McGill University has a rich history with creative writing, and is presently home to a litany of writing organizations. Its oldest poetry club, McSway Poetry Collective, is embarking on new projects this year that aim to further cement its role in Montreal’s writing community.

The set was decked out with old fishing nets, knotted rigging, and hanging rope ladders—paired with the heating and the venue’s telltale wooden paneling, I felt like I’d walked right into a pirate ship in the tropics even before the actors took to stage.

Dr. Lemco's Creative Club events kept coming up in my feed. Invitations to paint, pictures, folks having fun, friends posting, proud of (or laughing at) their resulting pieces. And it wasn't just random people; it was the comedians I hold in high regard, people I can speak to frankly, people I trust when they say I think you’d like this.

Thankfully, Forget The Box doesn’t follow suit. No, here at Forget The Box, you’ll get the nitty-gritty of arts journalism laid out for all to see. Instead of Santa, we’ve got Creative Director Andrew Jamieson, and playing the trope of Mrs. Claus is our very own Dawn McSweeney, Editor-at-Large.

It’s an undisputed fact that the Harlem Renaissance had a profound impact on the world. This movement gave us great music, literature and painters. It also gave us playwrights like Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. However, these were American playwrights.

Combining his love for making people discover movies and his desire to establish a recurring project where a community could be built, Jeremie launched QCCMTL in May 2024, giving Montreal queers and film lovers the chance to experience a piece of queer film history in theatres once a month.

Before I even stepped into Barfly, I was greeted by the crowd spilling out into the streets of St. Laurent. I walk past the vivid, brightly painted fly mural on a weekly basis, and I have to say I was more than a little thrilled to finally peek behind the curtain and enter the iconic bar.

Folded between fingertips and passed under tables, this silent mode of communication can make a big impact. Zines, small collaged publications packed with message and creativity, are a place for true, grassroots expression.

Squat The City! How to Use the Arts for Housing Injustice by Norman Nawrocki is not a book that can be easily categorized. It’s not just a how-to book where each chapter outlines step-by-step instructions.

With the rise of streaming services trading the security of physical media for the convenience of instant access, preservation has become a hot topic. Everyone is feeling regret for not hoarding things like tickets or CDs. Thankfully, organizations like ARCMTL exist.