Anarchist Bookfair callout for participation and help (French below)

Hello all! We’re proud to announce that the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair will return this year on October 18 for a one-day event at Bâtiment 7 in Pointe-Saint-Charles. Our theme is “Preparing for the Darkness: Taking Care of Each Other from the Times to Come.” In that spirit, we’d love to invite other collectives and individuals to collaborate with us, lending their expertise for certain needs to make this gathering a place where everyone feels welcome.

Appropriating the Bookfair: A Reportback from Constellation 2025

From Montreal Counter-Information

We heard you like reportbacks from anarchist festivals; may others from this one follow. May 15th-21st, 2025 in Montreal was the second edition of Constellation. Over seven days, there were book launches, parties, benefit shows, bike rides, a book arpentage, a squatted rave in an abandoned magic store, a barbecue, a barbecue that blocked fascists, a mesh networking day, a radical consent workshop, and more. People attended from across the country, from south of the border, and from overseas, and events consistently saw packed rooms, even when there were five happening at the same time.

Two years of Constellation and the sky hasn't fallen yet

This reportback was inspired by a Mastodon post by Franklin Lopez, who wrote:

"It’s just so fucking cool to be back at the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair after so many years away. Gotta be real—back in the day, the Fair could feel like a stress factory. Lotta tension, lotta unresolved beefs, and way too many identity politickers turning the place into their personal UFC octagon.

Regarding the Statement by the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair Collective

From Constellation

In March 2024, when the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair Collective (MABC) announced the cancellation of that year’s bookfair, a group of local anarchists got together to make sure it happened anyway. We launched Constellation, a weekend-long anarchist festival that would include a one-day bookfair. The initiative was well received and we decided to do it again in 2025, this time extending the festival to a week. A few days ago, the MABC released a statement declaring their return. You can find it on their Mastodon and Facebook pages. It specifically mentions Constellation (although not by name) and we thought it would be useful to offer our insight on some of the points raised within.

Montreal Anarchist Bookfair- Our Return in 2025

From MTL Anarchist Bookfair

Hey everyone,

We're baa-aack! And we'd like to start by apologizing for our long absence. Communication is important, and we've left you hanging for a long time. When we last checked in, we had announced that we were taking a year off to regroup as a collective and rethink the bookfair. Truth is, things were a little more complicated than that. From the outside, the 2023 Montreal Anarchist Bookfair seemed like a huge success. On the inside, our collective imploded.

The Montreal International Anarchist Theatre Festival: An Unofficial History

From Fifth Estate, #416, Spring 2025

Despite being one of the most misunderstood political ideologies of our times, anarchism has a long and beautiful history of developed political thought, well-organized and vast social movements, and a rich culture of art, literature, film, music, and theatre. Non-commercial, non-bourgeois, anarchist theatre. Well beyond any off-Broadway and off-Fringe. Intoxicating anarchist theatre, steeped in freedom and equality, humanity and hope for all.

Montreal: Constellation 2025 Presents…

From Constellation

Constellation will be back in 2025, but things are going to look a bit different this year! Instead of one weekend, the festival will span an entire week, from May 15th to the 21st. Like last year, we encourage everyone to submit events to the online calendar (to be relaunched soon). We’ll also be organizing two large events on Saturday and Sunday. Keep reading for more info!

Yves Engler Should Have to Walk to the Couche-Tard to Take a Leak

From MTL Counterinfo

It is always an interesting question as to how, and to whom, we should assign blame for things that bother us. On Sunday, May 28, a strange scene played out on the footpath between the two venues in Little Burgundy’s parc Vinet, CÉDA and CCGV, where the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair takes place—a small crowd of pro-Ukrainians and/or Ukrainian nationalists waved flags and sang and chanted in Ukrainian in order to drown out the words of an even smaller crowd of tankies with a sound system.

Rethinking Identity, Safety, and Appropriation

From mtlcounterinfo

Or: Why is Tarot Banned at the Bookfair?

This year, the bookfair collective instructed two tabling applicants—including Black-owned bookstore Racines—not to sell tarot cards at their tables because doing so would constitute cultural appropriation. Their decision was based on a claim that tarot was developed by the Romani. I was surprised to hear this. I’m by no means a tarot expert, but I had always thought that it was created by White Europeans.

Workshops Announced for Montreal Anarchist Bookfair, May 27-28

The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair
May 27 and 28, 2023 | 10 am to 5 pm
https://www.anarchistbookfair.ca/

The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair – takes place in two buildings which are across from each other: the Georges-Vanier Cultural Centre (CCGV) (2450, rue Workman), and the CÉDA (2515, rue Delisle), an adult education and community centre. Both are just a few minutes from Lionel-Groulx métro in Little Burgundy.

Subscribe to Montreal Anarchist Bookfair