The past ten months have forced everyone to come to grips with issues around accessibility that the disability community has been expressing for a very long time. Be it work, school, or bookstore events, most things we encounter in our day-to-day lives have been designed with a narrow scope of who can fully access and engage with them. Universal Design seeks to remove these barriers and create things (buildings, events, curricula, etc) that are accessible to everyone.

For our next disability series event, we welcome Dr. Beverly Barkon, an expert educator in Universal Design and accessibility, to talk about design without barriers and what all of our experience with the pandemic can teach us about accessibility. Although the idea of Universal Design isn't new - similar notions have existed since at least the 1960s - broader awareness and implementation still have a long way to go. Come learn about Universal Design with us!

The event is Thursday, January 28, at 7 PM Eastern. This is a free, ticketed event: click our Eventbrite link here to register! If you have any difficulties, please email events @ argobookshop . ca. 

Please note that this event (like all our events!) will be captioned. If you have any other accessibility concerns, email us at events @ argobookshop . ca and we'll do what we can.
 

Dr. Beverly Barkon has been a faculty member at New Jersey City University in special education and in Project Mentor — a support program for college students with disabilities. A retired professor of special education at Carlow University, Pittsburgh, PA, Dr. Barkon has served as an educational liaison in the pediatric neuro-oncology clinic at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. In addition, she has been an expert witness in administrative law courts. She has presented at national and international conferences on the learning experiences and transition needs of survivors of pediatric cancers. Dr. Barkon also volunteers as a mentor/angel for Imerman’s Angels, a one-on-one support program for newly diagnosed cancer patients. 
 

Dr. Barkon earned her Ph.D. in communication disorders, field of learning disabilities from Northwestern University and has a Masters in Studies in Law in the areas of education and disability law from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

The Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu around the year 1000, is often considered the world's first novel. Her story of the Shining Prince of the Imperial Court and his life, culture, and relationships with women, has stood the test of time and forms an important piece of the foundation of Japanese literature.

For 2020, the Japan Book Club, presented in collaboration between the Argo and JETAA Q/A, is meeting monthly to discuss this important and still lively work. You can read the complete Tale of Genji in any of its English translations, by Arthur Waley, Edward Seidensticker, Royall Tyler, or Dennis Washburn; we have all of them available for sale. You can also choose to read it in French or other languages, if you prefer.

In our final edition, we will wrap up our discussion of the work as a whole and look at its impact on Japanese art and culture. If you are interested in joining us, please email us at events@argobookshop.ca for the link. Please join us for this trip through a historic yet timeless tale!

The Argo presents its February reading series event of local prose, poetry, and music, curated by Ilona Martonfi. Please email us at events @ argobookshop . ca for the Zoom link!

Our lineup for this event:
Louise Dupré published 20 books, including The Haunted Hand (La main hantée), translated by Donald Winkler, published by Guernica Editions 2020.
Ilona Martonfi is an editor, poet, curator & activist, her most recent poetry book is Salt Bride (Inanna, 2019). Forthcoming, The Tempest (Inanna, 2022).
Blossom Thom’s poems document Black experiences while playing with form. Her poetry has appeared in Montréal Serai, Kola, and elsewhere.
Kelly Norah Drukker is the author of the award-winning poetry collection Small Fires. She is currently at work on new poetry and nonfiction.
Brian Campbell, poet/singer- songwriter/editor/translator, latest collections, Shimmer Report & Passenger Flight. briancampbell.ca
Ann Lambert has been a playwright and teacher for over 35 years, and has just published her second novel.
Cora Siré is a poet, novelist and author of three books, including Behold Things Beautiful (Signature Editions, 2016).
Emily Tristan Jones has been in The Puritan, Harvard Review, Vallum, and elsewhere. She facilitates for QWF and is editor of Columba.

Looking for a beautiful and emotional read as the cold weather stretches on in Montreal? The Argo Bookshop, in conjunction with the JET Alumni Association of Quebec and Atlantic Canada, will be hosting its winter Japan Book Club on February 25.

For this meeting, we'll be discussing Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Kawaguchi Toshihiko. This story focuses on a café located in the backstreets of Tokyo, with a long history of brewing coffee spanning over a century. But there's more than caffeine available here - you also have a chance to travel back in time. There's a catch, though. You can only go back for as long as the coffee is still warm. Over one summer, four different customers take the trip. Sweet, wistful, and mysterious, this book is a perfect winter read.

Join us online via Zoom for a lively discussion of a heartwarming and quirky piece of Japanese literature! Email us at events @ argobookshop.ca for the link. You can read the book in any language. You're also welcome to come if you haven't read the book, but there will be spoilers.