Blue Metropolis
Literary Festival

Experience the power of words at the 28th edition of this international festival

March 25, 2026

Montreal’s spring looks rich indeed for lovers of words: in April, the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival returns for a 28th edition dedicated to dialogue and hope. The Youth Festival runs from April into early May, with 150 authors and mediators and 110 events in nine different languages.

For this 28th edition, programming unfolds in nine languages, with a strong presence of English, French and Spanish. Voices from France, Switzerland, Italy, Ukraine, Sweden, Antigua, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Catalonia, and, of course, all across Canada converge here. The aim is to create a true meeting place where Indigenous and non‑Indigenous perspectives, queer and straight experiences, and neurotypical and neurodivergent viewpoints intersect.

Blue Metropolis champions diversity of viewpoints and freedom of expression..

Once again, public interviews, panel discussions, readings, debates, performances, films and master classes will follow one another over a single weekend for the delight of authors and audiences alike. On the program: meetings and workshops led by children’s authors in several Montreal libraries, institutions, specialized schools and other organizations, as well as a new exhibition, Draw Me a Sun, presented in four city libraries. Blue Metropolis champions diversity of viewpoints and freedom of expression.

A multilingual, resolutely engaged festival

In a world saturated with noise, conflict and disinformation, the festival is taking on a particularly timely theme this year: Words for Understanding One Another. More than 150 authors, thinkers, translators, journalists and artists from Quebec, Canada and abroad will gather in Montreal to reflect, debate, tell stories and, above all, forge connections through literature. An online program will be available as of April 13, allowing audiences near and far to take part in the conversations.

“At a time when all eyes are turned toward the courageous peoples of Iran and Ukraine, it is more necessary than ever to hear first-hand testimony,” notes Director of Programming Marie-Andrée Lamontagne, pointing to the expected presence of Azar Nafisi and Ukrainian poet Lyuba Yakimchuk. For William St‑Hilaire, Executive and Artistic Director, the central question remains our ability truly to listen to one another: “Social media are overflowing, and information circulates nonstop, but are we still able to hear what someone is really trying to tell us? Today, we must find the words to finally get along.”

Literary prizes and major encounters

Blue Metropolis is known for its impressive array of literary prizes celebrating both established writers and new voices. In 2026, Cuban author Leonardo Padura will leave Havana to receive the Premio Metropolis Azul for his body of work, notably his crime series featuring detective Mario Conde. Iranian essayist Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, will receive the Words to Change the World Prize, while Sámi novelist and journalist Ann‑Helén Laestadius will be awarded the First Peoples Prize – International Edition for her trilogy echoing the cultural erasure experienced by many Indigenous communities.

‘Social media are overflowing and information circulates nonstop, but are we still able to hear what someone is truly trying to tell us? We need to find the words again so that, at last, we can understand one another.’

The Planet Literature Prize will go to British writer Wyl Menmuir for his works on forests and seas, while Canadian‑Trinidadian author Shani Mootoo will receive the Violet Prize for her entire oeuvre, including the recent Starry Starry Night. Quebec comic-book creator Guy Delisle, known for Pyongyang, Burma Chronicles and Jerusalem, will be honoured with the Future and Society Prize, which recognizes creators whose work helps imagine a more just future. A joint Blue Metropolis / Conseil des arts de Montréal prize will also spotlight new literary voices from immigrant backgrounds that enrich Montreal’s literature.

Thematic programs, screenings and evening events

Flagship series return: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry, Graphic Novels; Ecology; History and Society; Mental Health and Well‑Being; Performance and Film, as well as the much-anticipated Eleanor Wachtel at Blue Metropolis series, where the famed host will speak with Jamaica Kincaid, Brandon Taylor and, virtually, with Miriam Toews.

The festival is also teaming up with several guest curators. Writer and poet Tara McGowan‑Ross signs Indigenous Writers in the City – A Welcome Disruption, an evening devoted to urban Indigenous voices. Curtis McRae presents Literary Speed Dating, where authors change seats as quickly as they trade ideas, while Christopher DiRaddo leads Chosen Ties: Queer Stories of Family, Found and Forged, alongside drag queen Misty Waterfalls. Two striking documentaries will be screened: Rule of Stone by Danae Elon and Sewâtisiwin / They Are Sacred by Kim O’Bomsawin, on autism in Indigenous cultures.

Among partner events, highlights include the eagerly awaited launch of Melissa Auf der Maur’s book Even the Good Girls Will Cry, a concert‑reading by Irena Klepfisz and an improvised-writing workshop, Writer’s Block, accompanied by live jazz.

Voices from here and emerging writers from everywhere

Alongside international guests, many authors from Quebec and the rest of Canada will be in the spotlight. Claire Cameron, Ayelet Tsabari, Blaise Ndala, Barbara Sibbald, Andreas Kessaris, Dominique Fortier, Ouanessa Younsi, Katia Belkhodja, and sisters Arizona and Heather O’Neill will offer readings, interviews, and discussions on belonging, memory, and multiple identities.

‘In a world saturated with noise, conflict and disinformation, this year the festival has chosen a particularly timely theme: Words for Understanding One Another.’

A panel titled Belonging: Who Really Belongs in Quebec? will bring together Kim Thúy, Toula Drimonis, Guy Rex Rodgers and Francine Pelletier to explore integration and the sense of belonging in Quebec. Meanwhile, the TD‑Blue Metropolis Children’s Festival will offer stimulating programming for children and teens across the province, and the April 23 benefit evening, Pleasure and Passion, will raise funds for the Foundation’s educational programs.

Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival

April 23 to 26, 2026
HOTEL10, 10 Sherbrooke St. West

Many events are free; paid tickets start at $8, and a Festival Pass is available at the special price of $35 until March 31 ($50 thereafter), including a $25 discount at Paragraphe bookstore, the official bookseller on site.

Practical information: bluemetropolis.org/practical-info
Full program: bluemetropolis.org/2026festival

Tickets

Feature image courtesy of Blue Metropolis