The Queer Book Fair returns to Montreal
The Queer Book Fair will open its doors on February 4 and 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The second edition of the Literary Pride Book Fair (or Queer Book Fair) will take place on February 4 and 5 at the Théâtre de La Comédie. The fair, which has the theme When reading rhymes with queer, will focus this year on fantasy literature and comics.
For two days, around thirty authors will be present to sign their literary works. Several events and discussions may also take place on stage, particularly related to the world of science fiction.
The first two hours of the show will be devoted to families and children, with the ;animation Story Hours. The latter will feature the drag queen Jessie Précieuse and the drag kings RV Metal and Rock Beer, who will recite tales to adults and children alike. All activities that take place on stage will be broadcast live on the organization’s YouTube channel.
Dimani Mathieu Cassendo, visual storytelling artist, and Jonathan Bécotte, author of children's books, will co-chair the Salon during these two days of exhibition.
Dimani Mathieu Cassendo and Jonathan Bécotte. Photos: Courtesy, Literary Pride.
Admission is free, but a voluntary contribution of $5 is suggested by the organization. “It's a symbolic cost,” says Denis-Martin Chabot, general and artistic director of Literary Pride. We succeeded in obtaining funding from the Conseil des arts de Montréal, which gave us the chance to move forward,” he says.
The second edition, which was to be held in December 2022, was postponed to February due to a lack of manpower to organize it well. “The next edition of December 2023 should be done, because by then we will be able to hire people,” assures Mr. Chabot at Métro.
The accent is put on francophone queer literature, but an anglophone section will still be dedicated to a few authors, who will be present on Sunday, February 5.
Give-the-voice-to-those-who-don’t-have-it-enough
Unlike major literary events, such as the Montreal Book Fair, the Literary Pride Fair is intended as a literary event complementary to major fairs, highlighting the queer community. “People have trouble finding our literature in major literary salons. We therefore wanted to create a salon where authors from the queer community can come together,” explains Mr. Chabot.
According to him, queer authors, like those from any minority community, are drowning in large salons and struggling to stand out. In literature, making your works known to the public is already complicated, all the more so since the pandemic. This type of cultural event therefore helps queer authors to reconnect with the public and to highlight their works.
Queer literature has nothing but good things to say. Fun, funny and touching things.
Denis-Martin Chabot, General and Artistic Director of Literary Pride
Mr. Chabot says he is happy to be able to help these authors make themselves heard through the Salon du livre queer, and insists that it is open to everyone.
For more information on programming, visit the Facebook page of the event.
