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.

A son of Greek immigrants, Andreas Kessaris has spent his career documenting the high-energy, multicultural grit of Montreal's Park Extension. From community columns to his latest books, The Butcher of Park Ex and The Grand Tour of Park Ex, he blends a sharp, humor-driven voice with an authentic commitment to the city’s literary fringes.

When I was a teenager, I loved Jim Morrison. Like, loved. Obviously, I was into The Doors, but I also read Jim’s poetry (yes, we’re on a first name basis like that), and his biography. His was the starring poster on my adolescent wall, the band I had the most shirts of, the one I hypnotized my friends to channel.

In 1981 a one-act sung-through musical called March of the Falsettos premiered, created by William Finn and James Lapine. The story focused on Marvin, his ex-wife Trina, their son Jason, Marvin’s psychiatrist Mendel, and his lover Whizzer.

SteinZ is a Montreal-born rapper redefining alternative hip-hop by blending dramatic delivery with eccentric, visionary aesthetics inspired by anime and video games. With a performance style defined by wit and relentless energy, she is an unforgettable force breaking through the boundaries of the genre.

I ran through all my usual logical steps; checking situations where I'd seen potential, and seeing if it held true. Debating it from different angles, I tried to find the flaw in the statement, and simply could not. As such, I now hold this theory as truth, and pass it on to others.

My high school friendships fell away soon after I dropped out of CEGEP; I was already engaged, had moved to a different part of town, but was trying to maintain my relationships. When I got pregnant though, the old friends fell away.

Villeray-based portraitist Gustavo Salinas rejects the digital in favor of the slow, naturalistic beauty of 35mm and 120 analog film. Treating the camera with the weight of a weapon and the precision of a bow and arrow, he seeks to capture his subjects with a "royal swagger" and genuine, dignified admiration.

A lot of my philosophical leanings are mutable. Some thoughts have gone through phases, one belief system replaced by the next, and some change day by day. Reincarnation? Maybe; depends if we're talking faith or scientific odds, framing or facts.

While walking down Sherbrooke street in the NDG, you might notice a page of poetry tacked to the window of a local book and record shop. Whether you take a few moments to read the poem or continue on your way, you’d perhaps quietly wonder how that poem ended up there.