Font

01/10/2024

"To the team, my deepest thanks. It has been such a joy to work with you all, and I will miss you. Linda, you are quite simply an icon, and I have been constantly inspired by your curiosity, your rigour, and your warmth. Deanna, for your meticulousness, your clever insight, and your unceasing care. Edward, for your incredibly fast and thorough editing, your willingness to discuss many of the finer points of ‘voice’, and your unexpected pop-culture references. To Farah and the house9 crew, you rock. To the contributors, and to you, the Font readers – thank you.
It has been a pleasure.”

Say goodbye with us and read "Font Staff Reflect" by Deanna Radford, Edward He and Rachel McCrum

Edward He (Copy Editor), Deanna Radford (Digital Media Editor) and Rachel McCrum (Editor in Chief) were Font’s staff from September 2021 to December 2023.

https://fontmag.ca/issue/writing-from-the-north-shore/article/font-staff-reflect

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Image: Deanna Radford at Font’s ‘live’ Issue, June 2022.
Photo credit: Michael Kovacs

01/05/2024

"The idea behind Font was that writers and other literary artists want not only to create new work but to see it published, out in the world. They need the validation of being published.”

Read "The Story of Font" by Linda Leith

Montreal writer Linda Leith is the founder of Blue Metropolis Foundation and was president and artistic director of the Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival until 2010. She created Linda Leith Publishing | Linda Leith Éditions in 2011. Her most recent book is The Girl from Dream City: A Literary Life (URP, 2021).

https://fontmag.ca/issue/writing-from-the-north-shore/article/a-farewell-from-font

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Canadian Heritage

12/30/2023

"in a region
that is said to have no roads,
how does one find a way
to come back so many times?”

Read "how does one find a way to come back so many times" by Noémie Pomerleau-Cloutier

Noémie Pomerleau-Cloutier is an award winning poet, an embroiderer and a cultural mediator from Baie-Comeau who now lives in Rimouski.

https://fontmag.ca/issue/writing-from-the-north-shore/article/how-does-one-find-a-way-to-come-back-so-many-times

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Canadian Heritage

Image: Mont Parent, Blanc-Sablon Photo credit: Noémie Pomerleau-Cloutier

Image: Mont Parent, Blanc-Sablon Photo credit: Noémie Pomerleau-Cloutier in a region that is said t…

12/26/2023

"Over the course of eighteen months, between the fall of 2021 and winter of 2023, interviews and research were conducted to bring memories, anecdotes, and insights into a storybook-type format. The goal was to create ten to twelve digital heritage capsules that contain stories, images, and recorded voices of topics that clearly helped to define the communities.”

Read "North Shore Heritage Capsules: Insights and Reflections" by Stephen Kohner

Stephen Kohner has been an avid photographer since 1980. He currently lives in Baie-Comeau.

https://fontmag.ca/issue/writing-from-the-north-shore/article/north-shore-heritage-capsules-insights-and-reflections

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Image: Don Goodfellow, Photo credit: Stephen Kohner

12/21/2023

"We are here,
a hopeful people with a future unclear,
divided by lines we can not see,
held back by forces that can never agree.”

Read "Seaglass" by Caitlin Jewelle Rowsell

Caitlin Jewelle Rowsell is an aspiring artist and poet from Harrington Harbour.

https://fontmag.ca/issue/writing-from-the-north-shore/article/seaglass

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Canada Council for the Arts | Conseil des arts du Canada
Canadian Heritage

12/18/2023

"The Reunion at Salmon Bay is the most personal film I’ve ever made. It’s my way of expressing my appreciation to everyone, from George Pell on, who has assisted me during my ongoing voyage of discovery of the Lower North Shore.”

Watch "The Reunion at Salmon Bay" by Louise Abbott

Louise Abbott is an award-winning writer, photographer, and filmmaker from the Eastern Townships of Quebec.

https://fontmag.ca/issue/writing-from-the-north-shore/article/the-reunion-at-salmon-bay

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Canada Council for the Arts | Conseil des arts du Canada
Canadian Heritage

12/15/2023

"I know not
what I’ve come here to find

I’ve never known how to stay in one place
the ground always gives way

the ends of the world
have become my escape”

Read "The Patience of Lichen" by Jeffrey K. Butt

Jeffrey K. Butt is a literary translator based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland.

https://fontmag.ca/issue/writing-from-the-north-shore/article/the-patience-of-lichen

Linda Leith Publishing - Linda Leith Éditions
Canada Council for the Arts | Conseil des arts du Canada
Canadian Heritage

I know not what I’ve come here to find I’ve never known how to stay in one place the ground alwa…

12/14/2023

La dix-septième et dernière édition du magasine anglophone Font est maintenant disponible! 🌊🐚⚓️🚢

https://fontmag.ca/issue/writing-from-the-north-shore/?fbclid=IwAR0e1bSKIsFc1J0lHQ7JcvLUYhex5YVPAZFWkLS5igedldxHP8YD7dVA9uk

"This is a personal treat for me. Although I’ve only made it as far the River Mish-te-shipu— ‘great river’ in Innu-aimun, the language of the Innu, Indigenous people of this region—I adore the salt and wildness of the landscape. Until I can explore further, I’m delighted to let these Coasters tell us about the life in Blanc-Sablon, Harrington Harbour, Baie-Comeau and more." - Rachel McCrum, Font Editor-in-Chief

💡 En savoir plus sur Font : https://fontmag.ca/issue/writing-from-the-north-
🔍 Lire ou relire la toute première édition intitulée Young Black Writers : https://fontmag.ca/issue/young-black-writers/

12/11/2023

"There are endless reasons to love this region, including its breathtaking scenery, the kindness of its people, and both its cultural and historical significance that date back nine millennia."

Read "Between two worlds: Living on the border" by Jake Letto

Jake Letto is a young writer from the Lower North Shore.

https://fontmag.ca/issue/writing-from-the-north-shore/article/between-two-worlds-living-on-the-border



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Canada Council for the Arts | Conseil des arts du Canada
Canadian Heritage

12/06/2023

The Fall Issue, entitled Writing from the North Shore, is now live!

https://fontmag.ca/issue/writing-from-the-north-shore/

Well, here it is – the seventeenth and last edition of Font. Just over two years from our first Issue – Young Black Writers – and we are incredibly proud of what has been published in this time. You can read more about the story of how Font came to be from LLP/Font publisher Linda Leith, as well as some final reflections from the Font staff.

But let’s celebrate our final issue: writing from the North Shore of Quebec! This is a personal treat for me. Although I’ve only made it as far the River Mish-te-shipu— ‘great river’ in Innu-aimun, the language of the Innu, Indigenous people of this region—I adore the salt and wildness of the landscape. Until I can explore further, I’m delighted to let these Coasters tell us about the life in Blanc-Sablon, Harrington Harbour, Baie-Comeau and more. Jake Letto takes us right up to the Quebec-Labrador border, with its associated time-related complexities, while Caitlin Jewelle Rowsell gives us an unforgettable metaphor for the resilience of those who live on the edge. Stephen Kohner’s reflection on the Heritage Capsule project opens up the stories of seniors and community since the 1950s, and Louise Abbott’s Reunion at Salmon Bay is a beautiful reflection on her enduring ties to the area. Finally, Baie-Comeau-born poet Noémie Pomerleau-Cloutier’s work from her award winning collection La Patience du Lichen (La Peuplade, 2021) appears in a new translation by Jeffrey K. Butt, and also in an original poem in English.

We hope, as always, that you enjoy.

Rachel McCrum

Rachel McCrum is the editor of Font.

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Canada Council for the Arts | Conseil des arts du Canada
Canadian Heritage