Jay's List (What's Goin' On?) — April '25

What's happening in the Montreal lit scene this month?

They say April is the cruelest month… or is that May? November? Let’s just settle on something we can all agree on: whichever month you have to sit through a Sina Queyras reading is the cruelest month. April doesn’t seem to have any of those, so we’re in for some smooth sailing. Read on for dozens of literary-and-adjacent happenings.

As always, if we’re missing something, or you want your event included, please message @discordia.review on Instagram to propose an inclusion.

And if you’re on desktop, you can click the bar on the left to see all the dates and navigate around said dates. This list will expand as items are added.

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1 APRIL (TUES)

PULP NECROSIS CHAPBOOK LAUNCH
What: Montreal scene linchpin (and recent Fellow Traveller) Gwen Aube is going trainhopping for a few months, so expect this launch for her new above/ground chapbook Pulp Necrosis to have the boozy emotional energy of a goodbye party. This should be a banger.
Where: L’hemisphere gauche.
When: 8pm.
Who: Gwen Aube, Simina Banu, JM Francheteau, Amilcar John Nogueira, and Sabrina Papandrea.
How Much: Free. (Link.)

LIBERATION FAMILY
What: The League of Canadian Poets’ Poet Ambassador in Residence this year is spoken word artist Tanya Tawhida Evanson.¹ She’s hosting this National Poetry Month reading, which also includes an open mic.
Where: P’tit ours. (5589 Ave. Parc)
When: Doors 7pm, show 8pm.
Who: Whoever has the balls, along with special guests Kama La Mackerel and Natasha Kanapé Fontaine.
How Much: Free. (Link)

WRITERS READ: LUNCH HOUR READINGS
What: “Writers Read” has always sounded to me like an annoying tautology. Also sure, they can read, but some of them probably have to put their finger under each word as they go. I’m just salty because if they keep it up this new weekly lunch-hour reading series means I have to add four or five more entries each month to this list.
Where: Concordia Centre for Expanded Poetics. (6th floor of library)
When: 12pm to 1pm every Tuesday.
Who: TBD.
How Much: Free. (Link)

3 APRIL (THURS)

JRG “NO UKULELES” OPEN MIC
What: An open mic series dedicated to the very namesake of this list, the late and great Jay Ryan Gobuty. You can do anything so long as it’s not stand-up or acoustic guitar music.
Where: L’hemisphere gauche.
When: 8:30pm.
Who: Whoever has the balls, with special guests Josh Marquis and Willow Cioppa.
How Much: Free. (Event link)

BATTLE OF THE ARTS
What: It is finally time to determine the true hierarchy of the muses, in the manner prescribed by the criticks of yore: a “Battle of the Arts” held in a student union ballroom for $200 in prizes. I honestly don’t know what this is, but it said “poetry” on the poster so it’s here.
Where: SSMU Ballroom at McGill. (301-3480 McTavish Street)
When: 5:15pm.
Who: Whoever had the balls (sign-up closed March 6).
How Much: Free.

FLOWERS: THE POETRY SHOWCASE
What: Discordia loves Stephanie Bolster—we reserve the right to judge her students, of course. 14 of them will be reading as part of an MFA showcase.
Where: Pulp Books. (3952 Rue Wellington.)
When: 6:30pm doors, 7pm reading.
Who: I ain’t typin’ all them names.
How Much: Free. (Link)

5 APRIL (SAT)

THROW! POETRY SLAM
What: Poetry slam, first Saturday of every month. Catch!
Where: Le basement. (3716 Notre Dame O.)
When: 9pm.
Who: Whoever has the balls, plus feature TBD.
How Much: $10. (Link)

6 APRIL (SUN)

ACCENT OPEN MIC/LANTERN LAUNCH
What: Popular biweekly bilingual open mic, launching the latest issue of Cactus Press’s long-running Lantern zine. That sentence could’ve been used as an exercise in an elocution textbook.
Where: La Marche à côté.
When: 7pm to 10pm.
Who: Whoever has the balls (or has any left after all the mics already…), plus (I’m guessing) a slew of readers from the latest issue.
How Much: Free.

8 APRIL (TUES)

WRITERS READ: LUNCH HOUR READINGS
What: Breaking “Writers Read” news: “Shitters Eat.” Concordia weekly lunchtime reading series continues.
Where: Concordia Centre for Expanded Poetics. (6th floor of library)
When: 12pm to 1pm every Tuesday.
Who: TBD.
How Much: Free. (Link)

MY THIEVERY OF THE PEOPLE LAUNCH PARTY
What: Leila Marshy launches a new collection of short stories.
Where: Kawalees. (5175 ave du Parc.)
When: 7pm.
Who: Leila Marshy.
How Much: Free, book’s $25. (Link)

THE MOTHER: A GRAPHIC MEMOIR LAUNCH PARTY
What: “I laughed, and I cried,” says the blurb on the front—kind of the blurb equivalent of writing “Have a nice summer” in a yearbook, no? Anyway, graphic novel launch with light refreshments served (hell yeah).
Where: Librairie Pulp. (3952 rue Wellington.)
When: 7pm.
Who: Rachel Deutsch, in conversation with Sandra Dumais.
How Much: Free, book’s extra. (Link)

9 APRIL (WEDS)

CONCORDIA UNDERGRAD POETRY READINGS
What: It it what it says on the tin.
Where: Argo Bookshop. (1841A rue Ste-Catherine O.)
When: 7pm.
Who: A bunch of unnamed undergrad readers.
How Much: Free, but Argo’s tiny so they recommend RSVPing in advance. (Link)

10 APRIL (THURS)

YOU CRUSHED IT LAUNCH
What: Launch of You Crushed It, an English translation of Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard’s novel by Neil Smith, featuring a reading and a Q&A.
Where: Saint-Henri Books. (4622 Notre-Dame W.)
When: Doors 7pm, show 8pm.
Who: Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard and Neil Smith.
How Much: Free. (Link)

“OUR PLACES, OUR STORIES” ZINE WORKSHOP
What: ARCMTL and Expozine present a free zine-making workshop on the theme of the music and nightlife history of Black Anglophone communities in Montreal. It sounds like the idea is that everyone contributes to a collective zine, like a posse cut where emcees pass the mic around.
Where: Black Community Resource Centre (6767 Chem. de la Côte-des-Neiges)
When: 5:30pm to 8:30pm.
Who: Hosted by Deanna Smith.
How Much: Free (but RSVPs close April 5).

THE VEG x CHANEL LAUNCH PARTY
What: Two McGill student mags crash the battle royale that is Thursday, April 10—Veg is a lit mag, Channel is an English academic review.
Where: Bar Milton. (3714 Ave du Parc)
When: 7pm to 10pm.
Who: Music by As Usual (one of those The Who type gags); some readers starting at 8pm.
How Much: Free. (Link)

11 APRIL (FRI)

THE PAGE ISSUE 5 LAUNCH PARTY
What: The Page, a one-sheet community newsletter² distributed in finer shops around town, launches its fifth issue. Vibe: a mixer/schmoozefest rather than a reading.
Where: Zamalek Kitchen (407-8280 Boul. St-Laurent)
When: 8pm to 12am.
Who: DJs A&R Bloq, Sammy, and Buckshots (real risk of getting nicknamed “Backshots” with that handle, no?)
How Much: Free. (Link)

TWO READERS AND MUSIC VI
What: yolk’s monthly apartment reading and sounds series continues.
Where: RSVP for location.
When: Doors 7pm, show 8pm.
Who: franceska ekwuyasi, Eva Crocker, Althea SullyCole.
How Much: Free (but RSVP required).

12 APRIL (SAT)

MCSWAY OPEN MIC
What: Vagabond open mic show from Mcsway Poetry Collective turns up at La Poubelle, featuring snaps magazine launch.
Where: La Poubelle Magnifique (1221 Crescent St.).
When: 7pm.
Who: Whoever has the balls, plus contributors to the magazine.
How Much: Free (Event link).

13 APRIL (SUN)

THE WORD 50th ANNIVERSARY PARTY
What: Beloved Milton Park institution turns 50 with an intimate party—not in the sense of exclusive, but in the sense of it is a tiny perfect little place. Maybe I’ll finally rescue one of the John Newlove books I’ve had my eye on…
Where: The Word. (469 rue Milton.)
When: 12pm to 6pm.
Who: The proprietors! You! Books!
How Much: Free, but bring cash for books (link).

STIMULANT VOL. 2 LAUNCH
What: Local typeface and literature magazine launches latest issue with readings from seven contributors.
Where: Cardinal Tearoom. (5326 boul. St-Laurent)
When: 8pm.
Who: Amalia Mairet, Pip Morrison, Jackson Dunnigan, Alana Dunlop, Max Shoham, Kat Mulligan, Charlie Zacks.
How Much: Free (link).

CUT SIDE DOWN BOOK PARTY
What: Local writer Jessi MacEachearn launches her second collection, with support from Discordia pal William Vallières, Paige Cooper, Jessie Jones, and prolific commenter André Babyn.
Where: Bar Milton. (3714 Ave du Parc)
When: 7pm.
Who: Ah I already listed ‘em.
How Much: Free (link).

15 APRIL (TUES)

WRITERS READ: LUNCH HOUR READINGS
What: BREAKING: Area “writer” arrested and held without bail on a charge of “reading.” Concordia weekly lunchtime reading series continues.
Where: Concordia Centre for Expanded Poetics. (6th floor of library)
When: 12pm to 1pm every Tuesday.
Who: TBD.
How Much: Free. (Link)

17 APRIL (THURS)

PULSE MAGAZINE LAUNCH
What: New Montreal-based “lifestyle mag” launches first issue. Is this a literary thing? I don’t know, our event coordinator just put this news pellet in our mouth and I said *ULP!*
Where: Système (7119 Rue St-Hubert)
When: 6pm to 10pm.
Who: Long list of contributors, ain’t typin’ it! Not sure who’s reading, might just be a party.
How Much: Free.

20 APRIL (SUN)

ACCENT OPEN MIC
What: Popular biweekly bilingual open mic, theme: “Weed” [cue “The Lilac Hand of Menthol Dan” by Marc Bolan].
Where: La Marche à côté.
When: 7pm until 10pm.
Who: Whoever has the balls, plus John Emil Vincent and Maia R. Becerra.
How Much: Free.

22 APRIL (TUES)

WRITERS READ: LUNCH HOUR READINGS
What: When I say “WRITERS” you say “READ” k? WRITERS! No you said, “This is stupid," you were supposed to say… Concordia weekly lunchtime series maybe continues. Or does it? Their socials are unclear. They’re apparently piloting this idea till the end of the semester, but I don’t know if that counts exams. Fuck it, show up and see if there’s a reading?
Where: Concordia Centre for Expanded Poetics. (6th floor of library)
When: 12pm to 1pm every Tuesday.
Who: TBD.
How Much: Free. (Link)

EMILY HENRY RELEASE PARTY
What: Quite sure this, on the other hand, is happening. Book launch, featuring “romance trivia and book charades.” Gird your loins accordingly.
Where: Argo Bookshop. (1841A rue Ste-Catherine O.)
When: 7pm to 8pm.
Who: Emily Henry.
How Much: Free, but Argo being tiny they suggest getting a ticket. (Link.)

23 APRIL (WEDS)

TRADUCTION-POÉSIE MULTILINGUE EN QUATUOR
What: Four speakers (including heavy hitter Erin Moure), with discussions in French, Spanish, English, and Galician (!).
Where: L'Euguélionne, librairie féministe (1426 Rue Beaudry)
When: 6pm tp 8pm.
Who: Oana Avasilichioaei, M. L. Martin, Erín Moure, Chus Pato.
How Much: Free. (Link)

OPEN BOOKS, OPEN MINDS
What: Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec present this year’s publisher’s conference. Variety of seminars on the sort of topics you’d expect (AI? in publishing? Get out the door!). Marriages in the publishing community tremble at the thought of the infamous closing Cocktail & Book Swap.
Where: 2450 Rue Workman (or via Zoom).
When: 9am to 5pm.
Who: Keynote by Biblioasis’s Dan Wells, other panels by uh others.
How Much: Sliding-ish scale, prices $75 to $150. (Link)

WRITER’S BLOCK SEASON 2
What: A musician plays. You sit there and write. (Well the event says “move your wrist to a rhythm” which, whatever it means, is not something I often do in public...) Presented by Rodaisun magazine, the description in general is intriguing—if I’m free that night I’ll probly try it.
Where: Système (7119 rue St-Hubert).
When: 7pm to 11pm.
Who: Kevin LaFleur.
How Much: Free. (I think?)

24 APRIL (THURS)

LAMP LIT, VOL. III
What: Charming prose-oriented four-reader³ apartment series returns, featuring a relaxed, chummy ambiance.
Where: DM @evalazvegas on IG for address.
When: Doors 7pm, show 8pm.
Who: Francesca Ekwuyasi, Katherine Abbass, Lil Porritt and Paige Sabourin, with tunes after by the great DJ Destiny.
How Much: $5/PWYC.

MAROIS / BANDUKWALA DOUBLE LAUNCH
What: Poetry reading to launch new titles by Louise Marois (translated by D M Bradford) and Ottawa’s Manahil Bandukwala, with some guests.
Where: Pulp Books. (3952 Rue Wellington.)
When: 7pm.
Who: D M Bradford, Manahil Bandukwala, Faith Paré, and Misha Solomon (the busiest poet in Montreal).
How Much: Free. (Link.)

BOOK TALK: FRED ANDERSON
What: Not to be confused with BookTok, in the same way that life should not be confused with death. Fred Anderson launches a memoir of the American civil rights movement, in conversation with Leila Marshy.
Where: Argo Bookshop. (1841A rue Ste-Catherine O.)
When: 7pm to 9pm.
Who: Fred Anderson.
How Much: Free, but Argo being tiny they suggest getting a ticket. (Link, scroll down the page to find ticket thingy.)

SCRIVENER ISSUE LAUNCH
What: It’s the end of semester, so every student literary journal is doing its final issue⁴—I am learning there are like 53 of them in Montreal. This is one of them.
Where: Cardinal Tearoom. (5326 boul. St-Laurent)
When: 6:30pm to late.
Who: UNKNOWN.
How Much: There were tix, but apparently they have Sold Out. (Link.)

BLUE METROPOLIS INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL
What: Big ol’ trilingual literary festival (French, English, Spanish), scrolling through the fest guestlist made me wonder whether I am a rube for not knowing who most of them are.
Where: Various venues.
When: April 24 to 27.
Who: Dozens of readers, headlined by Salman Rushdie, Stephen Graham Jones, Cristina Rivera Garza, Madeleine Thien, and Discordia pal Tara McGowan-Ross.
How Much: Festival passes $30 till April 14, $50 thereafter. Individual tickets for certain events also available.

25 APRIL (FRI)

G’SELL/KONCHAN DOUBLE LAUNCH
What: Two books. Launching. Where? Into the middle-distance. The poets, Alexei Perry Cox: talking. You, there? Buying. Thank you. [murmurs, scattered snapping]
Where: Argo Bookshop. (1841A rue Ste-Catherine O.)
When: 7pm to 9pm.
Who: Eileen G’Sell and Virginia Konchan (both US poets who, it should be noted, have very impressive publication histories).
How Much: Free, but Argo being tiny they suggest getting a ticket. (Link, scroll down the page to find ticket thingy.)

28 APRIL (WEDS)

FICTION READING
What: You’ll never guess based on that title. Concordia grad students read fiction. I count… 16 readers, so pack sandwiches I guess.
Where: Pub La Cale (6839 rue St-Hubert).
When: 7pm.
Who: I’m not typing out all 16 names.
How Much: Free. (Link.)

29 APRIL (THURS)

JRG “dalton derkson CHAPBOOK LAUNCH” OPEN MIC
What: Due to a scheduling quirk, there are two JRGs this month and none in May. But this’ll be a big one, as we’re partnering with the show to launch the latest Discordia Review chapbook HOT COUNTRY 98 by dalton derkson, who is visiting from the west coast!
Where: L’hemisphere gauche.
When: 8:30pm.
Who: Whoever has the balls, with special guests dalton derkson and Jack Daniel Christie.
How Much: Free. (Link.)

D&Q GRAPHIC NOVEL BOOK CLUB
What: Regular book club event, this time looking at Michael D. Kennedy’s comic Milk White Steed.
Where: Librairie Drawn & Quarterly. (176 Rue Bernard O.)
When: 7pm.
Who: Whoever has the balls (and a copy of the book).
How Much: Free.

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And looking ahead to May…

Amber Dawn/Jaye Simpson double launch (Pulp, May 1), NDQ Poetry Night (May 1), Tawhida Tanya Evanson at Throw! (Le Basement, May 3), Constellation Anarchist Fest & Bookfair (May 15-21), Hillary Langford Taylor chapbook launch at Accent (La Marche a Cote, May 18)…

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In memory of Jay Gobuty, who was Outrageous.

NEED MORE GUIDANCE ON YOUR IMMEDIATE FUTURE?

1. One hopes this means she gets the League’s group health benefits premium waived for the year.

2. Think a hipster cafe version of the Coffee Times or an it-girl La Chaîne.

3. The platonic ideal!

4. In any case, these end-of-term issues tend to be the best, because the stress of trying to get them out while also cramming for finals means if you put your nose close to the page you can smell the broken friendships and mental breakdowns that went into its production. They also tend to have a lot of typos.