Canadian literature has a diversity problem. Major
publishers roll out catalogues full of predominantly white authors. Literary
festivals fall into a pattern of white male headliners. Men review books by men
far more than they review books written by women and non-binary authors.
Diverse voices, whether they’re writers of colour, women, and members of the
LGBTQ community are relegated to the sidelines.
It was from this climate that the Festival of Literary Diversity (The FOLD) was born, a new festival on the literary landscape that
has a mission of creating a vibrant community of readers and writers by
celebrating diverse authors and literature. The inaugural festival took place
in Brampton’s downtown core between May 6-8.
Coming just a few weeks after putting another
successful gritLIT: Hamilton’s Readers and Writers Festival to bed, it was
wonderful to sit back and watch The FOLD team produce an eye-opening and
thoroughly enjoyable festival led by Artistic Director Jael Richardson, whose new
picture book, The Stone Thrower, I’ll
be featuring in the next Hamilton Magazine. I was able to sit in on four sessions, and I've broken them down below.
A
Little Mosque on the Prairie Breakfast
I had never watched an episode of Little Mosque on the Prairie before the FOLD team broadcast one over breakfast before best-selling author and series creator Zarqa Nawaz took the stage. Clever, yet thought-provoking, I quickly became a fan. Nawaz talked about the show and her memoir Laughing All the Way to the Mosque, but also about her plans for the future. I can’t see what she does next.
I had never watched an episode of Little Mosque on the Prairie before the FOLD team broadcast one over breakfast before best-selling author and series creator Zarqa Nawaz took the stage. Clever, yet thought-provoking, I quickly became a fan. Nawaz talked about the show and her memoir Laughing All the Way to the Mosque, but also about her plans for the future. I can’t see what she does next.
PANEL | In The News
Hosted by author Karen Connelly, the In The News panel
featured Canadian authors Farzana Doctor, Jay Pitter, Chase Joynt, and Patti
Laboucane-Benson discussing how politics shape the creation of stories. Besides
Farzana Doctor who joined us at gritLIT, I was unfamiliar with the panelists,
which is the greatest part of the FOLD. I left with a reading list full of
authors I had never heard of. I’m especially looking forward to reading Chase
Joynt’s You Only Live Twice
(coauthored by Mike Hoolboom) from
Coach House.
PRESENTATION | Diverse Can Kid Lit
This workshop for educators, librarians and parents
looking for stories by and about diverse, Canadian authors was hosted by
Toronto’s Another Story Bookshop. Covering picture books to YA lit, this
presentation brought me back to my eight years in educational publishing. There
are few things closer to my heart than diverse children’s literature, and a
presentation like this never fails to confirm what incredible talent we have in
Canada.
FEATURE
EVENT | The Last Lecture with Lawrence Hill
I’ll never tire of seeing Lawrence Hill read or be
interviewed. He’s always so generous with his stories and his time. Hill read
from his current book, The Illegal, “discussing
the important role stories play in the lives of those who are marginalized and
disenfranchised with a focus on the current global refugee crisis.” He's pictured here with the event's host, Jael Richardson.