Queer Académie : la sélection - Fierté littéraire

A dazzling start to Fierté littéraire’s summer programming

June 18, 2025 — Fierté littéraire kicked off its summer programming with Queer Académie — The Selection, the first stage of a contest that will award a publishing contract to the winner.

A one-of-a-kind literary contest.
A friendly competition inspired by The Voice and Star Académie with a literary twist.
This is Queer Académie
Hosted by Barbada.

During this first stage, three teams (or “houses,” as Barbada prefers to call them) made up of three recruits each were formed. Under the mentorship of three coaches, the nine recruits will face three challenges that will determine who—she, he, or they—will receive the publishing contract, courtesy of Éditions TNT.

The three mentors are formidable literary forces:

Jonathan Bécotte, author of several novels and children's books;

Sylvie Payette, a politically engaged author of several novels, children’s books, and TV dramas (Chambres en ville);

Alex Viens, author of *Les pénitences*, soon to be adapted for the big screen.

They selected their recruits anonymously. Each mentor read the texts, which were identified only by a number. And on stage, it was actress Stéphanie Desrochers who also didn’t know the participants’ identities.

A surprise this year: Barbada, who also read the anonymized texts, chose her personal favorite—Gaétan Krakus for his piece *Je me choisis*. She awarded him a $75 gift certificate to the bookstore L’Euguélionne.