Salon du livre des Premières Nations
Indigenous literatures · Quebec City and Wendake, Canada
Indigenous literature
The festival
In Quebec City, every fall, Indigenous literatures have a home — and its name is Kwahiatonhk!, “we write” in Wendat. The organisation, based in Wendake and entirely devoted to developing and promoting Indigenous literatures, created the First Nations Book Fair in 2011. Poetry, stories, tales and legends, novels, theatre, children's books, comics: the Fair gives a stage to First Nations voices, well-known and new, in a gathering on a human scale.
The First Nations Book Fair is the only event of its kind in Canada, and the largest gathering of Indigenous authors in Quebec. Talks, panels, readings, literary shows, signing sessions and family workshops follow one another — not forgetting the Kwahiatonhk! Literary Bingo, the house's signature activity, created at the 2015 edition.
The 15th edition: November 19 to 22, 2026
The 15th edition of the Book Fair will take place from Thursday, November 19 to Sunday, November 22, 2026, mainly at the Maison de la littérature, the Morrin Centre and Méduse's Salle Multi, in Quebec City, with activities in Quebec City libraries and at Café La Maison Smith. Close to 40 Indigenous authors and artists are expected. At the Morrin Centre, the Book Fair Space hosts book sales and signings; new in 2026, its private library welcomes short intimate readings, three times a day from Friday to Sunday.
Love, and great women
The 2026 edition puts love in the spotlight — and the great women of the First Nations, including Magali Picard, Elizabeth Penashue, Anne-Marie Ambroise, Marie-Michèle Sioui and Natasha Kanapé Fontaine. On Thursday, November 19, the Maison de la littérature hosts the symposium “Reading, writing, thinking with the heart: love across Indigenous literatures”, with free, open access. The Fair also welcomes Mats Jonsson, the Swedish author of Sami origin, from November 18 for the opening of the exhibition Quand nous étions des Samis (When We Were Sami) at the Bibliothèque Félix-Leclerc.
Three evenings at the Salle Multi
On Thursday, the opening evening Tanite etain?: an exclusive reading by Michel Jean, accompanied by musicians Marc Vallée and Christian Paré Bastien. On Friday, the literary happening Yonnonhwe', under the sign of love, brings together Émilie Monnet, Shayne Michael and Soleil Launière, among others. On Saturday, the traditional Kwahiatonhk! Literary Cabaret welcomes Jocelyn Sioui, Waubgeshig Rice and Uashteskun, with traditional Cree songs by Robert-Falcon Ouellette. Show tickets are on sale at lepointdevente.com.
Good to know
The official website still lists its full programme as “coming soon”: the calendar of activities is already online on the 2026 edition page. Many activities — talks, panels, the symposium, signings — are free, with open access. Kwahiatonhk! is based in Wendake, the Huron-Wendat nation at Quebec City's doorstep, where the Book Fair also shines.
On video
The official “SLPN Kwahiatonhk!” YouTube channel keeps the memory of past editions alive: panels and major interviews recorded at the Maison de la littérature.
“Decolonial love” — a 2024 Book Fair panel, with Marie-Andrée Gill, Alexis Vollant and Moira-Uashteskun Bacon
Interview with Naomi Fontaine — 2025 Book Fair
