Parts of my father's family moved south to Rhode Island from Quebec, and I always like to claim myself half French-Canadian as a result. The truth is, I know very little about the area, and I have never visited. When my father was a boy, he went back to the land where his own father once lived, and his stories of his family there, and his spoken memories of that one trip conjure up my own ideas of what life must've been like. Who knows how accurate these images are--memory passed down from one person to another can't always be relied upon--but it fuels me with a great desire to visit the area where my father's family came from. I hope one day soon to take my own family pilgrimage to Quebec.

And it's obvious that the region has not affected just me, as this quarter's spotlight welcomes many people's outlooks on the region, from one person's love letter recalling her one, fleeting visit to Montreal, to poetry that captures, in few words, what Quebec means to many people. There's plenty of photography too. Take the time to read about Quebec, and to dream up your own reason to visit.

Welcome to the January Quarter Spotlight: Quebec, Canada.

April Spotlight: Local Festivals. Submission Deadline: March 15 , 2006.
Click here for Submission Guidelines.

Montreal Montage
by Catherine Skrzypinski

At first glance, Montreal appears to be a quaint, European-esque city in the heart of North America. Vieux-Montreal, with its narrow cobblestone streets, charming outdoor cafes and 18th-century wooden houses, invites comparisons with France. In fact, French is the lingua franca of the city--most Quebecers greet visitors and natives alike with a bonjour, and then quickly switch to English for tourists ordering a heaping platter of poutine (a popular snack of French fries with fresh cheese curds, covered in hot gravy).

to see Montreal Montage

Old Quebec Barn at Recall
by Tom Sheehan

The motley barn, like an old stain
gone haywire, is a dread easel.
Knots, carved into walls like old
promises, wait for quick campfires
or late hearths, warmth from Earth’s
beginning, from Laurentian spread.

to read all of Old Quebec Barn at Recall

The Richelieu
by Habeeb Salloum

The rain was pouring when we left Montreal to begin our journey to the Richelieu Valley - a region full of history and modern day tourist sites. It had not let up when, after an hour drive, our bus stopped in front of a boathouse in the Lake Saint-Pierre archipelago at the merging of the St. Lawrence, Yamaska and Richelieu Rivers. Quickly our group of twelve scurried into the boathouse and were soon donning bright yellow rainsuits. As we walked down to a tiny dock where two small boats were waiting for us, one of our group members remarked, "Look at us! Don't we look like penguins waddling to the water?"

to read all of The Richelieu

Mama Montréal
by Rachael K. LeValley

A lot of people whisper the name Montréal because it is such a special place.

Before moving to Paris, I was planning on moving to Montréal to live forever. But I told myself I had to see more of the world before settling down. Now, a year later, Paris has been hard on this ole nomad. I took some beatings, and I won’t be moving anywhere else for a while. So I live with this longing for Montréal, and whenever I hear the magic word, Montréal, my head pops up, my eyes grow wide, I smile.

to read all of Mama Montréal

Of Canadian Émigrés
by Tom Sheehan

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