The 12th annual Montreal Anarchist Bookfair, which takes place during Montreal’s month long Festival of Anarchy, will be held on May 21 and 22, 10am-5pm at the CEDA, 2515 rue Delisle, (a short walk from Lionel-Groulx metro).
The bookfair is one of North America’s largest, and features publishers, distributors, and book sellers from across the continent and Europe. There is a zine room, films, art exhibits, and introductory as well as in-depth workshops, some in French and others in English. The Fifth Estate will be present with its latest edition.
The event’s web-site, www.anarchistbookfair.ca states, “The Bookfair is for people who don’t necessarily consider themselves anarchists, but are curious about anarchism, as well as a space for anarchists to meet, network, and share in a spirit of respect and solidarity.” The Bookfair is organized in a spirit of openness towards the different traditions, visions, and practices of anarchism.
“Together we share a commitment to promoting anarchism through the values of mutual aid, grassroots democracy, direct action, autonomy, and solidarity, while opposing oppression in all its forms. The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair–and month-long Festival of Anarchy–bring together anarchist ideas and practice, through words, images, music, theatre and day-to-day struggles for justice, dignity and collective liberation.”
The Festival of Anarchy begins with a traditional May Day march, an important event in Montreal. Different groups and individuals organize events during the Festival of Anarchy including a poetry reading, films, and discussions. For example, the anarchist bookstore in Montreal, L’Insoumise, is sponsoring Penelope Rosemont of the Chicago Surrealist Group and Kerr Publishers.
The Bookfair’s motto is “No gods, no masters, no bosses, no borders.”
The Sixth Montreal International Anarchist Theatre Festival is May 17-18. See www.anarchisttheatrefestival.com for a listing of performances.