Lunchtime Series

The Atwater Library Lunchtime Series features once-a-week presentations by leading writers, musicians, intellectuals, scientists, and many more people sharing their knowledge and experience with the Atwater Library community. Lunchtime Series events usually take place on Thursdays (but sometimes are on other days), from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. Admission is free though we do appreciate donations! Everyone is welcome and we serve coffee and biscuits.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, September 28, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IN PERSON AND NY ZOOM: EATING WELL – Cookbook author and restaurant reviewer Lesley Chesterman talks about what makes a delicious meal.
To REGISTER and get the Zoom link, click here.

Thursday, October 5, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IN PERSON AND BY ZOOM: QUEBEC’S LOWER NORTH SHORE – Filmmaker Louise Abbott presents documentary shorts about the Quebec Lower North Shore community of St. Paul’s River and the island of Bonne Esperance.
To REGISTER and get the Zoom link, click here.

Thursday, October 12, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IN PERSON AND BY ZOOM: Art historian Sandra Paikowsky gives an illustrated talk on her new book James Wilson Morrice: Paintings and Drawings of Venice.
To REGISTER and get the Zoom link, click here.

Thursday, October 19, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IN PERSON AND BY ZOOM:  CRIME FICTION – Anne J. (A.J.) Fotheringham, Ann Lambert, Michael Kent and Russell Brooks of Crime Writers of Canada discuss the mystery and crime genre, and talk about their own work.
To REGISTER and get the Zoom link, click here.

Thursday, October 26, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IN PERSON AND BY ZOOM:  GOLD’S ROUNDS – Phil Gold recounts stories of his remarkable life and discusses his newly-published memoir Gold’s Rounds: Medicine, McGill, and Growing Up Jewish in Montreal. Dr. Gold’s early research led to the discovery and definition of the Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA), and the subsequent CEA blood test. This was the first blood test for cancer sanctioned by the FDA, and then internationally, and still the most frequently used test in the diagnosis and management of patients with cancer.
To REGISTER and get the Zoom link, click here.

Thursday, November 9, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IN PERSON AND BY ZOOM: To mark REMEMBRANCE DAY, author Alan Hustak gives a talk on his book Faith Under Fire: Frederick G. Scott, Canada’s Extraordinary Chaplain of the Great War. To REGISTER and get the Zoom link, click here.

Thursday, November 16, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IN PERSON AND BY ZOOM: Kahnawake Grand Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, Guest of Honour for the 2023 St. Andrew’s Ball, gives a public talk.
In collaboration with the St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal.
To REGISTER and get the Zoom link, click here.

Thursday, November 23, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IN PERSON AND BY ZOOM:  MONTREAL’S ARCHITECTURAL LEGACY – Peter Lanken gives an illustrated presentation on the life and work of Victor Bourgeau, the great 19th century Montreal architect.
To REGISTER and get the Zoom link, click here.

Thursday, November 30, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IN PERSON AND BY ZOOM: Bestselling author Adam Shoalts gives an illustrated talk on his new book Where the Falcon Flies about his 3,400 km solo journey from Lake Erie to the Arctic.
To REGISTER and get the Zoom link, click here.

Thursday, December 7, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IN PERSON AND BY ZOOM: Inspirational singer Barbara Lewis and Toronto-based pianist and singer Doug Balfour perform a variety of Christmas music.
To REGISTER and get the Zoom link, click here.

Past 2023 Events

Thursday, January 12, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Yuliia Ivaniuk, Coordinator of the Centre for Ukrainian Canadian Studies at the University of Manitoba, discusses the making of modern Ukraine and puts into context Ukrainians’ response to the war the Russians are waging.

Thursday, January 19, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Dr. Richard Fraser, McGill University Professor of Pathology and Director of the Maude Abbott Medical Museum, gives an entertaining talk on “The Maude Abbott Medical Museum Lost and Found Department.”

Thursday, January 26, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
A presentation on Road Scholar, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring adults to learn, discover and travel. Find out about possibilities for fun and educational adventures.

Thursday, February 2, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
FINDING MEANING and PURPOSE in EVERYDAY LIFE – Life Purpose Coach Jackie Roberge discusses how to identify and integrate activities and behaviours into daily life to increase fulfillment and contribute to a better world. She will give examples of how to share your gifts and talents no matter what your age and stage in life.

Thursday, February 9, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Author Marc Raboy gives a presentation on his book Looking for Alicia: The Unfinished Life of an Argentinian Rebel, winner of the Quebec Writers’ Federation’s 2022 Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-fiction.

FRIDAY, February 17, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
To celebrate BLACK HISTORY MONTH, the IMANI Gospel Singers, directed by Marcia Bailey, perform a program of spiritual music and discuss the evolution of Black gospel music.

Thursday, February 23, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Author Mark Abley gives a presentation on his new book, Strange Bewildering Time: Istanbul to Kathmandu in the Last Year of the Hippie Trail. With financial assistance from the Canada Council for the Arts through The Writers’ Union of Canada.

WEDNESDAY, March 1, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Author Amal Elsana-Alh’jooj discusses her inspiring memoir Hope is a Woman’s Name. “The book covers a journey that has taken her from a childhood herding sheep in her own Bedouin village in the Negev desert to a life of international activism for peacemaking and minority rights.” — review in Policy Magazine.

Thursday, March 9, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IRISH MUSIC for ST. PATRICK’S DAY – Musician, ethnomusicologist, and author Craig Morrison discusses the historical context of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and the backgrounds of some traditional and popular Irish songs. Illustrated with slides and live and recorded music.

Thursday, March 16, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
IRISH CELEBRATION – Concordia University Irish Diaspora Professor Jane McGaughey profiles the podcast The Irish in Canada.

Thursday, March 23, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Dr. Joe Schwarcz, the popular author and Director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, gives a talk on “Science in the Movies.”

Thursday, March 30, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Author Mary Soderstrom discusses her new book Against the Seas: Saving Civilizations from Rising Waters.

Thursday, April 13, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Shelley Pomerance discusses her translation into English of François Gravel’s memoir, Colonel Parkinson in Charge: A Wry Reflection on My Incurable Illness.

Thursday, April 20, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Amanda Kellock, Artistic and Executive Director of Repercussion Theatre, discusses Shakespeare’s enduring appeal and shares plans for Repercussion’s upcoming season.

Thursday, April 27, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Historian Sam Allison gives an illustrated presentation on Montreal’s Victoria Bridge, constructed between 1854 and 1859 and still in use.

Thursday, May 4, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Mark Gallop gives an illustrated presentation on “The St. Lawrence Waterway Project: From Colonial Canals to the Seaway.”

Thursday, May 11, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
McGill University Library’s Christopher Lyons gives an illustrated talk on “Making Black Canadian History: The Life and Collections of Montrealer Roy States (1919-1980).”

Thursday, May 18, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Filmmaker, journalist and writer Josh Freed gives a talk on his children’s book Bicycle Bob and the Bike Revolution and tells stories about the exuberant Montreal activist who’s the subject of the book.

Thursday, May 25, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Award-winning journalist and author Julian Sher discusses his new book The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots against Lincoln.

Thursday, June 1, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Amber Berson, Executive Director of the Visual Arts Centre, gives an illustrated presentation on the bilingual independent art school located in Westmount and its McClure Gallery.

Thursday, June 8, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
For National Indigenous History Month, a public screening of the award-winning short documentary film Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again by Courtney Montour.

Thursday, June 15, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Festival Bloomsday Montréal presents a program of words and music to celebrate the life and work of the great Irish writer James Joyce.

Thursday, September 7, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
THE CHANGING MONARCHY: One Year After the Death of Queen Elizabeth II – Peter McNally, McGill University Professor Emeritus and noted authority on the royal family, reflects on the monarchy one year after the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. He will talk about his experiences in London during the Queen’s funeral and the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.

Thursday, September 14, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
RADISSON – Historian and author Mark Bourrie recounts some of the amazing tales in his book Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, winner of the 2020 RBC Taylor Prize.

Thursday, September 21, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg discusses his new book Patients Matter Most: How Healthcare Is Becoming Personal Again. Dr. Rosenberg is President and CEO of the CIUSSS West-Central Montreal healthcare network.

Please click here to view the events list for January-December 2022.
Please click here to view the events list for January-December 2021.
Please click here to view the events list for January-December 2020.
Please click here to view the events list for September-December 2019.
Please click here to view the events list for January-June 2019.
Please click here to view the events list for September-December 2018.
Please click here to view the events list for January-June 2018.
Please click here to view the events list for August-December 2017.
Please click here to view the events list for January-June 2017.
Please click here to view the events list for September-December 2016.
Please click here to view the events list for January-June 2016.
Please click here to view the events list for September-December 2015.
Please click here to view the events list for January-June 2015.
Please click here to view the events list for September-December 2014.
Please click here to view the events list for January-June 2014.
Please click here to view the events list for September-December 2013.
Please click here to view the events list for January-June 2013.
Please click here to view the events list for September-December 2012.
Please click here to view the events list for January-June 2012.
Please click here to view the events list for September-December 2011.
Please click here to view the events list for January-June 2011.
Please click here to view the events list for September-December 2010.
Please click here to view the events list for January-June 2010.
Please click here to view the events list for September-December 2009.
Please click here to view the events list for January-June 2009.