The Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec held its annual general meeting at the Atwater Library on June 3, 2026, electing three new members to our Board of Directors. We’re also pleased to share highlights from the past year in our 2025-2026 annual report available below.
We look forward to another great year of great books, events, and community in Montreal and beyond. Stay up to date with everything AELAQ over the summer with our member events calendar!
Highlights from our 2026 AGM
2025-2026 Annual Report: Our Year in Review
On June 3, 2026, we held our annual general meeting in the Adair Auditorium of the Atwater Library. We are pleased to share highlights from our 2025-2026 operating year in an annual report available on the AELAQ website.
AELAQ Welcomes New Board Members
L-R: Shannae Nitti, Rebecca West, Jennifer Varkonyi, Ryan Van Huijstee, and Luc Bossé. Not pictured: Anna Del Col, Connie McParland.
Our AGM also served to appoint this year’s board of directors. A big thank you to Sarah Robinson, Francine Yulo and Lara de Beaupré, who are stepping down this term, and a warm welcome to our new directors, Shannae Nitti, Anna Del Col and Connie Guzzo McParland.
2026-2027 Board of Directors
President: Luc Bossé, Pow Pow Press
Treasurer: Shannae Nitti, PAPP International
Secretary: Anna Del Col, McGill-Queen’s University Press
Members at Large:
Ryan Van Huijstee, Concordia University Press
Jennifer Varkonyi, Véhicule Press
Connie Guzzo McParland, Guernica Editions
Linda Leith Honoured with Lifetime Membership
Following our AGM, we were proud to present Linda Leith with an honorary membership to the association, in recognition of her longstanding and far-reaching impact in the literary community. We thank her for her tremendous contributions to the publishing industry, including her years on AELAQ’s board from 2014-2023, including as president from 2016-2019.
Congratulations on this milestone, Linda!
The Latest from AELAQ
May 2026 Read Quebec Bestseller Lists
Check out what Quebecers are reading this month! We’ve compiled lists with our colleagues at BookNet Canada to show the bestselling titles in Quebec, both overall and amongst titles from Canadian-owned publishers.
We’re cheered to see so many local authors and several local presses represented. Keep supporting your local authors, bookstores and publishers this summer!
Montreal Review of Books Summer Launch
Save the date! Our Summer 2026 issue will launch on Thursday, July 2 in the beautiful gardens of the Cité-des-Hospitalières (251 Ave des Pins Ouest). A big thank you to our partners at Teesri Duniya Theatre for sharing the space with us!
Building TRACTION
In our latest on Read Quebec, Frances Grace Fyfe interviews Leila Marshy about Baraka Books’ new chapbook series.
“We’re thinking about work that generates change. Like the pamphlets that pushed for these big social and political changes. It was about public education leading to action.” Read more.
Member News
Baraka Books Takes Home Two Awards
Baraka Books has taken home two awards this month! A big congratulations to the Baraka team and to authors Fred Anderson and Leila Marshy.
- Fred Anderson’s memoir Eyes Have Seen: From Mississippi to Montreal took home the Silver Medal in Autobiography & Memoir at the 2026 Foreword Indies Awards;
- Leila Marshy’s My Thievery of the People took home the Danuta Gleed Literary Award for Short Fiction.
“Two powerful books by two unique, insightful and talented authors,” said publisher Robin Philpot in a press release. “We are proud to have published them, and it’s especially nice to see them recognized and celebrated.”
Concordia University Press Titles Nominated for 2026 AUP Book, Jacket, and Journal Show Awards
Congratulations to Concordia University Press on two recent AUP nominations!
Colin Ripley’s The House Is (Not) a Prison, published by Concordia University Press, has been selected for the Association of University Presses’ Book, Jacket, and Journal Show in the Jackets and Covers category.
Matthew Purvis’ The Pornographic Delicatessen, published by Concordia University Press, has been selected for the Association of University Presses’ Book, Jacket, and Journal Show in the 2026 Scholarly Typographic category.
Read more here.
Metonymy Press Launches Fundraiser
Metonymy Press has launched a fundraiser to help ensure the future of the press and their beloved 2SLGBTQ+ books. Check out the fundraiser and consider donating here!
Upcoming Events
- July 2, 2026: Summer mRb Launch
- August 6–9, 2026: 40th IBBY World Congress
- October 7-11: Frankfurt Book Fair
- December 5-6, 2026: Read Quebec Book Fair 2026
Upcoming Award Submissions
- June 19, 2026: Giller Prize (Books published between May 1, 2026, and June 30, 2026)
- June 24, 2026: Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize (for books published between April 15, 2026 and September 30, 2026)
- June 24, 2026: Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers (for books published between April 15, 2026 and September 30, 2026)
- July 6, 2026: Nominations for the Fall CIBA The Booksellers’ List Closes
- July 8, 2026: Quebec Writers’ Federation Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize
- July 8, 2026: Nancy Flight Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction Editing