This research seminar will introduce two contemporary poets — one from Quebec, the other from Italy/Switzerland/Belgium — reflecting on their practice within spaces where “national” languages have traditionally thrived, but whose autonomy is today complicated by an increasingly global and largely anglophone cultural context. As writers and theorists, Catherine Morency and Alessandro de Francesco will explore the stakes involved in writing, thinking about and teaching poetry in the current age. After their presentations, they will join a roundtable discussion hosted by Craig Moyes and James Wishart to continue the dialogue with the seminar participants.

Catherine Morency is an award-winning poet and essayist who also teaches literary creation and Québécois literature at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQÀC).

Alessandro De Francesco is a poet, artist, and essayist. He currently teaches at the Bern Academy of the Arts and the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin. His work has been presented at the Kelly Writers House at University of Pennsylvania, the Louis Vuitton Foundation, the Centre Pompidou, the Berlin University of the Arts, and the Kunsthalle Basel.

The event is free, but advance booking is required for external attendees.

Support from the Association internationale des études québécoises is gratefully acknowledged.