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Thursday, 17 May, 2012
R. Sikoryak's been running his Carousel slideshow series for a few years now, and every once in a while we look through the truly stellar list of participants and sigh longingly, thinking about how fun they must be.
NO MORE.
Now we have our own night of Carousel fun, complete with tons of Montrealers. Come on down to the Librairie D+Q tonight, Thursday May 17th at 7 pm. Talks by Howard Chackowicz (CBC's Wiretap with Jonathan Goldstein), Julie Delporte ( Le Dernier Kilometre), Pascal Girard ( Reunion), Billy Mavreas ( Inside Outside Overlap), and Joe Ollmann ( Mid-Life)! Man oh man is that a ton of awesome comics folks! Yes!
Wednesday, 16 May, 2012
Remember when you first heard about The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach back in October? But despite all the great reviews and praise, you hummed and hawed about picking up the hardcover. "Hardcovers are heavy!" you exclaimed. "Hardcovers are expensiiive," you lamented. "Hardcovers always want to fold back in while I'm reading them causing me to repeatedly lose my page," you exasperated. Yes. All those things are true.
However! Folks! I have news!
Forget your complaints of the physical state of The Art of Fielding in hardcover. It is now out in paperback! Nice, soft, bendy paperback for your reading pleasure.
Plus the book is pretty phenomenal. So, there's that.
Tuesday, 15 May, 2012
We are very excited to host the launch of Fallow La Friche experimental documentary and artist monograph. He'll be on hand to host the screening, to read from his book of the same name, and to talk about his work.
Fallow La Friche is an experimental video and written work on the
reforestation of Easter Ontario. Written in the tradition of the
artist's monograph, the work reclaims the artist's right to expertise in
the usually restricted domains of knowledge: geography, demographics,
and history. Embracing hybridity, Ross exposes himself and his personal
multi-generational histories as he explores this landscape in the midst
of decline and abandonment: the places settled by his ancestors.
The
artist also steps aside, giving space to those whose stories are not
traditionally told; songs and stories in indigenous as well as colonial
languages, documentation of queer sexuality and historical photography
wrest explanatory monopoly from the author as from the canon of Canadian
history and establish the postcolonial understanding in which the book
is rooted.
Fallow La Friche is a radical unsettling of the traditional narratives of permanence and prosperity in the Canadian landscape.
Jamie Ross is an artist, filmmaker, and writer. His writing has been widely anthologized and published in zines and periodicals; his award-winning films have screened internationally. He lives in Montreal.
Sunday, 13 May, 2012
Nova Cantabrigiensis is a utopian island, a perfect city in the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia, imagined and meticulously planned out by outsider artist John Devlin.
Devlin fell in love with the city of Cambridge, where he went to study Theology in 1979. When mental illness forced him to leave after only one year and move back to Nova Scotia, he channeled his sadness at leaving Cambridge's stunning architecture and "divine atmosphere" by designing and drawing endless sketches of a new, even more perfect version of Cambridge, where he could imagine himself living, as happy as he remembered being during his short time in the "real" Cambridge. He redesigned Cambridge's architecture and design by mixing his favourite elements of different buildings together, adding "joyful features" like lasers and rotating fountains to the mix, and by bringing in architectural motifs and ideas from other cities he admired, like Oxford and Venice. He created over 360 such drawings over the years, using ballpoint pen and Crayola crayons, often on the backs of unemployment lists and government stationary. This book collects many of these superb pieces, which offer endless details to get lost in: symbols that recur throughout; familiar buildings altered in a dreamlike, idiosyncratic way; and handwritten notes and mathematical calculations.
The following photos unfortunately don't do Devlin's drawings justice, but they at least give some idea of his style and minute attention to architectural detail:
The best thing to do would be come by the store and see it for yourself! If you'd like to read more about Nova Cantabrigiensis, you can also visit its official website: http://www.novacantabrigiensis.ca/
Saturday, 12 May, 2012
Montreal artist Amber Albrecht's Petit Livre, Idyll, is now available for sale! And look at the paper cutout window display Amber installed to celebrate. It's beautiful, delicate and intricate, just like her illustrations!
Come this Friday to Librairie D+Q to meet Amber, get your copy signed and enjoy some snacks!
Tracy just posted a preview of the book over on the D+Q blog, check it out, and see you on Friday!
We have cool events at Librairie Drawn & Quarterly all
the time, and last night was no exception. In celebration of issue 12 of the
literary arts magazine HER ROYAL MAJESTY, organizers served tea, scones,
and one of the best cakes I’ve had in a long time. Now my claim that this event
was a success isn’t based solely on my fondness for cake, but also on all the
hard work that went into this great publication. Working with the theme of the
exotic, participants took to the stage to express their points of view with
poems and visual art. Thanks to everyone who came by last night and to William
Fitzpatrick for organizing such a fun event! We still have a few copies of the
magazine at the store, so come on by to get yourself one!
Audience members were asked to write down the first
thing they thought of when asked "What is the exotic?"
Friday, 11 May, 2012
Your very own " 5th Best Magazine Store" in town just received the latest issue of Bad Day Magazine. Time after time, we've professed our love for the Toronto-based magazine.
This issue features Charlotte Gainsbourg, Patrik Ervell, Laurel Nakadate, Jim Drain, Mick Barr, Patrik Ervell, Azari & III, Calla Haynes, Hugh Scott-Douglas and more.
Above is a sneak peek of the burning confessions Charlotte Gainsbourg delivers in this issue.
Joining our unusual roster of
periodicals, as The Mirror puts it, is the latest issue of Matrix Magazine. This one features D+Q author Matt Forsythe, our friends Jp King, Ian Orti, Katrina Best, David McGimpsey, Todd Swift and more!
Mother's Day is quickly approaching - May 13th!
Here are some last minute gift suggestions for those who still need to buy a little something for all the awesome mums out there.
For mothers who are not in a tumultuous mother-daughter relationship but enjoy reading about tumultuous mother-daughter relationships:
In the freshly released Are You my Mother, Alison Bechdel investigates her unstable relationship with her mother in which she attempts to unravel the "nature of emotional attachment and the idea of the ‘self.’"( Meghan O'Rourke in Slate) This book is great as its certainly personal yet really delves into the complex relationship we have with our mothers.
For the art-lover mother:
Art books by Diane Arbus, Cindy Sherman, and Francesca Woodman would surely delight. All three of these are winners, but we have tons more to satisfy the varying tastes of art-lovers.
For the literary mother:
How about a new edition of her favorite book? We've got many new editions of classics, but this embroidered cover by Rachell Sumpter of Little Women is pretty charming. (Remember Jillian Tamaki's gorgeous embroidered covers?)
For the poetic mother:
This little book of love poems by Pablo Neruda would make such a lovely gift to give to your partner after the kids have gone to bed.
For the mother who listens to same album over and over and over again:
The 33 1/2 series is great as it focuses in on one seminal or significant album and engages with it in a really personal and enlightening manner. With 86 books so far ( Jonathan Lethem's Fear of Music is the latest discussing the Talking Heads 1979 album), one is sure to hit your mom in exactly the right spot. I especially like this one by Philip Shaw on Patti Smith's Horses.
For the mother who cooks because she she actually loves cooking (not because she was or wants to be a 1950s housewife):
We have so many great cookbooks, but you can't go wrong under the direction of Ferran Adria with his bible The Family Meal. Just think of all the new tasty meals that your mother (or partner or sister or aunt or bff) will be able to treat you with. Everyone wins with food.
For the new mother:
She probably won't get a baby journal for herself (I didn't. I should have!), so it's up to you to push her towards documenting those first couple years. Nikki McClure's baby journal is an obvious favorite.
For the rocker mother:
Why not give her a book on her former (current?) rocker years? For example, perhaps she will transmorph before your eyes into her former riot grrl self as she reads Girls to the Front by Sara Marcus.
For the fashion-obsessed mother:
Mother of all fashion magazines, Purple Fashion Magazine, is ideal for the mom who looks as good at museum openings as she does working in the compost.
For the mother-nature type of mother:
Does the mom in your life spend all her time in the garden or going for hikes or climbing trees? Illustrated by Leanne Shapton, The Native Trees of Canada, is a book packed with beautiful watercolor renderings of leaves and firs. This books really works in pinpointing and accentuating the subtle beauty found in nature.
For the mystic mother:
Does she look at your palm and see that you will have decided to take up professional archery in four years? Does she see symbolism in the ring or necklace you casually decided to wear one morning? Is she a witch? The Book of Symbols! Pages and pages of objects and characters who have developed a strong sense of meaning throughout our history.
For the mother who always has a notebook on her:
We have tons of notebooks in shop but these compact notebooks of old Penguin Press book covers are especially fantastic. You could get her a notebook looking like a book she's long desired. Julia Rothman's pack of 3 retro notebooks is another good choice.
For the mother who never forgets to write a thank you note:
Illustrated by Claire Rojas, From My Garden is a beautiful stationary kit with 16 blank cards, ready to be written with a mom's warm words.
 A Naked Singularity by Sergio De La Pava Comparisons to Pynchon, Lethem and D.F. Wallace abound in reviews for this, the second book from De La Pava ("a writer who does not live in Brooklyn"). Singularity was self-published in 2008 and found itself tucked into so many admiring hands, and so praised wildly that it's now been republished by University of Chicago press. A "legal thriller" that absolutely transcends the genre, below is an excerpt from the review that convinced U of C to publish it: "The first 300 pages of A Naked Singularity are a joy to read—frequently very funny, insightful, gripping—for in those 300 pages it’s never entirely clear where, if anywhere, the narrative is going, but then around page 300 you start to get suspicions of what is going to happen and then when it clicks, you realize that De La Pava, in a purposely meandering and thorough manner, has been setting up the final 400 pages, which are an explosion and immensely difficult to stop reading. It’s a masterful display. In the end, it’s a thriller for people who can’t abide mass-market tripe—a wonderfully-written genre novel that’s too smart for its genre."
Tea and scones and readings from issue 12 of Paris-based literary arts magazine, Her Royal Majesty. Issue 12 includes the first short story written by Alice Munro (at age 19), artwork by Drawn & Quarterly author Tom Gauld ( Goliath), and Canadians Anne Simpson, Sydney Smith, and Jessica Mensch.
P.S. check out this cute little window display!
Friday May 11th, 7 pm at the Librairie D+Q (211 Bernard O.)
P.P.S. I almost forgot to mention: did you know that this is one of seven international launches happening on May 11th for Issue 12? Check out this lovely Q&Q piece on the magazine and start getting excited!
Thursday, 10 May, 2012
Author Martine Desjardins, and translators David Homel and Fred Reed will be on hand to read from their work. Maleficium
is the fictional account of a heretic priest in nineteenth-century
Montreal. It’s a confession-within-a-confession, in which seven
penitents, each afflicted with a debilitating malady, relates his
encounter in the Near East with an enigmatic young woman whose lips bear
a striking scar.
Tonight! Thursday May 10th at 7 pm at the Librairie D+Q, 211 Bernard O.
Woah! Best Bookstore (New) 1. Chapters (various locations)
2. Indigo (various locations)
3. Librairie Dawn & Quarterly (211 Bernard W., (514) 279-2224)
4. Renaud-Bray (various locations)
5. Paragraphe (2220 McGill College, (514) 845-5811) Best Magazine Store 1. Multimags (various locations)
2. Maison de la Presse (various locations)
3. Chapters (various locations)
4. Point Vert (4040 St-Laurent, (514) 982-9195)
5. Librairie Dawn & Quarterly (211 Bernard W., (514) 279-2224) Known for comics, art books and fiction, Librairie D&Q storms into this category to nab fifth spot thanks to their unusual roster of periodicals. Best Comics Store 1. Librarie Drawn & Quarterly (211 Bernard W., (514) 279-2224)
2. 1,000,000 Comix (3868 Jean-Talon E., (514) 725-1355)
3. Capitaine Québec (1837 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 939-9970)
4. The 4th Wall (various locations)
5. Librairie Millénium (451 Marie-Anne E., (514) 284-0358) Check it all out here:
 Thanks, Montreal...we love you too!
Wednesday, 9 May, 2012
May Madness keeps on giving! We have three totally rad events next week at the Librairie. Come on down and check them out.
Montreal Carousel with R. Sikoryak, Julie Delporte, Pascal Girard,
Joe Ollmann, Howard Chackowicz, and Billy Mavreas
Thursday May 17th, 7 pm
We are thrilled to host a special Montreal edition of the Carousel lecture series, hosted by R. Sikoryak ( Masterpiece Comics). This event will feature Montreal cartoonists Howard Chackowicz (CBC Radio One's WireTap with Jonathan Goldstein), Julie Delporte ( Le Dernier Kilometre), Pascal Girard ( Reunion), Billy Mavreas ( Inside Outside Overlap), and Joe Ollmann ( Mid-Life).
Carousel is a long-running series of slideshow readings by
cartoonists and visual artists. Join us for an evening of comics
storytelling!
Launch for Amber Albrecht's Idyll
Friday May 18th, 7 pm
Montreal-based artist Amber Albrecht will be in store to launch her D+Q
Petit Livre, Idyll. Albrecht's work is rooted in magic, folklore, and
postfeminist neo-romanticism. Idyll comprises a series of screen prints and drawings. By turns, they are s urreal, fantastical, and absurd. Join us for an evening of beautiful artwork, wine, and snacks.
Kids Day + Launch for Virginia Wolf with Isabelle Arsenault
Sunday May 20th, 11 am
Join us for another edition of our Librairie D+Q Kids Day, with
special guest Isabelle Arsenault! We'll have readings, cookies, juice,
and all the good stuff for coloring -- crayons, big paper, and markers.
This is also a launch for the English and French editions of Virginia Wolf by Kyo Maclear and Isabelle Arsenault. Virginia Wolf
is loosely based on the relationship between Virginia Woolf and her
sister, the painter Vanessa Bell, and is an uplifting story for siblings
of all ages.
Tuesday, 8 May, 2012
Ok, the 33 1/3 imprint has outdone itself here....  Jonathan Lethem! On the Talking Heads! We could debate it, but let's just agree to agree that the Talking Heads best record is, at the very least, one of that triumvirate of amazing LPs that Eno co-produced from 1978 'til 1980. Looks like Lethem agrees, because here he's picked the middle child: Fear of Music as his treatise subject. I'm not gonna lie, we're big fans of the Talking Heads AND Jonathan Lethem (if you haven't read his most recent non-fiction collection The Ecstasy of Influence, do yourself a favour and pick it up) so this the best of both worlds for us here at 211.
 Heavy hearts at Librairie D&Q today. Thank you, Mr. Sendak, for everything. You will be missed. 
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