Literary Evening

The second day of the Summit continues with a literary evening presented in collaboration with the Frye Festival, in an intimate, vibrant and welcoming atmosphere, carried by the musical accompaniment of Maggie Savoie.

The evening will open with a panel discussion hosted by Philip André Collette, featuring Jean-Paul Daoust, Pierre-André Doucet, Shayne Michael Thériault and Xénia Gould. Together, they will explore queer realities in urban and rural settings, self-discovery, representation, social pressures, and forms of resistance in the face of attempts at erasure.

The evening will continue with readings and performances, punctuated by musical interludes from Maggie Savoie, through stories where joy, memory, identity, belonging and affirmation intersect.

An accomplished theatre artist and seasoned performing arts educator, Philip André Collette (he/him) is the new Artistic Director and Co-General Director of Théâtre l’Escaouette. An actor, director, and creator of artistic projects, his professional career has taken him from theatre to dance, film to opera, as well as teaching and interpreting natural and cultural heritage. A proud member of the rural 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Philip André lives in Champdoré, Mi’kma’ki, in the district of Siknikt, with his partner Jason, surrounded by wild flora and the Acadian forest.

Jean-Paul Daoust (he/him) has published more than fifty poetry collections, two novels and a book of short prose. Winner of the Governor General's Award for Les cendres bleues, he is a major figure in francophone poetry. His work explores themes such as melancholy, love, death, modernity and homosexuality.

A pianist, writer, translator and comedian, Pierre-André Doucet (he/him) is the author of Sorta comme si on était déjà là and Des dick pics sous les étoiles, both published by Prise de parole. In fall 2026, his translation of Len & Cub: A Queer History will be released by Éditions Perce-Neige.

A member of the Wolastoqiyik First Nation of Madawaska, Shayne Michael Thériault (il/lui) is Wolastoqew and Acadian. Trained in dramatic arts, directing and dramaturgy, he is a writer, screenwriter and actor. His first poetry collection, Fif et sauvage, won the Indigenous Voices Award.

Xénia Gould (she/her) is an actor, poet, drag performer, and comedian from Acadia. After completing a degree in Drama Studies at Mount Allison University and pursuing theatre training in Canada and abroad, she has appeared in several screen projects, including MONA, En Tchèque part d’autre qu’icitte, and Ça clique. She has also built a vibrant drag practice through her alter ego Chiquita Mère and continues to develop her writing through poetry, notably in her collection des fleurs comme moi, marked by a voice that is sensual, irreverent, and deeply rooted in her home territory.

A singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Kedgwick, Maggie Savoie (she/her) moves between folk, rock and francophone song, shaped by the poetry of the territories she inhabits. Winner of the 2021 Édith Butler Prize (SPACQ), she has performed at the Francos de Montréal, the Festival acadien de Caraquet and the Festival interceltique de Lorient.