Transformation, evolution, revolution; how do writers capture moments of change? This week's guests discuss two crucial and under-told moments in Montreal's history. A new nonfiction book brings forward diverse perspectives on the Sir George Williams Affair, the 1969 protest action by West Indian students fighting institutional discrimination. The students' occupation of the computer lab at what's now Concordia University ended with a fire that forced them from the building. Fire is also a force of change in a critically acclaimed book of short stories, one of which reimagines the life and status of Marie-Joseph Angélique, an enslaved Black woman who was executed after being convicted of setting a fire that razed Old Montreal in 1734.
Invité(es) : Kaie Kellough, Author Nalini Mohabir, Co-editor, The Fire That Time Rebecca Lloyd, Director, Drawn & Quarterly Bookstore Piedad Saenz, Children Bookseller, Drawn & Quarterly Bookstore
Presented by the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec, Writers Unbound is a series highlighting the best of Montreal’s local literary community. Developed in partnership with the Quebec Writers’ Federation, the show pairs two writers in conversation with host Shelley Pomerance, inviting them to reflect on their work and on what inspires them. Each episode also includes thematic book recommendations by local booksellers Librairie Drawn & Quarterly.
An arts journalist and host, Shelley Pomerance has been an associate programming director with Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival and was a longtime presence on CBC Radio as a host and arts reporter.
