Montreal Cultural Calendar

Join us for the launch of Chanel Sutherland's book, Layaway Child. The author will be joined for a discussion with H. Nigel Thomas. Layaway Child is a luminous debut short story collection by award-winning writer Chanel Sutherland that explores the emotional landscapes of Caribbean families fractured by migration, especially the harrowing yet resilient journeys of Black girls and women. In lyrical, linked stories, Sutherland traces the lives of mothers working abroad as housekeepers and nannies, and the children they left behind. From lush island childhoods marked by absence and community, to the cold, alienating spaces of Canadian cities, Layaway Child captures the complexity of growing up between worlds. A mother, newly arrived in Montreal, is kept from speaking to her daughters by her own mother's misguided attempt to help her let go of home. A schoolgirl becomes a spectacle under the gaze of white classmates. Sutherland brings deep compassion and sharp insight to each moment. Chanel Sutherland is a Vincentian Canadian writer who won the 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize and the 2022 CBC Short Story Prize and was named one of CBC Books 30 Writers to Watch in 2022. She was also the overall winner of the 2025 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. H. Nigel Thomas came to Canada from St Vincent and the Grenadines in 1968 and is a retired professor of U.S. literature, author of numerous essays and fifteen books, and a co-founder of Lectures Logos Readings. His fiction focuses on queer themes, parent-child relationships in Canada and the Caribbean. He has received many awards, including the 2022 Canada Council John Molson Prize for the Arts. Masks are not required, but will be provided for free at the door. For elevator access, please contact us at least a day in advance of the event.

Book swapping event. Open to anyone - no need to take the pilates class to join the swap. Finish a mat pilates class feeling strong & rejuvenated, then get free new books while drinking a cold Zamalek.