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.
Licia Canton is an editor, instructor, mentor, and writer. Most recently, she edited Here & Now Volume 2: An Anthology of Queer Italian-Canadian Writing.
In April, the Associazione Molisani di Ottawa hosted a banquet to celebrate a springtime tradition that dates back to the mid-800s, called la Carrese. The successful multigenerational event was a hopeful sign that the fate of this small Italian social club has turned a corner.
For many years, I never read or saw stories about Italian-Canadians. I would say they are still a rarity. So many of the stories that we see as “Italian-something” are actually Italian-American stories or based on Mafia stereotypes. I like a good gangster story as much as the next person, but it’s getting to be a lazy, tired stereotype. Yes, Cold City is a crime story, but it’s also a story about people: immigration, desperation and redemption, not another version of The Godfather. It’s time to tell other stories and I’m very happy to tell them.
Carmelo Militano's latest novel, The Patina of Melancholy, is very compelling and sensual, with all the elements of a detective literary thriller and the passion of a love story, intertwined into one.
A new book created by Montrealers with origins in Molise is bringing together stories of tradition, family and cooking. The book is titled "Dalla valigia alla tavola: A journey through Molisan culinary heritage" and is published by the Federazione delle associazioni molisane del Québec.