December at The Society

As we begin to close out the year, we want to take a moment to reflect on the wonderful creative energy that continues to surround our community. Although The Order of the Written Word now hosts its annual writing challenge independently, we remain a proud sponsor. Watching the event flourish has been a real highlight, especially as the Discord server grew to 747 members in 2025. It is inspiring to see so many writers gathering to create and support one another, all working with their own talent and imagination rather than relying on AI tools. To every participant: we are cheering you on!

Holiday Events and Seasonal Offers

The holidays are right around the corner, and we are excited to share that The Christmas Bird Diary will have a special signing event on December 6th at The Redpath Museum from 1 to 4 pm. Author Matt Poll and artist Dan Svatek will both be on site to sign books, as well as prints of the museum's famous T. rex illustration, which appears inside the book.

If you are shopping online, you can also pick up a seasonal bundle that includes The Christmas Bird Diary in English or French along with your choice of Stygian tea (black, green, or tisane) for 18 dollars. It is a thoughtful gift, especially for anyone with a connection to Montréal.

For anyone new to the story:

Set against the backdrop of a snowy 1960s Montréal, The Christmas Bird Diary follows Mairin Lang, a university student returning home for the holidays. What begins as a typical family Christmas becomes an intriguing scientific mystery when Mairin discovers her late grandfather Murray's ornithological diary.

"A magical tale of snowbirds and a granddaughter's quest. The perfect story to read curled up by a fire with a cup of eggnog in hand. A perfect gift at Christmastime." -Will Ferguson, Giller Prize winning author of 419 and Coal-Dust Kisses: A Christmas Memoir

"It would be hard to find a Christmas story more Canadian than The Christmas Bird Diary. Winter. History. War and Peace. Les oiseaux. And above all else, something quirky - in this, quirky being the revelation of the soul of who we Canadians are and have likely always been. Bravo Matt Poll... Joyeux Noël." -David Bouchard, Governor General’s Award winning author of The Song Within My Heart and the White Raven awarded Aboriginal Carol

Somber Solstice at Marché Maleficarum

The longest night is almost here. You can find The Stygian Society at Marché Maleficarum’s Somber Solstice on Sunday December 21 from 11 to 6. One day only!

Come explore our dark fiction and artist driven, human made publishing for readers who prefer real imagination over algorithms. If you like your stories strange, shadowy, and crafted with intention, stop by and say hello.

Location: 4000 rue St Ambroise, suite 278, Montreal

Entry: Free

See you on solstice Sunday, creatures of the dark!

Zine Update: Submissions Closed

Submissions for our upcoming zine Love Lies Dying are now officially closed. In fact, the response was so strong that we had to close early. Thank you to everyone who submitted. For those who missed the window, we are sorry, but we hope you will keep an eye out for future calls once we reopen.

The zine will be released in early January, and we believe it will stand out as one of our strongest issues yet. A note for contributors and readers: this will be our final zine to feature international authors. Starting in 2026, we will shift to a Canada-only structure as we do some restructuring.

Looking Toward 2026

We also have a bit of early news. After the upcoming zine launch, Stygian will be closed for February and March while we work on a significant facelift for the company. We will share more details in the new year, but we can say that the changes coming in 2026 are shaping up to be exciting ones.

Thank you for being part of our community. We look forward to sharing more soon and wish you all a warm and creative holiday season.

Bird Diary & Tea Bundle

CA$18.00

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