). Free, no registration required. In person.
In a first-ever episode with a live audience, award-winning podcaster Dr. Linda Morra will interview novelists Catherine Hernandez and Eva Crocker. Both authors will be available to sign books afterward. Co-sponsored by Montreal’s queer reading series, the Violet Hour.

Postcards to the Future!
Saturday, November 4, 2023, 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Atrium of McConnell Building, Concordia University
(1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal). Free, no registration required. In person.
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.

Scarborough Screening
Saturday, November 4, 2023, 3:00 pm
DeSève Cinema, inside the McConnell Building, Concordia University 
(1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal). Free, no registration required. In person.
In a pre-festival special event, Image+Nation Queer Culture, Montreal’s long-running queer film festival, will join the Violet Hour to co-sponsor this moving film, an adaptation of Catherine Hernandez’s novel of the same name.

Making Monster Heads – An Exercise in Slow Group Drawing
Saturday, November 4, 2023, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Atrium of McConnell Building, Concordia University
(1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal). Free, no registration required. In person.
Together we’ll SLOWLY build a weird and wonderful bunch of monster heads that we can only create as a team! For all ages.

Thank you to our generous funders, partners, and sponsors!

The post Read Quebec Book Fair 2023 appeared first on Read Quebec.

Produced by the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ) in partnership with the Quebec Writers’ Federation (QWF), the Holiday 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.

We have a great lineup of exhibitors this year, including: AOS Publishing, Baraka Books, Black Rose Books, Concordia University Press, Corner Studio, Guernica Editions, Studio Georgeville, Linda Leith Publishing, Maisonneuve Magazine, Metatron, Metonymy Press, McGill-Queen’s University Press, Librairie Paragraphe Bookstore, Pow Pow Press, QC Fiction, The Secret Mountain, SpokenWeb, Universitas Press, Vallum, and Véhicule Press.

The fair is open Friday and Saturday November 4-5, 2022, from 11 am – 5 pm, in the Atrium of the McConnell Building at Concordia University, 1400 De Maisonneuve Boulevard W. The building is accessible directly from Guy 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.

90 local authors will be on site at Concordia on Friday and Saturday to sign books and chat, including Terry Mosher (Aislin), Peter McAuslan, David Bradford, Toula Drimonis, Ann Lambert, Christopher DiRaddo, and many more! Here is the full schedule of author signings.

Check out the Holiday Book Fair Events Calendar for full event details, including:

Montreal Review of Books – Fall Issue Launch
Wednesday, November 2, 2022, 7 pm.
Ursa Montreal (5589 Park Avenue) Free, no registration required
Join us for the launch of the Fall Issue of the Montreal Review of Books, with readings by featured authors Alexei Perry Cox (PLACE), Neil Smith (Jones), and Toula Drimonis (We, the Others). Hosted by Montreal Review of Books editor Malcolm Fraser.

Atwater Poetry Project – Holiday Book Fair Special Edition
Thursday, November 3, 2022, 7 pm
Atwater Library and Computer Centre, Adair Auditorium
(4023 Tupper Street, Westmount)     Free, no registration required  
This special edition of the Atwater Poetry Project series, will feature an evening of new writings with poets Prathna Lor (Emanations), River Halen (Dream Rooms), and Trynne Delaney (the half-drowned). Moderated by APP curator Faith Paré.

Eight Voices: Finalists for the First QWF Spoken Word Prize
Friday, November 4, 2022, 1 pm
4TH SPACE, inside the McConnell Building, Concordia University 
(1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal)    Free, no registration required
In an exciting world premiere, the eight finalists for the inaugural Quebec Writers’ Federation Spoken Word Prize will offer short performances showcasing their talents. The prize is open to all forms of spoken word performance, from storytelling to sound poetry, hip hop, and dub. Presented by the Quebec Writers’ Federation and Concordia’s SpokenWeb project, the event will behosted by poet and SpokenWeb director Jason Camlot.

Jazz Stories: En Direct
Friday, November 4, 2022, 3 pm
4TH SPACE, inside the McConnell Building, Concordia University
(1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal)    Free, no registration required
Author and Radio Canada personality Stanley Péan will discuss his new book Black and Blue: Jazz Stories with host Jason “Blackbird” Selman. They will be joined by Anita Anand (A Convergence of Solitudes), Rana Bose (Shaf and the Remington), and Kasia Van Schaik (We Have Never Lived On Earth) for a musically inspired session of improvised live writing.

Wine and Cheese Reception
Friday, November 4, 2022, 4:30 pm
McConnell Building, Concordia University Atrium
(1400 Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal)  Free, no registration required
Following the book fair events in the 4TH SPACE, attendees are invited to join us for a wine and cheese reception in the McConnell Atrium, with guest speakers Bert Archer, Montreal Gazette editor-in-chief, and special guest author Stanley Péan.  Guests are invited to mingle, peruse and purchase books throughout the reception. This event is in-person only and will not be livestreamed.

On Saturday morning, coffee will be offered to browsers with the compliments of the Holiday Book Fair.

The books of the participating authors will be available for sale at the in-person events, and a curated selection of books by Quebec writers will also be available through the Read Quebec online catalogue. This is a wonderful opportunity to find the perfect holiday gift for your loved ones! 

Thank you to our generous funders, partners, and sponsors!

The post Holiday Book Fair 2022 appeared first on Read Quebec.

Following the book fair events in the 4TH SPACE, attendees are invited to join us for a wine and cheese reception in the McConnell Atrium, with guest speakers Bert Archer, Montreal Gazette editor-in-chief, and special guest author Stanley Péan.  Guests are invited to mingle, peruse and purchase books throughout the reception. 

In accordance with public health guidelines, mask wearing is optional, though strongly encouraged. The Concordia Atrium is accessible from the Maisonneuve entrance, with an elevator located at metro level for those travelling underground. This event is in-person only and will not be live-streamed.

Explore other 2022 Holiday Book Fair events here, and discover more English-language books written, published, or translated in Quebec at ReadQuebec.ca.

Thank you to our generous funders, partners, and sponsors!

The post Holiday Book Fair Opening Cocktail  appeared first on Read Quebec.

In an exciting world premiere, the eight finalists for the inaugural Quebec Writers’ Federation Spoken Word Prize will offer short performances showcasing their talents. The prize is open to all forms of spoken word performance, from storytelling to sound poetry, hip hop, and dub. Presented by the Quebec Writers’ Federation and Concordia’s SpokenWeb project, the event will be hosted by poet and SpokenWeb director Jason Camlot. For more information on the performers, see the finalist list below. (Note that finalist Liana Cusmano will not be performing at this event.)

In-person event details: In accordance with public health guidelines, mask wearing is optional, though strongly encouraged. The 4th Space is fully accessible from the Maisonneuve entrance, with an elevator located at metro level for those travelling underground. 

Live streaming details: The event will be live-streamed to the 4TH SPACE YouTube account, no prior registration is required. Tune in at 1 pm on November 4, 2022, to view and participate in the Q&A via the chat function. 

Explore other 2022 Holiday Book Fair events here, and discover more English-language books written, published, or translated in Quebec at ReadQuebec.ca.

…

Caitlin Murphy is a writer, director, and dramaturg.  She has performed in one-woman shows, stand-up and sketch comedy, and a web-series she created called Mothers Try.  Caitlin has also written and directed plays and short films and recently launched a digital collection of her pandemic-related art, Candy for Covid.

Debbie Braide is an energy and development specialist, spoken word poet, World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and British Chevening alumna. An Abuja Literary Society Poetry Slam Champion, she has performed for such organizations as the United States Embassy and VSO International. She is committed to sustainable development and gender equity.

Erín Moure is a poet and poetry translator. Her most recent work includes Chus Pato’s The Face of the Quartzes (Veliz, 2021) and her own chapbooks Retooling for a Figurative Life (Vallum, 2021) and Arborescence (Columba, 2022). Her translation of Chantal Neveu’s This Radiant Life (Book*hug, 2020) won the 2021 Governor General’s Award for translation. 

Johanne Pelletier is a storyteller with work featured in Canada and the US. She is the winner of the GRIT 99-Second Story Grand Slam, the producer of Good Gyn-Bad Gyn: Women’s Health Stories, and an amateur boxing judge. She teaches storytelling to scientists and start-ups.

Liana Cusmano (Luca/BiCurious George) is a writer, poet, spoken word artist, and filmmaker. They were the 2018 and 2019 Montreal Slam Champion and runner up in the 2019 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championship. Their first novel, Catch and Release (2022), was published by Guernica Editions.

Lucia De Luca is an English teacher and spoken word poet. She was a finalist at the 2021 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam and recently participated in Brickyard Spoken Word’s mentorship program. As an organizer, she brought McGill University its first slam and, in the summer of 2022, oversaw the Grove Campus Poetry Show.

Raïssa Simone is a multi-disciplinary artist and writer based in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal). She has competed at numerous national poetry slams and been invited to perform at multiple spoken word shows, including the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, Toronto International Poetry Slam, Hillside Festival, and When Sisters Speak. 

Roen “Blu’Rva” Higgins is an award-winning spoken word poet, educator, speaker, and creative evangelist. As the founder of The Elevated Creative, her mission is to elevate others through creative literacy and help them find their flow and tap into their genius zone.

Thank you to our generous funders, partners, and sponsors!

The post Eight Voices: Finalists for the First QWF Spoken Word Prize appeared first on Read Quebec.