Robarts Connects: A Critical Look at Substack 
as a Publishing Path
I Published Anyway: A Critical Look at Substack 
as a Publishing Path
Thursday, 12 November 2026
10:00 - 11:30am |
This workshop explores the publishing journey of an oral history project that traces fifty years of gay life in Toronto's Church-Wellesley Village. About how the book What's Queer About Gay? found its home on Substack when traditional academic pathways stalled.
The presentation highlights the urgency of preserving older voices in a timely manner, the responsibility of sharing them, and the moment of realizing the wait for academic and commercial publishers meant letting stories fade.
The presentation invites attendees to consider how alternative publishing platforms can honour community memory and keep vital histories alive, while also examining Substack's limitations.
Register for this free online discussion here:
Dr. Gary Myers has a PhD in history from 91ÑÇÉ« and is a research associate at the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies at 91ÑÇÉ«. Gary was born in Toronto and has had a lifelong interest in Toronto history, particularly LGBTQ2+ history, and has witnessed the changes in the city's development since the 1960s.
