MONTREAL UNDERGROUND ORIGINS, Round table discussion :

The early days of Montreal’s independent press : exploring the 1970s small press scene
With the founding members of Véhicule Press, Simon Dardick and Nancy Marrelli, and the founder of Montreal’s long-running independent bookstore The Word, Adrian King-Edwards.
— Sunday November 16 from 3pm to 4pm, in Expozine‘s reading room, 5035 Saint-Dominique, .

Archive Montreal, the non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Montreal’s independent arts scene, presents a round-table discussion exploring the early days of Montreal’s small press scene.

Beginning in the mid-1960s, the central districts of Montreal began to develop a new cultural milieu in which artists, writers, poets and musicians could get to know each other and get their works known by the wider public. It involved the creation and programming of new cultural spaces where Montrealers could host readings, exhibits and concerts of their own work and of visiting luminaries such as Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan. It also involved the emergence of independent media, including student radio stations and newspapers; small press cooperatives; and independent book, magazine and record stores where young local creatives could sell their own publications and recordings in a do-it-yourself fashion.

This discussion will explore what the early 1970s small press and literary scene was like : where could people find small press publications, who was making them and how? Since the participants are still active in publishing and bookselling to this day, the panel will also explore the differences between that early era and today regarding costs of living, costs and work involved in self-publishing and the changes in how books are promoted will be explored. Visit this page for more information, or email archivemontreal@archivemontreal.org .