New Guy Delisle!

We just received a new D+Q book by Guy Delisle! With A User's Guide to Neglectful Parenting, Delisle takes a break from writing landmark, award-winning travelogues and brings us a collection of humourous, self-deprecating vignettes.

Right in time for Fathers' Day, this new book offers wry solutions to the petty frustrations of being a dad who works from home. Compared to the original French edition, this one has pulpier paper and no dust-jacket which, if you insist on knowing my personal opinion on this matter, I think is nicer.

Oh, Guy! Catch him next week in Montreal, on the occasion of the Festival BD de Montréal, where Guy has been invited as a special guest. He'll be signing at the festival everyday, and we'll have his books on hand at our table there!

100 Notes – 100 Thoughts

As part of our ongoing renovation of our art books section, we've just received a selection of books from the 100 Notes – 100 Thoughts series that art publisher Hatje Cantz issued as a companion to the Documenta (13) art fair in 2012. The series includes facsimiles of existing notebooks, commissioned essays, collaborations, and conversations from a wide range of contributors. We have some from philosophers (Walter Benjamin, Judith Butler, Donna Haraway, Michael Hardt, Silvia Federici, Graham Harman), artists (Ian Wallace, Lawrence Weiner), filmmakers (Alejandro Jodorowsky), poets (Kenneth Goldsmith), fiction writers (the recently-Booker-Prize-winning Lydia Davis) and art theorists (Boris Groys, Pamela M. Lee).

Like the New Directions Pearls series or Penguin's Great Ideas, these little books are colourful, portable, affordable and eminently gift-able servings of ideas. Brain vitamins!

Tonight! The Coming Envelope 7 launch, Friday, May 24th 7pm!

Tonight! Friday, May 24th, at 7pm, we are happy to be hosting the launch for issue 7 of The Coming Envelope, BookThug Press’s journal of innovative prose, featuring new work by Masha Tupitsyn, Jesse Huisken, Kyle Buckley, Valerie Witte and Moez Surani.

Our special guest Oisin Curran has lived in Montreal for the past seven years. He is the author of the amazing, little known, novel Mopus and this will be his last reading in Montreal for awhile.

The evening will also feature a reading by writer and cultural critic Masha Tupitsyn. She is the author of LACONIA: 1,200 Tweets on Film (ZerO Books, 2011), Beauty Talk & Monsters, a collection of film-based stories (Semiotext(e) Press, 2007), and co-editor of the anthology Life As We Show It: Writing on Film (City Lights, 2009). Most recently she is the author of Love Dog (Penny-Ante Editions, 2013), an art book that is part love manifesto, part philosophical notebook, part digital liturgy.

Tonight, 7pm, 211 Bernard Ouest!

Marguerite Pigeon and Natalee Caple reading - Tuesday, June 4th, 7:30 pm

Residual Reading Series is pleased to present a reading of two new works of fiction by Marguerite Pigeon and Natalee Caple. Natalee’s new novel, In Calamity’s Wake, has been described as a cinematic adventure, a dual, or dueling, narrative in two voices that darts between, as Zoe Whittall writes, “mythology, historical accounts, song lyrics, poetry, rumours, and fiction of the time period.” Pigeon’s Open Pit confronts the landscape and the civil rights of indigenous people against the backdrop of big business and amid the chaos of love, relief and difference, resulting in the questioning of what it means to be situated against will.

Join us as these two talented and unique writers launch their books together in Montreal. 

TODAY 5PM! Wednesday, May 22 at 5: Zine launch + Presentation + Planting

Today, Sprout Out Loud! would like to introduce and celebrate their newest issue #2 with the Montreal public: Occupy the Streets with Land Art & Guerilla Gardening, with Emily Rose Michaud.

Join us for a bilingual visual presentation on Guerilla Gardens and Land Art followed by hands-on planting!

Sprout Out Loud’s second issue is a collection of community submissions by engaged artists, citizens, activists and gardeners from Canada and beyond.

This zine and manifesto is a dedication to all those working to re-shape the future of our urban and rural ecologies. It offers reflections on re-membering landscape back into our lives as well as proposals for creative actions which aim to

-inspire people to dig in to the communities in which they find themselves;
-re-enchant citizens with the landscapes that surround them;
-engage with these spaces creatively;
-provoke dialogue about how these spaces are developed;
-empower others to plant similar ideas in their own environments where needed.

This second issue includes submissions by Sean Martindale, Sara Torrie, Norman Nawrocki, Anne Goldenberg, Dominique Ferraton, Andrew Mckay, Kimberley Mok, Bruce Cawdron, Kendra Besanger, Matthew Bennett, Scott Duncan.

This event is free & zines in both languages will be available for purchase.

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SPROUT OUT LOUD! is a project led by artist/organizer Emily Rose Michaud. You can learn more about Emily's Land Art projects, installations, academic and community outreach, classes and workshops on her website.

Today, Wednesday, May 22nd at 211 Bernard Ouest!

Apartamento No.11!

It's here, and bathed in white light, the best-selling and beloved "everyday life interiors" magazine, Apartamento!

And issue No.11 has more of what we love, apartments and other homes that house creatives and their work.
We also have a limited number of No. 10 left! Move in!

Photos from Lisa Hanawalt and Michael Kupperman launch!

Last week, we were graced by the hi-larious hijinks of New York City cartoonists Lisa Hanawalt and Michael Kupperman. They were here to launch their newest books: My Dirty Dumb Eyes and Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Vol. 2, respectively. Though you'd never confuse the two, both have a keen eye for skewering pop culture and colourfully sardonic artwork. And don't these covers go nicely together? Meant to be.

Tracy, editor at D&Q, introduced our guests, making sure to issue a warning about the potential for pants being literally laughed off, just to be safe.

 

Up first, Michael's delivery combined fast-punch gags and a 1950's announcer voice to complement his work's twisted take on old-school comic strips.

Actually, Michael showcased a special knack for voices of all kinds: at this point, some attendees were briefly under the impression that Daniel Craig had snuck in the back, which was not the case!

But it wasn't all fun and games and Skyfall parodies: Michael didn't shy away from asking the big questions.

His presentation finished with a screening of this cartoon where Mark Twain cruises around on a raft made of garbage, which settled any questions about the intersection of comics and serious literature for good.

Next up: D & Q's own Lisa and her irreproachable taste in shirts, reading from her vibrant new collection of comics and illustrations.

No British actor was beyond lampoonery that night, no matter how popular with the ladies. This was from a excerpt of Lisa's illustrated movie review of War Horse, which went over extremely well even with an audience in which one lone gentleman admitted to having seen the film.

More big questions were asked.

And everyone learned a whole lot about wildlife, headgear, and the combination thereof.

Though thoroughly pooped out from a long evening of belly laughs, our intrepid audience persevered through a lively signing. We have a bunch of signed copies here at the store, definitely come check them out!

Paul Joins the Scouts !

Paul Joins the Scouts, the new English translation of Michel Rabagliati, is in store!

Last week, Michel Rabagliati won the Doug Wright Award for best book, for The Song of Roland. 

For all you odd ducks out there...

...Sara Varon (Robot Dreams, Bake Sale) and Cecil Castelluci (We Have Always Lived on Mars) have teamed up to create a strange and charming new graphic tale, Odd Duck!

Theodora is a truly independent duck. She has a daily routine, complete with swimming exercises and star-gazing, and has eccentric tastes for a duck (mango salsa!) At the same time, she is well-mannered, and follows the general rules of duck society so as not to stick out too much...

Theodora's pleasant routine is interrupted by the arrival of a new neighbour, Chad. Chad is also an eccentric duck, but to Theodora's horror and disdain, he is eccentric in a loud and unkempt way! How rude!

What happens when two odd ducks must coexist? Disaster? Everlasting friendship? 

I can't possibly give it away, but I will say Odd Duck is beyond charming, and that everyone and their kids should read it!

Shark Bite Capital of the World

Local talent Meghan Lands just dropped off her new comic, Shark Bite Capital of the World, and it's a steal at only three dollars. Get your copy now, before she's famous and the price goes up (or we run out)!

Julie Delporte & Chihoi Launch: RECAP!

This tuesday, we were delighted to be host the launch of Chihoi and Julie Delporte's books! Chihoi is a Hong Kong artist whose books have been published in Chinese, Italian and French and he travelled here to celebrate the lauch of The Library, the first English-language edition of his work, published by Conundrum Press.

Julie Delporte is a Montreal cartoonist and the author of the children's book Je suis un raton laveur and  several books published by Colosse. She was here to launch Journal, published by Koyama Press and also her first work in English.

Chihoi started off the night by showing us some of the Hong Kong comics that were popular when he was young: they were very violent, sometimes pornographic, and often associated with gangster culture, though the authors often sold millions of copies. By Chihoi's teen years, though, this style had diminished in popularity.

Chihoi also related a moving account of the relationships he formed with other artists in his youth, including a friend who passed away at an early age.

The next part of Chihoi's story was about his struggle as an aspiring comics artist -- work was hard to come by, and like many others, he had to support himself with part-time retail jobs and commercial illustration, including a gig writing children's comics, from which he says he learned a lot.

An indie comics scene did develop in Hong Kong, however, especially around the magazine Cockroach.

Finally, Chihoi took us through some scenes from his haunting, surreal new book, The Library. During the question period, he admitted that he may have a fixation on staircases.

Next, Julie Delporte took to the stage greeted by the cheers of a crowd of local friends and fans and gave us a very personal and intimate tour of her autobiographical comics.

Journal chronicles a difficult breakup, and the artist’s residency at The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. Revisting the events of her life was an emotional experience for her as well as for the audience, who were vocal in their support. The connection between Julie and her friends and fans was a warm and moving thing to witness. Love in the room!

Come on in and get your copy!

We have plenty of Chihoi`s The Library as well, many of them signed!

We had a great crowd!

And the signing table was mobbed!

Thanks again to everyone who came out! We had a great turnout, but despite the crowd, it was one of the more personal and intimate gatherings we`ve had in a long time. You can also look forward to a new book by Julie Delporte that will be published by Drawn & Quarterly next year! Julie is also the newest addition to our staff at 211, so come on in and say hi. If you ask nicely, she might autograph her book for you!

Brunetti's Aesthetics!

 Ok, awesome, Ivan (the Schizo series, Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice) Brunetti's Aesthetics: A Memoir has landed at 211!

This excellent retrospective features many archival drawings & sketches,  New Yorker covers,  poster and album cover designs, strips and sculptures...all with commentary from the comics giant himself.

You may recognize this from our shelves: Brunetti's design for the edition of Roald Dahl's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.

 

Brunetti claims Ernie Bushmiller as huge influence. Check out this never-published Nancy strip of Brunetti's from back when he was trying to get a full-time Nancy gig.

A beautiful book that gives the best possible overlook of Brunetti's career thus far. A very necessary purchase for any discerning comics fan!

This Is Your Music

Just in! Mike (Yeti Magazine) McGonigal's excellent new oral and visual history of Galaxie 500:  Temperature's Rising.

One of the best bands to come out of the late-80s, Boston's Galaxie 500 has been receiving a lot of of retroactive praise in the couple of years and deservedly so. The logical next step after the Paisley Underground mini-musical-movement (similarly 60s-influenced bands like the Dream Syndicate and Rain Parade released their defining efforts only a few years before Galaxie 500's career began) and their records are ones that I still revisit on a regular basis to this day (indeed, my killer retrospective G500 mix may very well have been playing on the store`s soundsystem on one of your visits to 211 Bernard). Critical darlings during their relatively brief existence, sure,  but for awhile it seemed like singer Dean Wareham's post-G500 projects (Luna, Dean & Britta) threatened to overshadow his first (and best) band's considerable accomplishments.

Not that they were ever on their way to becoming major unit-shifters or anything  but the band seemed to be  relegated to the same status as their heroes the Velvet Underground as a band who boasted only a small fanbase who couldn`t provide much in the way of  financial security and so, instead,  ensured their place as legends by emulating them in bands of their own (Low, Flying Saucer Attack, the current 'dream pop' scene). Thankfully, some recent -and much appreciated- vinyl reissues have helped remedy this.

McGonigal's book features archival photos, gig posters, set lists and postcards as well as lots of commentary from, not only co-conspirators Wareham, Krukowski, and Yang, but also their producer Kramer and other movers and shakers who contributed to their short 'n sweet run. If you're a fan already -you gotta read it - and if you aren't, Temperature's Rising will serve as a fitting companion as you delve into their perfect trifecta of recorded classics: Today, On Fire, and This Is Our Music.

TONIGHT! The Australian Caravan of Comics is here!! 7pm

Come and say g'day to a Winnebago of Australian comics creators as they make their pilgrimage to Librairie Drawn & Quarterly. Scarlette Baccini, Gregory Mackay, Patrick Alexander, Mirranda Burton, Marijka Gooding and driver, Bruce Mutard, will give a presentation about their graphic novels, sign books and wash your feet with their hair. Also on board is Dan Hayward, director of the feature length documentary film, Graphic Novels! Melbourne! which we will screen an extended trailer of.



Melbourne based, self described 'writer with images', Bruce Mutard has had 5 books published, including the highly regarded graphic novels The Sacrifice and The Silence (Allen & Unwin), A Mind of Love (Black House Comics) and the short story collection, Stripshow (Milkshadow Books). He has had numerous short stories published in Overland, Meanjin, The Australian Book Review and the Tango anthology among many others. He is also the holder of the Australian Society of Authors comics and graphic novels portfolio. He has presented papers at Oxford, the University of Arts, London, Loughborough University, teaches, organises comics events and tours like this one, and was recently awarded an Australia Council of Arts established writers grant to work on his next graphic novel.


Since graduating from art school in South Australia, Mirranda Burton has forged pathways in independent and commercial animation, drawing, and printmaking. More recently she has devoted herself to the medium of comics, drawing upon her own life experiences. Her stories depict a myriad of moments, from the mountain peaks of Morocco to lettuce invasions, to rare meetings with caterpillar psychiatrists and vacuum cleaner genies. Her first book, Hidden, was published in 2011 by Black Pepper, for which she received an Aurealis Award for best graphic novel. Hidden is also scheduled to be published in France.



Scarlette Baccini is a comic book writer and illustrator from Melbourne, Australia. In 2007 she began writing a strip called Zombolette, about a fat, obnoxious zombie and her giant mutant guinea pig housemate. Milk Shadow Books published a 120-page anthology of this work early in 2012. Scarlette is currently working on a graphic novel as well as several shorter works, and is hoping to turn Zombolette into an animated series.







Patrick Alexander is known in Australia for his nationally published children’s comics, Pink Chickens and Tobias & Jube, and internationally for his webcomics, Raymondo Person and Hilarity Comics. Currently and irregularly he produces gag comics for the relaunched Dark Horse Presents, except for that Archie one with the weird cow sex, which he put on Tumblr instead. His work has been described as "p. funny".

Gregory Mackay is best known for his comic strip Francis Bear as well as award-winning autobiographical comics, he makes award-winning comics about a strange kind of every-day-ness that are both quietly desperate and charmingly beautiful. Gregory is a regularly featured artist in the French Turkey Comix anthology published by The Hoochie Coochie, who in 2010 released a collected Francis Bear book.

New to the Melbourne Comics scene, Marijka Gooding is a recent graduate from Monash University Visual Communications with Honours, whose thesis is the remarkable, beguiling, beautiful graphic novel, Strange Behaviour (self-published, 2012). She considers herself an expert on 'strange', considering spends a lot of her time sitting at a drawing board in a dimly lit room, surrounded by empty take-away containers and crusted-over cereal bowls, writing about the world in pictures.

Daniel Hayward graduated from Sydney Film School in 2005 where he produced and directed the award winning short TROY, which has screened all over the world. Over the past 7 years, Daniel has worked in the Australian film and television industry in various capacities on commercials, television series, music videos and feature films. He has shot and/or directed a number of Behind The Scenes documentaries for feature films and television including Shane Warne – The Musical, Men’s Group & 33 Postcards starring Guy Pearce. In 2012, Daniel released his first feature length documentary as producer/director titled This Is Roller Derby under his production company AISLE 5 PICTURES.

TONIGHT! Wednesday, May 15th! 211 Bernard Ouest!

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