This Tuesday morning, the media including Myneighborhood attended a press conference on the programming of the 15th Festival de Québec en toutes lettres. The event will be held from October 17 to 27.
This edition of Québec en toutes lettres is preparing to “celebrate 15 years of our literature.”
“This year, we wanted a theme that evokes the celebration to highlight the 15th anniversary, but also the entire literary community such as artists, booksellers and people from the publishing world,” says Julie Veillet, responsible for programming for Québec en toutes lettres.
This theme entitled “Climbing the Light” constitutes an extract from the poem Raw Painting by Jean-Paul Daout. For the organizers, the idea is to continue to bring to life literary talents from here and elsewhere, among others.
” Climbing the light is an action verse. In these rather sad times, it is a way of saying that we have our way to go to find the light, to make it shine and to appropriate it. With the word escalader, there was this image in the heights to try to see other horizons,” explains Jean-Paul Daoust, Quebec poet and spokesperson for Québec en toutes lettres.
“It’s one of the major literary festivals in the country. In literature, we see the world through the eyes of another. It’s very important,” he adds.
The program is divided into different sections, including public spaces, indoor or near-indoor shows, youth and meetings.
Public spaces
This first part seeks to take literature out of its usual places and reach out to the public.
” For This is not an adthe festival invited around fifty artists to produce texts and works related to the theme of the 15th edition of the festival,” notes Anthony Charbonneau Grenier, assistant to the artistic direction and programming of Québec en toutes lettres.
Photo credit: Courtesy David Cannon
The unique exhibition “Velvet Armors – Ode to Jean-Paul Daoust” will be held at the Maison de la littérature. The troupe The Ephemerals will perform again in the city’s parks and libraries.
Among the new features, a Birthday mural brings together visual artist Fred Jourdain and poet Sylvie Nicolas. This permanent work will be on display on Avenue Simon Napoléon Parent, at the junction of the Hôpital Général de Québec and Parc Victoria.
THE Hairdressing salon « retro and unusual” will appear during the two weekends of the festival. Authors and actors will come to deliver testimonies and monologues to passers-by.
THE Trees projectinspired by a poem by Paul-Marie Lapointe, invites the public to sit in a car in an underground parking lot on Charest Boulevard and live “a dreamlike audiovisual experience.”
The underground sound installation Narrative Sediment will take place at the Îlot des Palais. People will be encouraged to lie down on the grass, in order to listen and feel urban tales through vibrations.
Photo credit: Courtesy David Cannon
Shows in theaters or “more or less”
On October 17 and 18, Through the gaps of time – anniversary route will be set up. This will be an opportunity to delve back into the 14 previous editions. The goal is to bring to life or relive the most significant moments of Quebec in all letters. For example, the artists include Simon Boulerice and Louis-Karl Picard-Sioui.
On October 19, the festival will host The mother-in-law in the broadcast room at the Gabrielle-Roy Library. This is a complete rereading of this archetype with Amélie Prévost and Rachel McCrum
On October 24, the musical reading River Woman (based on the best-selling novel by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette) will be held on the Nef side of Saint-Joseph. On October 26, the musical and poetic reading Le Vaisseau will take place in the Multi room, at the Méduse cooperative.
Tickets range from $25 to $30. The festival is also running a three-for-two promotion.
Finally, two festive evenings will be organized on October 22 around the theme of peace and on October 26 in the Les autres jours space.
Youth and encounters
Younger children will be able to attend a reading show on Sunday October 20 Melody Merle, adapted from the tale of the rare bird.
Also on the same day, Félix Girard will be there to tell his story as a professional illustrator. The artist will also create a live illustration from words drawn at random with the children and young people present. Several meetings will be organized in different libraries for the general public and school audiences.
The author Carine Paquin will be in charge of the activity The secret of happy monsters.
The Maison de la littérature will offer seven round tables, linked to the theme “Climbing the light” and the subjects that animate the literary world.
Interviews will be held with Italian-born author Piergiorgio Pulixi, French author David Foenkinos, Quebec authors Mireille Gagné and Catherine Mavrikakis, and poet Jean-Paul Daoust. These meetings remain free, but reservations are suggested.
The complete program can be found on the Québec en toutes lettres website.
This article was produced by Anne Charlotte Gillain, journalist for theLocal Journalism Initiative.
