It’s hardly a matter of speculation that Antonio Tabucchi (1943-2012) set his novels Pereira Declares (1994) and Tristano Dies (2004) against the backdrop of European fascism—the former at its onset and the latter after its fall—in order to inquire, by revealing the undisclosed consciousness of his protagonists, to what extent his era was different from theirs, and to what extent it was the same.
[read_more]
Read MoreMark Foss is the author of the short-story collection Kissing the Damned and the novel Spoilers. His new novel Molly O (Cormorant Books, 2016) follows Montreal film professor Little Joe's obsessive search for his missing sister Candy, who may or may not be Molly O, the lead in a series of erotically charged silent, experimental films. When a death sets the stage for reconnecting with his brother Hoss and his father Joseph at the family homestead, Little Joe must relive the rural auctions and wastelands of his past to get to the truth about Candy. Brad de Roo got some cinematic answers from Mark for carte blanche this May.
[read_more]
Read Morecarte blanche seeks to expand its pool of bloggers in support of our regular literary magazine. We want writing that explores some aspect of literary and artistic culture in Montreal, Quebec, Canada or the wider world. You can feature an event, a trend, a movement, an anecdote, an experience or whatever you think might engage the public in a literary topic. Dug that poetry reading last night? Irritated at that famous writer’s new interview with Book Riot? Up in arms about a literary feud? Give us the skinny![read_more]
Read MoreI am bad at saying no. As part of a better-late-in-life-than-never self-improvement exercise, I try to turn down extra work—especially the non-paying variety.So last summer, when Michelle Sylvestre of the Make A Wish Foundation phoned to tell me about a volunteer opportunity—Raphaëlla Vaillancourt, a young survivor of a life-threatening illness, wished to publish a book and needed mentoring—I referred Michelle to Lori Schubert at the Quebec Writers’ Federation.A few days later, Lori contacted me. If the QWF could fund a mentorship for Raphaëlla, would I take the job?
[read_more]
Read MoreKembrew McLeod is a Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa. He is a prolific author, filmmaker, and prankster. His latest book is Blondie’s Parallel Lines (Bloomsbury, 2016) the 111th book in 33 1/3’s series on classic albums. Brad deRoo nerded out via email to get to some intersecting lines from Kembrew McLeod for carte blanche this April. [read_more]
Read MoreIn the hospitality room at the Hôtel Gouverneurs in Trois-Rivières, you are greeted by two perky volunteers whose first question after introductions is: “Will you three be reading the French translations of your poems yourselves, or will you be requiring the services of a French reader?” Oh, my, you think. What translations? The hotel carpet begins to yaw under your chair. What was I thinking coming to a poetry festival in a city whose population is 97 percent French—without translations?
[read_more]
Read Morecarte blanche and the Creative Nonfiction Collective Society are pleased to announce the shortlist for our 2015-16 creative nonfiction competition.The winner of the competition will be announced at the 12th Annual CNFC Conference, which will be held in Banff from April 21 – 24th.
Read Morecarte blanche and the Creative Nonfiction Collective Society are pleased to announce the long list for our 2015-16 creative nonfiction competition.Congratulations to everyone who made the long list and a big thank you to everyone who participated!
Read MoreDeni Ellis Béchard is a journalist, novelist, memoirist, photographer, and activist. He has published three books, the first of which won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was translated into French, Arabic, and Russian. His articles and photos—often about human rights, women’s rights, and the conservation—have appeared in dozens of newspapers and magazines, including the LA Times, Salon, The Guardian, La Repubblica, Vanity Fair Italia, The Solutions Journal, The Harvard Review, The Herald Scotland, and Foreign Policy Magazine.
Read MoreKris Bertin is from Halifax. His stories have appeared in The Walrus, The Malahat Review, TNQ, and PRISM International. He has twice won the Jack Hodgin’s Founder’s Award for Fiction and has appeared in The Journey Prize Anthology. His first collection of short stories Bad Things Happen (Biblioasis, 2016) has received very good reviews in the Toronto Star and Quill & Quire – good thing too, because it is it a gritty, funny, and memorably weird book. Brad de Roo avoided a lot of bad things on the internet to interview Kris Bertin for carte blanche this March. [read_more]
Read MoreI had tapped into a vibrant community of punk writers who crafted great stories and then cut and pasted their work together, photocopied it, and released it with no thought of gaining attention from the world of mainstream literature. These were my first literary heroes. In a time before our current memoir boom, they wrote honest and true stories full of grit and heart. [read_more]
Read MoreA few weeks ago I was watching Trevor Noah interview Lupita Nyong’o about her role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, when she made an otherwise throwaway comment I found quite striking:"I grew up watching Star Wars. It was a part of my life. It came on TV on public holidays, so I thought of Star Wars as time off of school."
Read MoreWe're very happy to announce that Gregory McCormick is joining the carte blanche team. He'll be Co-Editor, alongside Laurence Miall, and will also be the Creative Nonfiction Editor. Greg brings over a decade of editing, writing and cultural programming experience.
Read Morecarte blanche, the online magazine of the Quebec Writers' Federation, is accepting applications for the position of creative nonfiction editor. This is a volunteer position but pays a modest honorarium. Ideally, the successful candidate should reside in or near Montreal.
Read MoreWe are pleased to announce that Montreal author Guillaume Morissette will be joining us as guest editor of fiction for Issue 26, our first issue of 2016. You still have until December 31 to find your best short stories or novel excerpts and send them in. Submit online now if you haven't already. It's free! Successful contributors receive $50.
Read MoreDuring her time as the 2015 Mordecai Richler Writer in Residence at Concordia University, Ann-Marie MacDonald has been chronicling her experiences in a series of 'dispatches.' In these brief videos the award-winning author reflects on and among the writerly-tools of the late author. Richler attended what is now the Sir-George Williams campus of the university from 1949-1951.
Read MoreCongratulations to Deborah Van Slet, winner of the 2015 3Macs carte blanche Prize! Van Slet was awarded the prize for her nonfiction piece, "Self-Serve" from Issue 24. We extend our thanks to this year's judge, Kathleen Winter, and invite you to read the winning piece in full here.
Read MoreWe're delighted to share with you the names of the three finalists of the 2015 3Macs carte blanche Prize, as selected by juror, Kathleen Winter. The big winner will be announced tonight at the Quebec Writers' Federation Gala and will lay her hands on a cash prize and this most amazing trophy--originally handcrafted by Glen LeMesurier.
Read MoreThe 3Macs carte blanche Prize is awarded annually in recognition of an outstanding submission by a Quebec writer, artist or translator. The prize is sponsored by David Goodridge from MacDougall, MacDougall & MacTier (3Macs) Inc. We're delighted to announce that this year's finalists will be selected by award-winning Montreal author, Kathleen Winter. Get to know our juror better through this short interview we did with her in late September.
Read More
