Christopher DiRaddo

I’m not sure if you were following the news a few weeks ago, but our little ol’ book club made quite the stir when we were told we’d be unwelcome at a Montreal city library.

The short of it is, I wrote to Bibliothèque Père-Ambroise in January, asking if we could hold our meetings in its space. Regulars know how much the group has grown (at our last two meetings at the Archives, we ran out of chairs). The library got back to me, informing me that we would have to make changes if we wanted to use their rooms. They cited Law 14 (Bill 96), Quebec’s new language law, in their response. They said, the only way we could use its premises is if we 1) made our club bilingual (no problem with that, we have francophone members, any of whom would be welcome to share thoughts in French), and 2) could ensure translation services for any francophones present.

Well, that sounded ridiculous to me. We are an English book club that reads English books. Our francophone members are bilingual and have chosen to read and engage in work in English. Providing these services would be cost-prohibitive and unnecessary. It felt like they were purposely creating barriers to access.

I have lived my whole life in Quebec and have seen these issues come up over the years. I find it extremely tiresome and divisive. Laws do not create culture, people do. I posted about my disappointment online and before I knew it our book club was in the headlines. Political pundits weighed in and I spoke to every major English-language media in the city. Here are some of the reports:

CBC TV
CTV News 
The Gazette
CityNews Montreal
The Globe and Mail
OMNI TV

(Unfortunately, The Gazette is the only one I did after my hair cut).

The story has a happy ending, thankfully. By the end of the week, the language minister had released a statement that the charter does not apply to groups like ours, and the City of Montreal apologized, saying they would send out directives across the island so situations like this don’t happen again. This means we have created a precedent in the province, so similar groups will know their rights when dealing with officials around this draconian law.

Because of the attention, I also received dozens of suggestions and offers to host us. Last week, I visited one of the places and it’s perfect. The Espace des Possibles Petite-Patrie is a collaborative community space that hosts dozens of events, including repair cafés and game nights. It’s big and comfortable and free to use. It’s also close to a metro (Beaubien) and as of this spring it will be accessible (they are putting in a ramp in March).

We might still hop around from time to time to check out other spots in the city, but it looks like we have found our new home base for now . See you there in March!

Writer Carolyn Marie Souaid and I have been invited to lead a joint poetry/prose workshop in Vasto, Italy (Southern Abruzzo) from September 6-13, 2025. Hosted by Vasto Arts Workshops (an initiative of Canadian writer and painter Luigi Monteferrante), “The Sea and The Olive Tree” is open to writers of all levels who are looking to create new work and exercise their skills. I’ve never been, but Vasto is a breathtakingly beautiful seaside town by the Adriatic. Our days will be spent taking part in writing activities inspired by the village’s beauty, history and culture. We’ll also study book passages, share and critique our work, and engage in discussions on craft and publication, and interact with the local arts community.

For more information, click here.

Last month, I appeared on Shawn Mooney‘s YouTube channel, Shawn Breathes Books, to discuss epigraphs, and in particular the one I chose for The Family Way. It’s a quote from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”

Shawn invited me because the same year he read my book he also read Birding by British author Rose Ruane. It, too, has the same epigraph (it’s quite a popular quote, I’m sure there are others out there). Shawn thought it might be interesting to have Rose and I read each other’s books and then have a discussion about the purposes of epigraphs and how we both interpret ours.

You can watch the discussion below.

Last week I was awarded the Judy Mappin Community Award at the QWF Literary Awards gala. The honorary award goes to someone who has made a significant and longstanding contribution to English-language literature in Quebec (kind of like a cross between a lifetime achievement award and Miss Congeniality). I was awarded the prize for my work with both the Quebec Writers’ Federation and the Violet Hour Reading Series & Book Club. You can read the QWF’s statement here.

The evening was a lot of fun. The theme was “Reflecting the Future” and everyone was encouraged to dress up. As you can see from the photos (credit Kevin Calixte), my partner Greg and I came in some bling.

I’ve been involved with the QWF since 2005, when I started working for them as publicist for their literary awards. As I mentioned in my acceptance speech., I remember standing at the bar that night, impressed with such an amazing, supportive community. To be now acknowledged by them means the world to me.

You can watch my short speech below.

Last month I had the incredible opportunity to travel to PEI to be the inaugural writer-in-residence at The Hideout. Run by writer Trevor Corkum and his partner, psychotherapist Joshua Lewis, The Hideout offers artists a secluded and inspired place to work on a project, surrounded by pastoral landscapes and PEI’s wide-open sky. I was invited to stay and write in The Cottage, one of The Hideout’s two suites. The residence is in a small town called North Tryon, located just over the Confederation Bridge on the Island’s South Shore and about a 40-minute drive from Charlottetown. It was an ideal and comfortable setting to work on my next project.

This residency came at just the right time. This year makes it 10 years that I have been producing literary events in the city, and since January I have produced more than 25. Although it’s been great and something I love to do, the pace is taking its toll and I’ve been feeling close to burnout the last few months. Receiving this invitation from Trevor and Joshua did two important things for me: one, it made me realize that the work I’m doing does mean something to people; and two, it gave me precious and uninterrupted time away from the day-to-day to focus on my writing. I will be forever grateful to Trevor and Joshua for this kindness.

At first, I wasn’t sure what I was going to work on. I knew I only had six days and didn’t want to get bogged down by my current work-in-progress. For the last few years, I’ve been writing my third novel but lately it’s been giving me trouble. I thought it might be best to take a break from it and try something new. So, I used the time to plan and draft book number four.

It’s funny the ways that stories come to you. A ghost of an idea might be living in your head for a few years before it begins to take corporeal shape. At least, that’s the way it is for me. For the past three years, I’ve had the kernel of an idea in my head, but finally it began to develop at The Hideout. I don’t want to say too much about the story right now, but it’s a satire about the loss of the important life experiences we have come to feel entitled to as humans (i.e.: a successful career, a healthy relationship, a home to call our own). As a result of this residency, I was able to construct a detailed skeleton for the book, blocking out most of the scenes and filling the well with lots of material (it’s a total mess, but I have over 100 pages of words/notes).

In addition to writing, I was able to visit the Island a bit. I went for walks to get inspired. I had never been to PEI before and was struck by its stillness and beauty. It was the beginning of October, so the summer season was over. The towns were less populated, and the air was colder. One thing I will always remember about my time is how far the sky seemed to go. And at night, all the stars came out in a way we never get to see in the city (I even saw aurora borealis). Also, walking on the red sand on PEI’s South Shore beaches felt like walking on Mars. I’m not sure exactly all the different ways my time on the Island will influence my work moving forward, but I left recharged, grateful and with a great head start on a new project.

In addition to writing time, one of the highlights of the trip was getting to co-present my first Violet Hour outside of Montreal. Trevor and Joshua put together a great line-up of queer readers and allies that included Island writers Hayden Little, Vanessa Bradley, Debbie Langston, LJ Lawlor, and Julie Bull. The event took place at the Gallery Coffee House and Bistro and was sponsored by the PEERS Alliance, and the PEI Writers Guild. I read from The Family Way and was interviewed afterwards by Hayden. It was strange to be the focus of a Violet Hour for a change, but it felt good to be asked about my work in another province. Hayden had some great questions on craft and there were thought-provoking questions from the audience. I was even able to make people laugh (that never happens). I didn’t want the night to end.

This was the second time in my life that I’ve been lucky enough to experience a writing residency. Last year, I got my first taste at Dentro La Terra in Arielli, Italy, as part of Espace de la Diversité’s writing residency program. Programs like these two are not easy to come by, but I have to say that having time free from distraction to think, plan, read and write is essential for writers. If you’re a writer thinking about applying to one, I can’t recommend it enough.

Trevor and Josh have told me the writer-in-residence program at The Hideout will return in 2025. You can’t apply to be the writer-in-residence, but folks are welcome to apply to their general residency program (available to writers, artists, academics, yoga/meditation teachers, or health-wellness practitioners) for low-cost, self-directed solo residencies.

PS: Because of this invitation to PEI, I was also able to present a Violet Hour in Moncton on my way home. Gary McLaughlin and Ari Roach opened ARIS Bar & Nighclub in Moncton earlier this year and were happy to collaborate on an evening of queer readings in their space. The event was bilingual and featured local writers Arianne Des Rochers, Kayla Geitzler, Joseph Drew Lavigne and Xénia. I was blown away by the talent.

Maybe one day I’ll be able to bring Violet Hour across the country. (fingers crossed)

Journalist Pamela Pagono attended last night’s Violet Hour: Here & Now event and interviewed writer Anthony Portulese and me for CityNews about our event and book club. It’s the first time VHBC has appeared on TV. You can watch the report below. CityNews also has an article on its website.