It was an unseasonably mild Wednesday evening in late October when writers, publishers, agents, and book-sellers from around the city gathered at Riverside St-Henri for Yolk Literary’s second annual installment of Literary Oktoberfest.

Metatron Press is an award-winning literary publisher based in Montréal, Quebec. Founded and managed by Ashley Obscura, this remarkable publishing house is “devoted to publishing new perspectives in literature that reflect the experiences and sensibilities of our time.”

Nestled on Montreal’s bustling Saint Laurent Boulevard lies a hidden gem known as The Wiggle Room—a venue steeped in cabaret charm, burlesque feathers and wayward rhinestones.

Back home in southwestern Ontario, it’s a twenty-minute drive to the nearest second-hand bookstore, a place which, for the longest time, I did not know the name of. It’s a long, single-story building with book-patterned posters lining the windows and pictures of the children whom the non-profit benefits placed in the entryway.

My first experience with FringeMTL was in 2013. I’d not been living in Montreal long at this point, and at the time I was focused on poetry and spoken word performance. I wanted to get involved with something theatrical, and took the opportunity to audition for a production in that year’s program.

Andrew Woods’ Mile-End studio is located on the same street corner, and in the same building, where Arcade Fire, Stars, Operators, and others have recorded some of the best music to come out of this city.

It’s September 2022, and I’m standing at the back of the Diving Bell Social Club, leaning up against the bar. The house lights have been dimmed, and the coloured stage lights flash with precise coordination, making for an ambiance that is at once intimate and exciting.