Bookish anarchy

For those of you still a little confused about all this anarchy business, this weekend will provide an opportunity to get the lowdown on the lingo, meet the big names, and read all about it. The third annual Montreal Anarchist Book and Freedom Fair is the way to both introduce wide-eyed novices to the philosophy/movement/scene and an opportunity to discuss anarchy’s whithers and wherefores.

“We’ve been putting on the Festival of Anarchy all month long,” says Blake McGreevy, a member of the collective organizing the event. “We’ve had different presentations, workshops, movie showings and poetry readings, and the book fair is basically the culmination of it all.”

There’s a lot more to the book fair than books. The three-day event begins Friday evening with a five-person panel entitled “Visions of Anarchy,” featuring members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), the Northeast Federation of Anarcho-Communists (NEFAC), Anti-Capitalist Convergence (CLAC) and others. The next day features, aside from the actual book fair, a series of workshops on basic introductions to anarchy and anarchism, as well as eco-libertarianism and pirate radio broadcasting. Sunday is another day of workshops, “which will have more debate and more thought-provoking questions,” McGreevy says.

The Anarchist Book and Freedom Fair takes place at 1710 Beaudry. All events are free, although donations are appreciated. Doors to the book fair open at 10 a.m. For more information, contact The Alternative Bookstore at 844-3207 or e-mail lombrenoire@tao.ca, or visit www.tao.ca/~lombrenoire. :

—Patrick Lejtenyi