History is rarely a smooth, unbroken narrative. More often, it is a tapestry woven from the threads we choose to remember—and the ones we are encouraged to forget. For decades, Montreal-based author, editor, and cultural advocate Licia Canton has dedicated her literary career to tugging at those forgotten threads. Through her groundbreaking anthologies, her leadership at Accenti Magazine, and her deep community advocacy, Canton has become a vital custodian of difficult histories, shattering cultural silences within the Italian-Canadian diaspora and the broader Canadian landscape.

Unearthing the Trauma of WWII Internment

For many Canadians, the domestic impact of the Second World War remains a footnote in textbooks. But on June 10, 1940, when Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King declared war on Italy, the lives of thousands of ordinary Italian-Canadians changed overnight. Under the War Measures Act, over 30,000 Italian-Canadians were officially labeled “enemy aliens.” Approximately 600 men—fathers, shop owners, laborers, and community leaders—were arrested without charge and sent to internment camps, primarily in Petawawa, Ontario.

The trauma of this displacement rippled through families for generations, shrouded in deep shame and forced silence. Canton’s work has been monumental in breaking this collective amnesia. By curating and editing vital volumes like Beyond Barbed Wire, Canton provided a creative and critical canvas for survivors, descendants, and writers to process this historical scar.

Here & Now: Shattering the Ultimate Cultural Taboo

While archiving the internment camps required looking backward into institutional history, Canton’s more recent editorial projects look directly at contemporary cultural barriers. In traditional Mediterranean diaspora communities, discussions surrounding gender identity and sexual orientation have long been kept behind closed doors. The pressure to conform to strict familial structures often left LGBTQ+ individuals isolated at the crossroads of their heritage and their truth.

Canton directly challenged this silence by editing the historic anthologies Here & Now: Volume 1 and Volume 2 (published in 2021 and 2024). These volumes represent the most comprehensive, unapologetic collections of queer Italian-Canadian voices to date.

The impact of Here & Now extends far beyond the written word. It gave rise to the 2021 documentary film, Creative Spaces: Queer and Italian Canadian, which visualized the safe havens writers build when traditional spaces reject them. By bringing these narratives into the light, Canton’s editorial work acts as a form of cultural activism—proving that one does not have to choose between their cultural identity and their authentic self.

Healing One Word at a Time

Whether navigating the generational fallout of wartime internment or the deeply personal journey of coming out, Canton’s underlying philosophy remains consistent: storytelling is an act of survival and healing. Through her community writing workshops, she actively guides individuals to explore childhood memories, culinary heritage, and difficult personal crossroads.

Canton reminds us that history isn’t just made by prime ministers or historic decrees. It is carried in the quiet spaces, the kitchens, the whispered family secrets, and the pages of independent anthologies. By giving writers the courage to speak, she ensures that Canada’s literary mosaic is genuinely complete.