Montreal Serai

07/27/2024

"How tragic would a creative work be if it failed to unravel the complex realities of ordinary folks?"

Pranav Prakash’s artwork reflects his journey through grief, nostalgia and artistic transformation. Read more below:

As I mourned my father's death, I wondered how my family would cope with this tragedy in a politically fraught nation.

07/21/2024

Art in this issue is gutsy, subtle, searing and tender. Poems sneer, performances speak truth, art lays bare and commands respect. Calls us into the circle.

Join in through the link below:

Bringing the margins to the centre...

06/05/2024

Saturday, June 8 at 2 pm, corner of Cherrier and Parc Lafontaine: come!

05/31/2024

"I see you there, hooded-ly,
hoodwinked-ly,
as you walk down the cobbled slopes
crusted with ice,
the Arctic Wind gushing at you;
for not seeing the crystal beauty of Loen
I do not blame you,
for now it is winter
and you dream only of this city.
I refrain from crossly flying away."

A new poem by Titiksha Pandit is in this issue of Serai:

Birds observe human disconnection from nature and quietude.

05/31/2024

LOGOS readings: Monday JUNE 10, 7-9 PM 2741 Notre Dame W.

We--Maguy Métellus, H. Nigel Thomas, and the Board of Kola Writers, invite you to the next Lectures Logos Readings, which will be held on Monday June 10, 2024 at 2741 Notre-Dame West, Montréal, QC H3J 1N9, 7-9 pm. The guest readers are: Gloria Macher, Clayton Bailey, Ethel Meilleur, Denis-Martin Chabot, Amel Zaazaa and Mélodie Joseph —followed by an open mic—maximum of eight open-mic readers.

Nous: Maguy Métellus ,H. Nigel Thomas et le CA des Écrivaines et écrivains kola, vous invitons aux prochaines Lectures Logos Readings, qui auront lieu lundi le 10 juin 2024 de 19h-21h au 2741 Notre-Dame O, Montréal, QC H3J1N9.Les lecteurs/lectrices sont : Gloria Macher, Clayton Bailey, Ethel Meilleur, Denis-Martin Chabot, Amel Zaazaa et Mélodie Joseph —suivie d’une session micro-ouverte, limite de huit lectrices-lecteurs.

05/30/2024

Saturday, June 8, 2 pm - Lafontaine Park /Cherrier - COME!

05/28/2024

"At the clown farm, members from Debajehmujig cultivate common ground by working in a commune-type environment, sharing techniques they have learned in developing their characters and exploring how they impact each other."

Read more about Debajehmujig Theatre Group, one of the longest-running Indigenous theatre organizations in North America in this interview from James Douglas 🤡

An interview with the director and members of the Debajehmujig Theatre Group and Storytellers

05/27/2024

In the wake of such disquieting global affairs, our issue focuses on voices of resilience in the face of discrimination, oppression, injustice and censorship. How do we carve out a space for literary and artistic expression in an increasingly intolerant world? How do we build resistance through collective effort and find solace in kinship?

Read our editorial for this issue—Cultivating Common Ground—via the link in our bio.

📸 Photo by

05/26/2024

"In an era of continuously cataclysmic historical events," Sridevi's painting, featured in this issue of Montréal Serai, reminds us that "humankind shares numerous patterns, behaviours, models with ecosystems in nature. It is a nudge to return to the land, return to our roots for inspiration and guidance on how to build movements through these times."

Biomimicry highlights nature's lessons on collaboration and growth, urging a return to our foundational roots.

05/17/2024

Congratulations to Dorothy Williams, who just received the Order of Montréal.

My Books With her vast knowledge of Black history in Montreal, Dorothy W. Williams has written two books on its community development. Both her demographic study (Blacks in Montreal) coupled with an in-depth historical narrative (The Road to Now) takes the reader along a journey that illuminates nea...

05/17/2024

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/video/c2907618-dorothy-williams-to-receive-the-order-of-montreal

Historian Dorothy Williams shares her knowledge on the city's Black history and is now receiving the Order of Montreal.

05/10/2024

This Sunday, May 12, 7:30, 400 rue St-Paul E., join Djely Tapa and Ensemble Scholastica!

05/09/2024

"Our common ground
borders
this mass grave
in front of us."

—Andrés Castro
Read the full poem below:

A chilling reflection on the witnessing of past and current atrocities

05/01/2024

"In the face of the world’s rapid escalation of occurrences signalling mass extinction and accelerated climate change, humans hold a unique position, as both the Earth’s greatest threat and its only saviour."

Check out Gage Micheal Wheatley's haunting photo essay in our latest issue ⬇️

Let the beautiful world we’ve inherited remain beautiful for those, be they human, flora or fauna, who come after us.

04/30/2024

We are very saddened to lose Blossom Thom, a beloved poet, colleague and friend, who died on April 16 from a fast-moving form of cancer. Blossom was very dear to us at Montréal Serai, and she contributed many of her own iridescent poems reflecting on history, love and resilience.

We have included a video clip of Blossom performing a few of her poems at the Montréal Serai’s 32nd-anniversary event, in 2019.

May comfort and joy be y(our) cradle

04/25/2024

Introducing our latest issue: Cultivating Common Ground. Lovingly crafted in the early days of spring, this issue is an intimate exploration into the connections that unite us in a world where the perpetrators of genocide, famine and ecocide walk free while protesters are punished.

04/17/2024

Our condolences to all who love Blossom Thom, Poet, always in our hearts.

QWF was deeply saddened to learn that a valued and active member of our community, Blossom Thom, died this morning as the result of a particularly fast-moving form of cancer.

Blossom was a poet, an educator, and an editor (most recently Fiction Editor at Baraka Books), and she served from 2018 to 2020 on the QWF Board of Directors.

Our hearts go out to her family and friends. Blossom, we will miss you!

03/19/2024

Teesri Duniya Theatre's latest show, The Chemical Valley Project, is showing through the rest of this week before its final show until March 24 🎭 "This urgent production delves gracefully into difficult conversations on Indigenous treaty rights, the nature of contemporary Canadian identity and values, and Canada’s notorious 'Chemical Valley'."

Tickets are available on their website: https://teesriduniyatheatre.ticketleap.com/the-chemical-valley-project/

03/13/2024

🎶 Dive into the world of Jazz, Blues, and Beat as Fugitive Literature with a fresh article! 📖 Winston Smith's engaging conversation with James Oscar sheds light on the profound language and history of jazz.

"With jazz musicians and jazz itself, you have a music that interrogates, that asks very difficult questions... Partly because it’s a music that was born under unacceptable circumstances." Check it out now! 🎷

In this interview with Winston Smith, James Oscar delves into the fugitive language of jazz.

02/29/2024

Montréal-based multidisciplinary artist Gazelle Bastan's upcoming solo show "Distorted Agencies" will take place Thursday March 7, from 5 - 8 pm, at Galerie ERGA. Her paintings and drawings were featured in our last issue: Art, Activism and... Grief?

We hope to see you there!

02/29/2024

SPOKEN & UNSPOKEN: This event will feature a performance of 'Quartet for the End of Time' by French composer, Olivier Messiaen, who wrote this piece in 1931 while imprisoned in Stalag VIII-A, a German prisoner-of-war camp. Originally performed by Messiaen and his fellow prisoners, this contemplative piece will be performed by Duo Perdendosi & Friends, accompanied by readings of essays by Palestinian journalists and authors - we hope you can join us in solidarity once again.

02/19/2024

02/09/2024

🌺 : Artist Clovis-Alexandre Desvarieux in an interview with DL Jones. "Desvarieux shared his reflections on this land called Haïti, and why belonging to the land is so important in the idea of nationhood." Check out his colourful acrylic paintings and photography Haitian plant life below:

Haïti gained independence through a revolution led by those who experienced slavery firsthand.

02/07/2024

"Rehab Nazzal’s creations bear silent witness and are shared with those far from the self-perpetuating conflict." Join us in unraveling the layers of meaning within "Driving in Palestine," a recent exhibition by artist Rehab Nazzal, reviewed by Rajath Suri.

Unveiling Israel's structures of segregation, confinement, surveillance, and restrictions on freedom in the occupied West Bank

02/05/2024

Call for submissions reminder! We are approaching the deadline for contributions to our next issue, "Cultivating Common Ground" in less than 2 weeks.

You can check out the theme's description and submission instructions in the link below.

Please submit your original, unpublished poetry, fiction, essays, visual artwork, interviews, videos, performances, and theatre by midnight, February 15, 2024.