by Jade Palmer

February 5th, 2025 is the fifteenth annual World Read Aloud Day, which promotes “the power of reading aloud to create community and amplify new stories, and to advocate for literacy as a foundational human right.” Montreal, with its vibrant history of reading series, strong literary community, and many avenues for innovation within these spaces, is the perfect place to participate and emphasize the importance of World Read Aloud Day’s mission.

Below, you’ll hear from four individuals with different perspectives on reading aloud and find out where you can enjoy the world beyond the written word. 

JASON CAMLOT: SPOKENWEB

Jason Camlot is an English professor at Concordia University and director of SpokenWeb Montreal, a research group based out of Concordia that preserves recordings of literary events and researches the ways we interpret sound and performance. He offers historical context for the practice of reading aloud: 

“In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as the study of modern literature was slowly becoming part of the university curriculum, reading aloud and listening were still integral to the practice of reading. Hundreds of books prescribing methods of elocutionary delivery, methods of recitation and oral interpretation were published, advising readers what they should be thinking and feeling when approaching a text to read aloud.

But that was then. As literary study became a legitimate discipline in its own right through the institutionalization of departments of English and other modern languages, new forms of criticism took hold that prioritized the reading of poems silently for the purpose of analysis in writing. So reading and listening to literature isn’t really part of the curriculum anymore, and we come to literary listening from a diverse range of positions, with little theory about how to do it, or preparation.”

The devaluation of reading aloud in our literary and educational lives is very much a product of the values of the current cultural moment. SpokenWeb puts the focus back on orality by presenting literary sound recordings on the SpokenWeb podcast and the CJLO radio show, Sonic Lit. Both of these projects are made for the general public, require no academic background, and aim to get everyone loving literature out loud again.

SUSAN GILLIS: QUEBEC WRITERS’ FEDERATION WORKSHOPS 

Each session of Susan Gillis’ workshop for the Quebec Writers’ Federation beganins with the workshopped poet reading their draft aloud to the group. Susan notes that this is a valuable part of the editing process both for the one vocalizing the work and those experiencing the work gain life off of the page:

“Hearing others read a poem can lead my attention to things I hadn’t noticed when reading silently, sometimes things that should have been obvious, and to nuances possibly only present at all in the heard words, through cadence and variation in emphasis.

Reading aloud, I’m engaged in a physical journey through a verbal landscape. This landscape may or may not align with other elements of the poem, a situation that may or may not generate tension, richness, and resonance. Involving the body, specifically the vocal apparatus and breath—breath itself—makes reading a poem a holistic experience, somatic as well as conceptual.”

The physical acts of producing and receiving sound attune workshop members to whether a poem is resonating or not—a perfect place from which to begin critiquing in a workshop! While the spring sessions are starting up in March, the fall round will open for registration in August. Watch the QWF website and Instagram for the announcement of the fall workshops so you can also experience how reading aloud helps bring your writing to the next level.

JM FRANCHETEAU: JRG OPEN MIC 

“Jay Ryan Gobuty was bored by nearly every poetry reading he ever attended,” recalls JM Francheteau, emcee of JRG Open Mic, “not out of antipathy towards poetry, though his real passion was theatre, but because the readings themselves were such staid affairs.” Fittingly named outrageous, the open mic series he co-hosted in Toronto with EJ Burns from 2012 to 2016 encouraged heckling, screaming, and exciting interdisciplinary performance. Jay passed away last year, but Francheteau has launched the JRG Open Mic (named for Gobuty’s initials) to put a literary spin on his eclectic legacy: 

“Despite the name I didn’t go into the first JRG gig planning to make the night explicitly ‘about’ Jay. It might feel like a bit of a bait and switch for the audience to think they are going into a regular show and discover they are at a stranger’s wake!

But some people were moved to speak about Jay’s passing in their performances because it’s what they’re writing about at the moment, and because it is important to them to talk and to remember . . . people tend to go to readings to feel things, to share in some sort of collective vulnerability. 

And if I might try to answer as Jay would, feelings and community are lovely, but it’s also about The Work. Writing is Work, but so is performing . . . JRG is about practice, thrilling practice.

Most forms of the written word thrive when spoken aloud. We honour our loved ones, we honour ourselves, and we honour the art when we present something publicly that makes others glad to have witnessed it. Jay believed art mattered—I can’t think of a better tribute than a space where people have fun getting better at theirs.”

The first JRG Open Mic provided Jay’s friends a place to openly and creatively grieve, hone the craft of reading aloud, and welcome others into the fold. If you want to experience the most not-boring open mic, the third installment of JRG will be held at Bar L’Hémisphère Gauche on March 6th, featured performers TBA.

CARLOS A. PITTELLA: AT HOME WITH LOVED ONES

For Carlos A. Pitella, previous co-editor-in-chief of Concordia’s English graduate literary journal, Headlight Anthology, and winner of a Forces Avenir prize for revamping the journal, reading aloud has always been a family affair: 

“As much as I love reading aloud, I love being read to even more—or taking turns, passing the book back and forth. With my father, over many breakfasts, we read Camus’s The Plague and Eça de Queirós’s The Legends of Saints—and I remember us crying at the end of both. With my love, we’ve read dozens of books together, normally a chapter before bed, and developed an intuition for which kinds of stories work well out loud. 

With our daughter, there has always been the bedtime story; now that she too can read, I love alternating pages with her, whether in Portuguese, English, or French. Though I enjoy podcasts and audiobooks, it’s never the same thing as a living being reading with you—someone to share the conjuring of a story and fall together into the magic trap of words.”

Experiencing a text with a loved one can bring up many emotions: everything from immense sadness to immense joy in connecting over a shared experience of the unreal. In the true spirit of World Read Aloud Day, Bibliotheque Benny in NDG sees the need for children to experience reading aloud, as they’re launching a preschool storytime beginning Saturday, February 22nd. 

It is a gift to fall in love with storytelling at such a young age—and to later take advantage of all other opportunities documented here.

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Jade Palmer (she/her) studied English and creative writing at Concordia University and is currently a poet and research assistant in Tiohti:àke/Montreal. Her work has won third place for the 2025 Foster Poetry Prize, been shortlisted for the 2024 Austin Clarke Prize, and won the 2024 Concordia Creative Writing Award. She is a poetry mentee in the QWF’s mentorship program, the managing editor of carte blanche, and a cohost for Accent Open Mic.

Illustration by Nina Drew.

The post Four Perspectives on Reading Aloud in Montreal appeared first on Read Quebec.

In an exciting live event, the finalists for the second edition of the annual 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.

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

by J.B. Staniforth

While Montreal is home to a number of English-language literary podcasts (including Sruti Islam and Alex Nierenhausen’s Weird Era, recently profiled here), the main thing they have in common is they’re produced in this city. Beyond that, the subjects of Montreal literary podcasts vary dramatically. Here are capsule introductions to four Montreal literary podcasts, covering a wide range of subject matter.

Apples to Giraffes
A creative exploration of literary adaptations

This podcast, hosted by award-winning graphic novelists François Vigneault and Jonas Madden-Connor, is about cinematic adaptations of literary works. Subjects for discussion, Vigneault explains, include, “What it takes to turn a book into a film, and the opportunities and challenges that are inherent in taking a narrative from one medium to another.” Most episodes also include a novel twist: Vigneault and Madden-Connor often talk about how they would approach developing as-yet unadapted narratives for TV or movies.

Less than a year into their run, Apples to Giraffes’ creators have released new episodes biweekly (not counting smaller bonus episodes), with 12 episodes in the can to date. Vigneault says that on a podcast this young, the format is constantly developing: “We’re definitely still making plenty of tweaks to the format as we go, seeing what our listeners respond to and what makes for the most fun experience for everyone, ourselves included. For instance, we’ve recently started experimenting with cordoning off plot spoilers into their own section, so that listeners who haven’t already read the book we’re discussing can still tune in without fear.”

Luckily, Vigneault notes, “the subject matter is basically inexhaustible. There are more and more literary adaptations happening all the time,” and there’s plenty of room for Apples to Giraffes to take off in any number of directions.

Recommendation: Vigneault recommends Apples to Giraffes to “folks who love both literature and cinema—anyone who’s ever finished a book and either thought “Wow, that would make a great movie!” or “They could NEVER make a movie out of that!” 

As a starting point, he recommends Episode 7: “We discuss The Tripods by John Christopher, a cult-classic sci-fi adventure series that both Jonas and I adore. It’s an underrated series that was already adapted as a BBC TV series in the 1980s, but it’s definitely ripe for a modern adaptation.”

Getting Lit with Linda: The Canadian Literature Podcast
An intimate discussion of the Canadian literary scene

A scholar of archival theory and Canadian women’s writing, Bishop’s University professor Linda Morra says her podcast Getting Lit with Linda celebrates the best in Canadian literature, with an expert guide. Morra uses her own personal narratives to power discussions of Canadian literature that highlight the intimacy of the reading experience. 

“Each episode,” she explains, “invites listeners to consider how literature both reflects and extends their experiences, guiding them toward some key insights derived from the work under discussion.” Yet she balances the emotional engagement with the works she discusses with her academic perspective, making learning as important a goal as entertaining.

Since dropping her first episode in 2020, Morra has released 40 episodes, many of which featured guest stars like poet Stephen Collis, novelist Shani Mootoo, and comedian Ali Hassan. Morra says, “I promised at the outset that I would deliver the widest range of writers possible in Canada—in terms of genre, temporal period, geographical location, race, sexual orientation, and so much more—and I keep to that commitment with every episode.”

Recommendation: While Morra offers her podcast as a means to take a “‘time-out’ from the chaos of the world,” she says Getting Lit with Linda is right for “anyone who is keen on learning more about books, arts, and culture, or who wants to know about the literary scene in Canada but doesn’t know where to start.”

She recommends her episode discussing Thomas King’s One Good Story, That One (Season 2, Episode 13), which she notes “speaks to the importance of forging real relationships, the building blocks of sustainable communities, especially crucial when approaching Indigenous persons.”

SpokenWeb
An exploration of the sound of literature

Podcasts are an audio medium, and SpokenWeb takes advantage of that characteristic in celebrating what literature and discussions about literature sound like. The podcast has set out to sound different from episode to episode, by including basic interviews and conversations, audio editions of literary works, archival recordings of Canadian writers, and audio projects and soundscapes from Concordia students.

SpokenWeb released its first episode in 2019. It is currently based in Montreal thanks to its host and task-force lead Concordia affiliate professor Katherine McLeod, and its sound designer Miranda Eastwood. It also includes producers affiliated with Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, though the podcast is open to outsiders beyond Montreal and Vancouver.

“We are developing the pedagogical side of podcasting in order to encourage more SpokenWeb researchers, both students and faculty, to feel ready to make an episode,” McLeod explains. “We hold monthly Creator Session workshops and teach podcasting workshops throughout the year for students and faculty from across the SpokenWeb network.” SpokenWeb is also expanding the notion of whether a podcast can be “scholarly,” and considering possibilities for how to make it more similar to material produced in academic settings (such as peer-reviewed episodes).

Recommendation: McLeod says the ideal listener to SpokenWeb is someone interested in literary sounds, “whether those sounds are archival recordings, poets reading, writers talking, finding out about archival work behind-the-scenes, the affective impact of sounds of the past heard in the present, stories of environmental soundscapes, or sonic experimentation.”

For new listeners, she recommends the episode: “‘The archive is messy and so are we’: Decoding the Women and Words Collection” (Season 3, episode 7, produced by Kate Moffatt and Kandice Sharren). “That episode shows what you can do with an unwieldy archive that one is still learning about,” McLeod says. “A podcast episode can be a place for thinking out loud, together.”

YA Podcast

An independent podcast celebrating diversity in literature for young adults

Teffer Adjemian is likely correct when they say YA Podcast is the only independent podcast to take on the subject of literature for a young adult readership. (Naturally, these books are enjoyed by readers of all ages as more and more adult readers discover a passion for well-wrought YA literature.) At the same time, YA Podcast may also be the premier program focusing on the issue of diversity in YA literature.

Adjemian says they and their team’s independence allows for a focus on the books that resonate most with them. “We’re a diverse team, in race, gender, and ability, and we’re passionate about amplifying historically underrepresented voices in the genre,” they say. Though the team started with simply discussing their favourite novels, after producing an episode on Angie Thomas’s The Hate You Give, Adjemian says, “we quickly realized that there was a growing movement towards representation in YA Lit and we wanted to be a part of it. That’s how our focus on underrepresented voices was born. Young Adult literature is on the front lines of diversifying literature, and it’s our goal to highlight that diversity.”

Since its founding in 2018, YA Podcast has released 173 episodes, featuring discussions of works and interviews with authors, some of whom have gone on to successful careers. However, the stress of producing an independent podcast weighed heavily on Adjemian and their team of volunteers, whose production costs are just met by Patreon donations. Accordingly, the team took an unplanned hiatus this year to deal with widespread burnout. 

“It’s scary to take a break from making content when you’re used to doing it regularly,” Adjemian says. “But our listeners stayed with us, our patrons were supportive, and we’ve adjusted to a biweekly release schedule, which much to our surprise ended up being more popular because our listeners can keep up with the reading list! It was a great lesson, remembering that ultimately we do this project because we love it, and we have to make sure we can continue to love it if it’s going to stay good.”

Recommendation: Adjemian says YA Podcast appeals to an array of listeners, including “educators, librarians, parents, or just adults who love YA. While we’re always delighted to hear from our teen fans, ultimately we are a bunch of folks in our thirties and  we end up talking about growing up in the 2000s a lot!” They recommend “Dystopian Smackdown” (Episode 11, about Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games novels and Veronica Roth’s Divergent series) as a great YA Podcast starting point.

J.B. Staniforth is a Montreal writer and reporter.

Illustration by Nora Kelly

The post Literary Listening 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.

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!

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