Join co-authors Sabrina Janke and Alex Judge for the launch of Portage and Main: How an iconic intersection shaped Winnipeg's history, politics, and urban life. Hosted by Jen Zorrati, the event will feature a presentation followed by a Q&A and book signing.
https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781773371450/sabrina-janke/portage-and-main
This event will be hosted live in the Atrium of McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park and also available as a YouTube stream: https://youtube.com/live/_2SrOW9Rg40
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Fifty years ago, Portage and Main was closed to pedestrians as part of a downtown renewal project. This left an intersection void of pedestrians, and the promised vision of a revitalized city never came to fruition. In 2025, Portage and Main opened to pedestrians once again. With a city struggling to balance the demands of its sprawling suburbs with its need to invest in downtown, the future of this iconic crossroad is in flux once again.
Winnipeg historians Alex Judge and Sabrina Janke, hosts of the One Great History podcast, describe how open, closed, or somewhere strange and in-between, the intersection’s history reflects the ideas of what Winnipeg is, could be, and has been. Whatever the case, one thing is clear: Portage and Main is far more than just an intersection.
Sabrina Janke is a historian who lives in Winnipeg, whose work has appeared on the CBC, in the Winnipeg Free Press and Prairie History Magazine. She is a recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Heritage Conservation and Promotion. Sabrina spends her free time exploring Winnipeg, crafting, and has become a reluctant birder.
Alex Judge is a Winnipegger born and bred, except for a brief stint living in Montreal and a year in the Cabbagetown district of Toronto. Alex was presented with a Winnipeg 150 medal in 2024 for her work on the podcast. When not at the archives, Alex enjoys crafting, mystery novels and a newfound interest in woodworking.
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