Domenica Martinello’s new collection of poetry, Good Want, was recently long-listed for the League of Canadian Poets Pat Lowther Award. It is a spectacular exploration of family, love, language, and understanding what’s behind what we really want.
Years in the making, A Literary Harvest: Canadian Writing About Wine and Other Libations includes exciting writing from 42 Canadian writers who explore the making, drinking, and symbolism of this age-old beverage.
The Italian-Canadian Collective is a new non-profit organization founded by Agata De Santis. Based in Montreal, the Collective’s mission is to create and promote cultural projects for and about the Italian diaspora of Canada. Our first initiative is a year-long Canada-wide survey to better understand today’s Italian-Canadian community.
What happens when you discover that you are the direct descendant of La Brigantessa, a southern Italian leader who opposed Giuseppe Garibaldi’s mission to unite Italy back in 1860? And… that you happen to have the same name as her? If you are Montreal playwright Michaela Di Cesare you write a play about it! Mickey & Joe (Good. Bad. Ugly. Dirty) is a modern-day spaghetti-western-style play that showcases a standoff between resistance fighter Dirty Mickey and her sworn enemy, Joe.
From May 9 until June 9, 2025, the Federazione delle associazioni molisane del Quebec, in collaboration with the Istituto italiano di cultura, Librissimi Toronto and Associazione Casacalendese di Montreal, presents Primavera Molisana, a series of events designed to celebrate the cultural, natural, and artistic richness of the Molise region of Italy.
The Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in Montreal presents 7 Ways To Say, Ti Amo, a new romantic comedy play about unexpected second changes. Written by Mary Melfi and directed by Leo Sama. June 13 and 14 at the Casa d'Italia in Montreal's Little Italy.
On Thursday, March 13, 2025, over 260 individuals gathered at a restaurant in Montreal’s east end borough of Rivière-des-Prairies to celebrate being Italian. Nothing else. Nothing more. Conceived by Steve Vecera of Insieme Montreal, La Cena’s fifth edition was bigger than even Vecera himself anticipated. "La Cena is a chance for people to come together, to converse, and to have a great time with other Italians from the community."
“It really started as something fun to do in my spare time. I never expected that I would be doing shows at Place des Arts, at Place Bell, in the U.S.,” explains Ralph Buttino. VMG Entertainment is probably best known for its Italian Bad Boyz of Comedy series. Buttino gambled on a unique concept: a roster of three up-and-coming standup comics of Italian origin in an Italian reception hall. Buffet dinner first, then the entertainment. Target audience: the Italian community of Montreal. It worked.
John Calabro's latest novella, Laura's Uncovering, gives us the stunning story of Laura and her husband, Sal; a couple struggling to make sense of their future, whilst living in a city overflowing with undiscovered history.
The Association of Italian Canadian Writers' 2024 biannual conference in Toronto brought together a diverse group of writers, scholars and artists to explore themes of literary and artistic culture under the banner “The Vines of Diaspora.”
“I’m unmistakably Italian, but not embarrassing. I’m truthful without being hurtful. It has to be funny first. Comedy is about punching up, not punching down,” Franco Taddeo explains. “There is a universality to ethnic comedy. We are a country of immigrants. We navigate the two cultures. We try to find the middle ground. It’s why ethnic shows do so well in Canada.”
Despite a crowded calendar of events marking Italian Heritage month, over 200 people gathered at the Columbus Centre in Toronto for an evening of music, poetry, skits and camaraderie. Organized by L'Eco Dei Dialetti, the event celebrated creative voices with a passion for dialect.