Licia Canton is an incredibly active editor, instructor, mentor, and writer. She is the author of two short story collections, The Pink House and Other Stories (2018) and Almond Wine and Fertility (2008; 2018) – published in Italy as Vino alla mandorla e fertilità (2015) – and the editor of ten volumes of fiction and nonfiction. Most recently, she edited Here & Now Volume 2: An Anthology of Queer Italian-Canadian Writing. As we near the end of June, Italian Heritage and Pride Month, take time to read both volumes and discover these amazing writers.
Why did you decide to publish Here & Now Volume 2?
I’m really excited about this second volume. After the release of Volume 1 and the documentary film Creative Spaces, both in 2021, it was important to keep the discussions going. The project was met with resistance in some Italian-Canadian circles. Clearly, the conversation about acceptance and inclusion needs to continue. The main reason for Volume 2 is that it is necessary. There is a need for community building. There is also a need to expand Italian-Canadian studies, specifically Italian-Canadian literature. Until recently, writers who identify as queer and Italian-Canadian have not been featured much at events or in volumes. The Here & Now anthologies are helping to close this gap in Italian-Canadian literature. Although we often say that the origin of Italian-Canadian literature goes back to the 1970s, its “queer” component has not been visible. When this project began in late 2019, the objective was to interview the 12 queer writers across Canada. In many ways Here & Now, Volumes 1 and 2, are bringing together queer writers of Italian heritage, much like Pier Giorgio Di Cicco did for Italian-Canadian writers in general in the late seventies. He brought together poets from across the country in one volume, Roman Candles: An Anthology of Poetry by Seventeen Italo-Canadian Poets (1978). There really wasn’t an Italian-Canadian literary corpus before Di Cicco’s anthology. Since 2021, we can say there is a queer Italian-Canadian literary corpus.
There is such a wide variety of writing in this anthology that includes essays, poetry, non-fiction, and interviews. Why did you decide to include all this writing instead of focusing on just one genre?
The Queer and Italian Canadian Project (film and volumes) highlights the work and lived experiences of Canadians of Italian origin who identify as queer. Both volumes of Here & Now include multiple literary genres because I wanted to be inclusive. It’s important to point out that the texts did not have to be about being Italian-Canadian or queer. The topic was open, as was the genre. As you know, a writer may start off writing a poem on a specific topic and then it becomes a postcard story or vice versa. The objective was to (re)introduce these writers to the Canadian literary community and/or to Italian-Canadian circles. Here & Now Volume 2 features the work of 50 writers, 27 of whom were not featured in Volume 1. It was also important to frame the creative works with a two-part introduction written by scholars. I am very pleased that Paolo Frascà and Mirko Casagranda accepted to read the texts in advance and to tailor their introductory essays. I am equally grateful to scholars Domenico A. Beneventi and Michela Baldo for doing the same in Volume 1.
Has editing these two collections changed you in any way as reader, writer, or editor?
Yes, of course. Every project I take on helps me to grow as a literary person, but this project as a whole, and Volume 2 in particular, is a special journey. I have discovered talented young writers as well as creative writers whom I only knew as academics. I’ve learned a lot by working on these volumes. Let me quote Domenico A. Beneventi’s introduction to Here & Now: “Each of us – writers and readers – are made the richer for lingering, even momentarily, in that threshold space of possibility and mutual recognition.”
What was the reaction like to Volume 1 and how has it been so far for Volume 2?
Volume 1 was a novelty. It was released in 2021 and, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, most of the events connected to the book were online. There was a huge response. We received media coverage and people attended the online events to discover new writers, but also to learn about a lived experience that they knew nothing about. The first anthology brought people together. I would say that it helped to build community. But there was also silence where I had expected support. Some people may be uncomfortable with the unfamiliar, or they may not be ready to see marginalized members of the community being featured. I have received negative messages telling me I shouldn’t be working on this project. My response is simple: “I don’t tell you which projects to take on in your field.” This is a learning project for me and for anyone who wants to broaden their perspective.
Since its publication in April, Volume 2 has received a lot of attention and launch events have been quite successful. Post-pandemic we have been able to have in-person launches. The Montreal (May 2) launch was held during the Blue Metropolis Literary Festival. The Toronto (June 6) launch at Villa Charities and the Vancouver launch (June 20) at the Italian Cultural Centre celebrated Pride Month and Italian Heritage Month. It was quite emotional at times. There was such warmth in the air, a sense of pride and accomplishment.
On May 16, I screened the documentary film, Creative Spaces, and launched Here & Now Volume 2 at the University of Burgos in Spain. Scholars Domenico A. Beneventi and Mirko Casagranda and writers Heather Sdao and Liana Cusmano were present to speak about their contributions to the project.
We’ve had online events with Oxford University and Birmingham University. The Association of Italian-Canadian Writers and Accenti Magazine hosted an event for National Poetry Month on April 19. Other literary events are planned at Glad Day Bookstore in Toronto on July 24 and August 14. In Montreal, there will be an event on August 8 during ItalFest and Fierté Montréal.
What was the submission process like for Volume 2? Were there many submissions to choose from? How did you decide?
For both volumes there was an open call for contributions, but writers also came to the project through word of mouth. If someone expressed an interest to submit, especially for first-time writers, I worked with them to help polish their text. My objective was to be inclusive.
Anthologies are often a great way to introduce writers to the literary world. How have these two anthologies been for the careers of the featured writers?
The volumes feature established writers as well as emerging writers. For some it was their first publication and possibly their first reading at a launch or online event. Some writers may have been published before but not in a queer context, or in an Italian-Canadian context, or in a queer and Italian-Canadian context. For some of the writers, it may have been significant to be “reintroduced” to the literary world in this way. They may have reached new audiences.
Let me quote Jessica Carpinone of Ottawa, who was published in both volumes of Here & Now: “Being part of the anthologies helped me in a couple of ways. First, it helped me feel validated and recognized for my creative writing. Being published alongside writers I admire and respect was a vote of confidence that I needed to keep pushing myself towards publication. Second, it allowed me to make connections with people who are now introducing me to new opportunities all the time. It has opened up a world of literary opportunities that I previously didn’t even know existed.”
For writers at the beginning of their careers, the anthologies have brought some visibility, perhaps more confidence, certainly a sense of belonging to a literary corpus. Many of the writers in the first anthology have since been interviewed to take part in a research project which I co-direct with Paolo Frascà at the University of Toronto. Therefore, those writers and their work are getting the attention of scholars, researchers and the academic community. Some have also been featured in the exhibit “Unveiling the Italian-Canadian Experience” by documentary photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo and poet Liana Cusmano. This is a pan-Canadian project which premiered in Montreal in 2023, was exhibited in Toronto in 2024 and will be in Vancouver in 2025. Actually, Volume 2 was launched in Toronto during the exhibit.
Have these two anthologies deepened in any way the study of Italian-Canadian literature?
I think the anthologies have expanded the field of Italian-Canadian literature as well as the scholarship. I see more academics now giving papers at conferences on writers that were not being discussed before. I see that some of the writers featured in Here & Noware included in the 40th anniversary anthology of the Association of Italian-Canadian Writers. I see more queer writers being asked to read at events organized by the Association of Italian-Canadian Writers. It may also be that as a result of the Here & Now volumes, queer Italian-Canadian writers feel more comfortable participating. As for the so-called gatekeepers, perhaps they were previously unaware of these talented writers.
How does editing compare for you to your other literary pursuits?
I am energized when there is an anthology to work on with 50 contributors, as was the case with Volume 2. Currently, I’m at the proofing stage for a volume titled A Literary Harvest: Canadian Writing About Wine and Other Brews (Eds. Canton, De Gasperi, Cusmano), which has 45 contributors. Editing an anthology for publication often leads to unexpected projects. For instance, after Volume 1, I wrote a research paper on the topic. During and after the pandemic, I’ve been doing a lot more mentoring, especially with first-time authors. I’m mentoring two emerging writers at the moment. They are very diligent. It’s a joy to see them improve their literary craft. I love to write short stories, but that has been slow going. In the meantime, a few of my poems were published. I’m also working on a novella and a play. I’m giving writing workshops and organizing the third online workshop series at Accenti Magazine. The target audience is seniors over 55, but everyone is welcome and the workshops are free.
What advice do you have for writers of Italian heritage who identify as LGBTQ+ who are trying to get published?
I would say that there is now a community of writers that LGBTQ+Italian-Canadians might identify with. It might be helpful to read the work of some of these writers or perhaps watch some of the online events. Join writing communities, go to literary events. It’s important to read, especially the genre that one is interested in writing. If you want to write poetry, read all kinds of poems and follow poets, not only Italian-Canadian poets, not only queer poets or queer Italian-Canadian poets, but poets. Read as much as possible. Watch or read or listen to interviews with writers. Take in-person or online workshops. There are many free workshops available online. Go to literary events in order to find community and possibly more than one. It’s important to be around people who have similar literary objectives. They understand what wanting to write is about. Not everyone understands that.
What’s next for Here & Now? Will we see a Volume 3?
I certainly hope so. There is so much talent at the intersection of the LGBTQ+ community and the Italian-Canadian community. Unfortunately, a number of writers did not make it into Volume 2 due to the submission deadline.
Here & Now 2: An Anthology of Queer Italian-Canadian Writing can be purchased online. The book is also available at Glad Day Bookshop in Toronto, Octopus Bookstore in Ottawa and Librairie n’était-ce pas l’été in Montreal.
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