Literary Oktoberfest 2025
Immerse Yourself in Montreal’s Literary Community
The literary journal yolk has been at the heart of the Montreal art scene for years, and one of its greatest contributions is the annual Literary Oktoberfest, set to return for its third edition tonight, October 24th. Designed as an event where attendees can connect with writers, publishers, editors, agents, and booksellers, yolk aims to provide a comfortable and accessible space in which interested parties can further immerse themselves in Montreal’s lively literary community.
Earlier this week, I spoke with Christie Martin, the events manager at yolk, about the behind-the-scenes work required to plan such an event, as well as the team’s ultimate goals for the evening. “We focused on developing more directed programming, so it’s more of a networking event,” Christie says, reflecting on the successful elements from past yolk events. Acknowledging that “people there want to hear about opportunities”, the team has focused on inviting speakers and readers from multiple literary streams within the industry, aiming to provide attendees with a litany of options for connection.
“There are multiple avenues for different conversations”, as is evidenced by the evening’s keynote speakers and featured readers. The former consists of Pamela Mulloy, author and editor-in-chief of The New Quarterly; Paige Sisley, literary agent at CookeMcDermid; and Mikhail Iossel, professor in the English department at Concordia University and organizer of the Literary Retreat & Festival. Local authors Tara McGowan-Ross and Christopher DiRaddo make up the latter group. yolk’s primary mission for the evening revolves around guests’ abilities to use the event as a springboard for their careers and creative ventures: “it’s not only about yolk’s success; we want the people who are working with us to succeed. We’ve had people who’ve written work with us have agents reach out to them, for example”. In selecting a wide range of featured guests and organizations, the team hopes to showcase every element of the industry.
For yolk’s third Literary Oktoberfest, the team “took an initiative to expand it outside Montreal; it’s for anyone interested in publishing in Canada”. In future years, they hope to branch out even further and reach audiences worldwide: “going forward, we want to get New York publications, international agents, and more!” The journal is nevertheless based in Montreal, and proudly so, and therefore acknowledges the impact they wish to have on local artists. Christie reflects on a friend of hers, who “told me that he had just recently moved to Montreal when he came to Literary Oktoberfest last year; this year he’s an editor-in-chief at a local publication and is deeply involved in the community”. This story is one that the yolk team hopes can take different forms for each attendee of their Literary Oktoberfest; their primary goal is to encourage others to delve into the literary scene in Montreal and beyond.
Christie’s journey to joining yolk’s masthead not only reflects the interconnectedness of everyone within Montreal’s art community, but furthermore cements the journal’s position as being at the core of the city’s literary scene. Upon planning her move from Toronto to Montreal, Christie visited a local indie bookstore and asked the bookseller “for a publication making a big impact on the community”. Years after reading through the copy of yolk that she was recommended, she landed the position of events manager mere months before the team’s first ever Literary Oktoberfest. Christie admits that “it felt kind of weird being the events manager after only having lived in Montreal for two months”, but attributes a large part of her involvement in the city’s art scene to this almost-immediate immersion. Throwing herself into the community allowed her to form rapid, strong connections with others within it. “That’s why we host an event like this: to ease that gap,” she declares, commenting on yolk’s mission to offer local artists a setting in which they can smoothly connect with other writers and artists.
Literary Oktoberfest not only provides attendees with the opportunity to connect with one another but furthermore offers them a chance to see exactly what kind of art is being produced in the city. By inviting publishers and other artistic organizations, yolk allows those presently working in the industry to showcase their work to a welcoming, enthusiastic audience. “They are the event,” Christie says of the participating organizations; “we wouldn’t be able to do any of this if people didn’t want to table. It makes it easier for people to go up and approach—and hear about opportunities—because there’s that physical element of the table.” She reinforces the casual nature of the event and the degree to which people can engage with the tabling organizations: “you’re not forced to talk, but if you’re interested, you’re welcome to do exactly that.”
When asked for advice she might give an attendee who wanted to fully reap the benefits of the evening and get the absolute most out of their Literary Oktoberfest experience, Christie suggested the following: “take yourself out of your comfort zone and make an effort to ask questions that you might not normally ask or get the chance to ask, because it’s an open environment. Go to every table that catches your eye, and have conversations; there are a lot of different organizations and publications—learn about them and talk to people. Ask the readers and speakers about their experiences, and ask direct questions about where you want to go.” One prime characteristic of the event is that it puts all attendees on the same conversational level, inviting guests to interact with everyone and anyone they come across. “Everyone in the industry wears so many different hats, and the deeper you get in the industry, the more comfortable you get; you realize that people often play different roles in different areas. Within events like this, you get to see that truth broken down. Honestly, everyone’s one or two degrees away from knowing somebody who has a Giller, but everybody’s just some guy, right?”
Throughout her time at yolk thus far, Christie cites this upcoming Literary Oktoberfest as the project of which she is proudest. The success of the first event brought her a sense of “okay, this is a good path” and a new group of colleagues and friends; she lauds the event’s ability to encourage people to fully immerse themselves in the community. She reinforces the importance of forming strong connections within the community, as well as being persistent and determined when facing adversity: “I mean, I got rejected from yolk at first, and now I’m helping them throw Literary Oktoberfest!”
yolk’s third Literary Oktoberfest will take place on Friday, October twenty-fourth at L’Ambroisie et L’Espace Canal.
Tickets are available here: https://www.yolkliterary.ca/product/literary-oktoberfest-2025-tickets
If you’re reading Forget The Box, you’re a supporter of free, independent arts coverage. We ask you to take a moment to consider donating $1 to help us continue our mission to spotlight ground level, underground, and marginalized art in Montreal. Every little bit helps.
