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.

Ever since I moved to Montreal, I’ve made a habit of collecting newspapers and magazines that catch my eye whenever I’m browsing bookstores in the city. My collection has grown to include a wide range of publications over the years—but the one that started my love affair with local journals, and continues to feed it three times a year, is the Montreal Review of Books (mRb).

Claire Loewen, Lucas Glickman, and Nico Gaudreault created the studio with several goals in mind, the first one being accessibility. Montreal is full of small artists who are looking for a place to record as many studios continue to be shut down due to noise complaints. Studio Verville offers studio time on a budget in a professional setting.

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.