Lunchtime Series – January to June 2018

Thursday, January 11, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Journalist and author Kristian Gravenor shares some of the nostalgic and little-known true stories in his book, Montreal 375: Tales of Eating, Drinking, Living and Loving.

Thursday, January 18, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Geoff Dowd gives an illustrated presentation on his two-brother bicycle journey across the United States via the Southern Tier route from San Diego, California to St. Augustine, Florida, in early 2017.

Thursday, January 25, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
To celebrate the anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth, poet Rachel McCrum traces the radical lines of Scotland’s poetry from Burns to today: “Scotland’s Firebrand Poets: From Robbie Burns to Jackie Kay.”

Friday, February 2, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
To celebrate BLACK HISTORY MONTH, the IMANI Gospel Singers, directed by Marcia Bailey, perform a program of spiritual music and discuss the evolution of Black gospel music.

Thursday, February 8, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Robert N. Wilkins, historian and author of Montreal 1909, brings us back in time for fascinating glimpses into Montreal life just over a hundred years ago.

Thursday, Februrary 15, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Writer and publisher Linda Leith marks the fourth anniversary of Mavis Gallant’s death by screening the film Paris Stories: The Writing of Mavis Gallant with Q&A.

Thursday, February 22, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Historian Rod MacLeod discusses making a trilingual graphic novel on Montreal’s 1913 Aberdeen School strike protesting anti-Semitism. The Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) is co-sponsoring this event.

Thursday, March 1, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Torill Kove presents her latest animated short, Threads, and discusses the process of making it.

Thursday, March 8, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
McGill Professor Jane Everett discusses Gabrielle Roy’s reflections on the lives of women.

Thursday, March 15, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
A ST. PATRICK’S WEEK program of words and music: Zan Cammack, PhD, Concordia University Fulbright Post-doctoral Fellow in Irish Studies, gives a talk on “Cathleen Ní Houlihan from Myth to Modernity,” discussing the legend of the “poor old woman” as she evolved from myth to a nationalist icon and beyond, into contemporary Irish culture. And Dragún Bán musicians perform Irish music.

Thursday, March 22, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Joe Schwarcz, PhD, Director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, gives a talk on “Nutritional Advice: Is There a Solution to the Confusion?”

Thursday, April 5, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
The McGill University Chair in Canadian-Scottish Studies co-hosts renowned editor, publisher and author Douglas Gibson for his show “GREAT SCOTS: Canada’s Greatest Storytellers with Scottish Links.”

Thursday, April 12, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Hon. Donald J. Johnston gives a talk on his book, Missing the Tide: Global Governments in Retreat.

Thursday, April 19, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Lawyer Diane Skiejka of Éducaloi conducts an information session with Q&A on “Protect Your Money From Financial Abuse and Fraud.”

Thursday, April 26, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Writer and publisher Linda Leith has a conversation with Phillip Ernest, author of The Vetala, a Sanskrit vampire novel.

Thursday, May 3, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Author Plum Johnson discusses her award-winning memoir They Left Us Everything, written as she grieved the loss of her parents during the long process of emptying the family home following her mother’s death

Thursday, May 10, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Judy Rebick, one of Canada’s best-known feminists, discusses her new memoir, Heroes in My Head.

Thursday, May 17, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Ellie Clavier-Rothstein reflects on Charles Dickens’ visit to Montreal in May 1842 and Andrew Macdougall gives a dramatic reading of “Bob Sawyer’s Party” from The Pickwick Papers.

Thursday, May 24, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Peter McNally, McGill University professor and royal family enthusiast, gives a talk for Victoria Day: “The Wedding, the Commonwealth, and the Monarchy.”

WEDNESDAY, May 30, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm (not May 31 as earlier scheduled)
A Romeo and Juliet program features Paul Yachnin, Tomlinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies at McGill University and principal investigator of Early Modern Conversions, and Amanda Kellock, Artistic Director of Repercussion Theatre. During the summer of 2018 Repercussion’s Shakespeare-in-the-Park production is Romeo & Juliet: Love is Love.

Thursday, June 7, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Helen Antoniou gives a talk on her new book, Back to Beer…and Hockey: The Story of Eric Molson, in conversation with Atwater Library President John Aylen.

Thursday, June 14, 2018 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
FESTIVAL BLOOMSDAY MONTRÉAL presents a talk by historian Sam Allison on “The Irish in Canada: Before, During and After the Famine” with a focus on Montreal. Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network is a co-sponsor.