Away
Culture to Go
We asked guest contributors for their “portable culture” recommendations. Here are their top books, music, and podcasts to take to the lake, to the local park, or on your summer road trip.
Illustrations — Florence Rivest
SARAHMÉE
Rapper and model, she has just released her music video for “Ma peau” off her album Irréversible.
What summer vacation are you planning, if any?
Baie-Saint-Paul: I went there last summer for Festif, and I was swept away by the region and the people there. The city has a lot of charm and character.
What’s your favourite spot to listen to music or podcasts or to read?
Montréal parks. I recently discovered Parc Maisonneuve thanks to some friends, and I fell in love with it. It’s so big that it’s easy to find a quiet place to hang your hammock and read.
Cultural recommendations:
DOCUMENTARY
This 2016 documentary very clearly explains how American law is tied to racism in the U.S. In light of current events, watch it.
MUSIC
This is my most-listened-to album. An American rapper, GoldLink mixes Afro rhythms, trap, and hip hop. I’ve been really inspired by his artistic approach. A must-listen!
BOOK + DOCUMENTARY
I recommend both the book and the Netflix documentary. Michelle Obama is a role model for young black women around the world. Her commitment and journey to the White House will go down in history.
MUSIC
Black Pumas’ self-titled album
I discovered this album this winter. They’re from Texas and make excellent soul music. Listen to it as soon as possible; it works for any occasion.
JOHN WINTER RUSSELL
Chef at restaurant Candide.
(Read his profile here, and his Quarantine Letter here.)
What summer vacation are you planning, if any?
No vacation plans yet; I am hoping to do a lot of day trips to see farmers, cider makers, and winemakers. Maybe a stop at a lake here and there.
What’s your favourite spot to listen to music or podcasts or to read?
My girlfriend and I have a place in Jarry Park under a willow tree that I am particularly fond of.
Cultural recommendations:
MUSIC
Any album. Ever since I saw the NPR Tiny Desk Concert I’ve been hooked.
MUSIC
They are incredible; nothing else needs to be said.
PODCAST
This is one of the most honest, no-holds-barred podcasts about anti-Black racism and white supremacy. Kelechi Okafor is hilarious.
BOOK
For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
I’ve been reading like crazy during lockdown and I had never read Hemingway, so this was my first.
BOOK
The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power, by Desmond Cole
Just read it.
GUILLAUME SIMONEAU
A photographer, he recently published a book, Murder, which we discussed here.
What summer vacation are you planning, if any?
I’ll be in Korea for three months starting in October, so I’ll be staying in Québec all summer. I’m planning on visiting some national parks and wildlife reserves with friends, and I’ll be leaving for Kamouraska soon.
What’s your favourite spot to listen to music or podcasts or to read?
In Montréal: Olmsted Trail in the late afternoon, just above Camillien-Houde with a view over Mount Royal Cemetery, paired with a Sottofondo wine.
Cultural recommendations:
BOOKS
Anything by James Baldwin
I particularly recommend his novel If Beale Street Could Talk, which was recently adapted into a film. I Am Not Your Negro, the book that accompanies the documentary of the same title, provides an intimate context for the Black Lives Matter movement.
BOOK
Words Like Loaded Pistols, by Sam Leith
In a world flooded with stupidity and misinformation, words are a powerful tool not to be underestimated. Sam Leith introduces us to the masters of rhetoric, from Aristotle to Obama.
PODCAST
Radiolab is one of the most stimulating sources of information available. Its range of topics, depth of research, and production quality are near perfect. Also, the quality and originality of Intercepted and The Daily never cease to surprise me.
MUSIC
Because it’s summer and it reminds me of grilling.
CHLOÉ SAVOIE-BERNARD
Writer and Ph.D. student in women’s literature, Chloé is the author of the poetry collection Fastes.
What summer vacation are you planning, if any?
I’m not really taking a vacation this summer because I have to work. I’ll be wandering between my apartment and Montréal parks to meet my friends for a drink and finding life-saving pockets of nature at the Botanical Gardens and Mount Royal.
What’s your favourite spot to listen to podcasts?
I like running early in the morning, and I like running early in the morning even better with podcasts. So, for me, the best place is the streets of Montréal — a visual landscape superimposed with an auditory landscape.
Cultural recommendations:
BOOK
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars, by Kai Cheng Thom
This novel chronicles a young trans woman living in the haunted streets of an imaginary city. Blending magical realism, sisterhood, politics, and love, it’s a Bildungsroman at once hilarious and tragic.
BOOK
L’air proche, by Maude Pilon (available in French only)
In this singular collection of poetry, aphorism-like fragments show what bodies contain of nature, history, and memory. The sentences sound like omens or prayers. It’s a demanding text but written in accessible language.
TV SERIES
This series is about two sisters who, after their mother’s death, have to take over the family bar in East L.A. I’ve rarely been able to access, through television, this community that speaks a blend of Spanish and English. This powerful feminist show breaks through social classes, bringing together queers, straights, young people, and abuelas.
SIMON COUTU
The journalist — and avid camp cooking enthusiast — behind the documentary Cannabis illégal.
What summer vacation are you planning, if any?
The Mer et Monde campground in Les Bergeronnes. It’s a magical place where you camp on rocks overlooking the St. Lawrence River. You’re literally awakened by whales coming up for air just a few meters away. The company also offers amazing sea kayak excursions so that you can see marine mammals even closer up.
What’s your favourite spot to listen to music or podcasts or to read?
The patio of the Tête d’Allumette microbrewery in Saint-André-de-Kamouraska. I think it’s the most beautiful patio in all of Québec. You can gaze at the St. Lawrence and watch the area’s legendary sunsets. Their beer brewed over a wood fire is delicious, but the mosquitoes along the shoreline are gigantic.
Cultural recommendations:
PODCAST
What if the corny ballad “Wind of Change” by the German rock band Scorpions was actually composed by the CIA to speed up the fall of the Iron Curtain? That’s the premise of this riveting podcast that delves into conspiracy theories and the history of espionage.
MUSIC
… At Least My Mom Loves Me, by Maky Lavender
This anglophone rapper from Pierrefonds released his album in February, but COVID-19 got the better of his release show. Maky Lavender has mastered the art of rhyme and flow, creating unique hip hop that deserves to be listened to this summer.
BOOK
Chasing the Scream, by Johann Hari
In Québec and elsewhere, the war on drugs has been wreaking havoc for decades. In this book, Hari describes the catastrophe of drug prohibition. He also visits the countries with the best legalization and decriminalization initiatives. A must-read.
KIM PARISEAU
Founder of APPAREIL Architecture, she is also the mother of three-year-old twins.
What summer vacation are you planning, if any?
I’m going to the water’s edge — lakes, rivers, and kiddie pools. Any excuse will do!
What’s your favourite spot to listen to music or podcasts or to read?
I live a short walk from Parc de la Visitation. I love it there, especially taking breaks by the river.
Cultural recommendations:
BOOK
Reinventing Organizations, by Frédéric Laloux
If you’re a boss who wants to change things, there are a lot of helpful books. I particularly liked this one. It may not be much of a vacation read, but it was essential in my search for a business model that’s as human as it is innovative.
PODCASTS
Design:ED and Creative Confidence Podcast
If you like design, these two podcasts offer interviews with internationally renowned creatives. They feed my imagination and get me dreaming of new projects. Architecture and design deserve greater recognition in Québec; being inspired by what people are doing elsewhere will, with time, let us see its importance here too.
BOOK
Forêt: identifier, cueillir, cuisiner, by Ariane Paré-Le Gal and Gérald Le Gal
(Available in French only)
In this forest foraging bible, Ariane and her father, Gérald, have made an inventory of largely unknown local plants to garnish your meals. Not only does this book help you discover new flavours and textures, it also connects you to the land.
VIET TRAN
Founder and editor-in-chief of Sticky Rice e-zine.
What summer vacation are you planning, if any?
People are always surprised by the fact that neither my family nor I have ever gone back to Vietnam since my parents left in 1975, after the war. If the pandemic travel restrictions are lifted, I’d like to go to Vietnam to recharge.
What’s your favourite spot to listen to music or podcasts or to read?
I find nothing more satisfying than secluding myself in a park or by the Lachine Canal to read with a coffee. I intersperse my reading with little meditation sessions.
Cultural recommendations:
BOOK
Minor Feelings, by Cathy Hong Park
Poet Cathy Hong Park attests to the complexity of her experience as a Korean American woman. She names the emotional conflicts that come from her perception of herself in society. She writes in a rather dry style, with a biting sense of humour that I’m fond of.
BOOK
Radical Dharma, by Lama Rod Owens, Rev. angel Kyodo williams, and Jasmine Syedullah
This book proposes that anti-racist activist movements can be accompanied by inner transformation and spiritual liberation. Interesting fact: Lama Rod Owens was granted the title of Lama after a three-year-long silent retreat!
BOOK
How to Change Your Mind, by Michael Pollan
I really believe that we’ll soon be seeing a revolution in the culture of mental health care with the addition of psychedelic drugs to our toolbox. This well-researched book explains the history, neuroscience, and therapeutic potential of these molecules in an open-minded way.
BOOK
Black Skin, White Masks, by Frantz Fanon
This book is a psychological analysis of the consequences of colonialism on the human mind. With its evocative title, it will speak to anyone who has ever felt the need “to act like a white person” to regain a sense of dignity.
FILM
After her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer, a young Asian American woman learns to negotiate the different facets of her identity, largely through a conflict of values between her and the rest of her family. It’s a touching film not to be missed!
KENNY THOMAS
MC and producer under the name Simon 16, he is also the “unofficial mayor of Montréal-Nord.”
What summer vacation are you planning, if any?
Given the pandemic, I thought I’d stay here in Québec and enjoy the wonderful landscape. I might find a cabin not too far away and make music, like a rural artistic residence. Otherwise, Brooklyn is conducive to urban poetry, if the borders reopen and the airline industry takes off [laughs].
What’s your favourite spot to listen to music or podcasts or to read?
There’s no shortage of spots in Montréal! Personally, I like to listen to music in Jarry Park. There’s also La Mort Du Vinyle on Saint-Laurent: it’s a sanctuary for music lovers. If I’m going back to my roots, there’s parc Aimé-Léonard in Montréal-Nord, the neighbourhood where I grew up. It’s along the Rivière des Prairies and perfect on a hot sunny day!
Cultural recommendations:
PODCAST
I love this podcast. The guests are always interesting, and the conversation is frank and uncompromising. Talib Kweli, the host, is one of my greatest songwriting influences. A lot of what he says really hits me, and sometimes some of that winds up in my writing.
MUSIC
A pure summertime delight! It’s festive and playful, with occasional chill notes. It lends itself well to all kinds of occasions. I’d recommend it to anyone!
MUSIC
The song “It’s a Feeling,” by RockLee feat. Mel Pacifico and Uness
It’s perfect for wandering through Montréal or a road trip. I grew up with the producer RockLee in Montréal-Nord. He has a pure and unique talent. This song screams sun and good times.
BOOK
Awakening by Grief, by Liz Hernandez
Author Liz Hernandez sincerely describes her grief over her daughter, who died at the age of 31. This book really touched me; I recommend everyone read it.
RESTAURANT
Located in the heart of Montréal-Nord, La Trouvaille Créole is by far the best Haitian restaurant on the island of Montréal. Everything is excellent! Go for classics like griot or rice and beans (diri ak pwa), or delicacies like tasso or even lambi, which is unbelievably succulent.
AURÉLIE LANCTÔT
Editor-in-chief of Liberté magazine.
What summer vacation are you planning, if any?
I’ll be spending the summer at home in Montréal. Before the pandemic, I had planned on being out of the country for a writing project — it goes without saying that those plans fell through. So, I’m going to be learning to appreciate my balcony and back alley, while watching my plants grow.
What’s your favourite spot to listen to music or podcasts or to read?
Any place is a good place to read or listen to podcasts! All you need is a shaded spot and a chair or blanket to settle in with your book. I love listening to podcasts while I walk, whether that’s in the city or in nature, preferably at night. Walking is perfect for concentrating on what you’re listening to, for letting yourself be lulled by words.
Cultural recommendations:
BOOKS
Carceral Capitalism, by Jackie Wang
The End of Policing, by Alex S. Vitale
Pour elles toutes: Femmes contre la prison, by Gwenola Ricordeau (Available in French only)
To understand the present moment, I recommend these three books. You can read them in any order. They’re the perfect trio for imagining a society without prisons or police violence.
BOOK
Procès Verbal, by Valérie Lefebvre-Faucher (Available in French only)
A sensitive, profound, and committed reflection on the freedom of expression. Valérie Lefebvre-Faucher’s writing is a wonder.
BOOK
The Mushroom at the End of the World, by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
In this essay, anthropologist Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing examines the hidden lives of matsutake pickers. She shows how the cultivation and harvesting of this mushroom can help us think about how to renew the world amid the ruins of capitalism.
DOMINIC TARDIF
An independent journalist — and unrepentant wearer of floral shirts.
What summer vacation are you planning, if any?
I’ll be somewhere between the parc de la Petite-Italie and Lac-Mégantic.
What’s your favourite spot to listen to music or podcasts or to read?
In my bed with wind coming in through the window, a reassuring drink on the bedside table, and the promise of calm settling over me like an old blanket.
Cultural recommendations:
BOOK
A Fortune for Your Disaster, by Hanif Abdurraqib
“How can a Black person write poems about flowers in times like this?” That’s the question that African American writer Hanif Abdurraqib asks in this poetry collection. Yet he refuses that the violence inflicted on his community should deprive him of lightness — one of the many privileges the majority enjoys without even thinking about it. Frivolity should be a universal human right. This poetry collection is as full of hope as the beginning of a summer night.
MUSIC
Objets perdus, by Evelyne Brochu
This album perfectly matches my idea of elegance. My enchantment is owed to Evelyne Brochu’s exquisite voice, which alone would be enough to disarm me, but also the discreet charm of Félix Dyotte’s choruses. He’s among the songwriters who can best translate the fleetingness of all that’s delicious in life into music. In the company of these two, my backyard is instantly transformed into a Roman terrace.
MUSIC
Un bras de distance avec le soleil, by Catherine Leduc
Like mantras, Catherine Leduc’s lyrics are mysterious yet clear, overpowering yet diaphanous. I enter her songs as if entering a soothing trance, where I no longer know if my anxieties are rooted in a legitimate fear of suffering or in my dangerous love of routine. I immediately see things more clearly.
MUSIC
Des heures clandestines, by Jérôme Rocipon
Clandestine hours are the hours you have to steal from life, and without which the everyday becomes but a series of accounts. On this first solo EP, Jérôme Rocipon (formerly of the electro-pop duo Numéro#) contemplates his creative self-doubt and his desire for solitude, as well as the melancholy of hyperconnectivity.
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