SOS: Become an Argonaut!

Taking a page from fellow Montréal-based poet and educator Oliver Porter and sharing this very important fundraiser for Montréal's oldest English-bookstore.

I grew up running around downtown Montréal and have witnessed so many bookstores and librairies evaporate throughout my too-brief three+ decades. The Argo is one of the only bookstores left I remember going to as a kid that's still around (I am still mourning Marché du livre coin Maisonneuve St. Hubert — where I bought all my Sailor Moons and Yoko Tsunos!)

If you love literature, if you love books, if you love independent bookstores, I hope you'll consider becoming an Argonaut by supporting their fundraiser!

Commercial rents in Shaughnessy Village have been absurdly out of control for over a decade now: despite being one of the most densely-populated areas of Montréal, relying on foot traffic has simply not been enough for most businesses in the area. So many interesting businesses have closed, and with them Montréal's downtown continues to become more and more sterile, alienating, inaccessible — while the corporate landlords enjoy the tax breaks afforded to them for their boarded-up storefronts as they wait for yet another corporation who can afford the rent to come around.

The Argo states on their fundraiser page that they need to raise at least 15k (Canadian; which means that if you are abroad, tossing a coin to your bookstore will go much further here!) To ensure their survival, I'd really like the Argo to raise double that. Which is why, if you could do me a favour and forward this post (or the link to the fundraiser directly!) to a few people, I'd really appreciate it.

Be kind to one another, and until next time!