In this popular annual event, six authors appearing at the festival read a sample of their work accompanied by a live jazz band. Whether you’re a regular festival attendee, a casual or compulsive reader, or simply a lover of live entertainment, witness the power of storytelling and the magic of a live musical performance at this collaborative event featuring Brampton’s own Carmen Spada and the B-Jazzed band.
Author
Antonio Michael Downing (he/him) wrote Saga Boy (2021), Stars in My Crown (2023), and Black Cherokee (2025), his debut novel. He host’s CBC Radio’s The Next Chapter where he discusses books.
Author
Ardra Shephard (she/her) is an author, creator, advocate and television host. Her memoir Fallosophy (Douglas & McIntyre, 2025) is nominated for the 2026 Forest of Reading Evergreen Award.
Author
Liann Zhang (she/her) is a second-generation Chinese Canadian. Her debut novel, Julie Chan Is Dead, was an instant bestseller.
Author
Yiming Ma (he/him) is the Toronto-based author of These Memories Do Not Belong to Us, longlisted for the Goodreads Choice Award and featured on Electric Literature’s Best Books of 2025 list.
Author
Joss Richard (she/her) is the international bestselling romance author of It’s Different This Time. She has been formally recognized with a Daytime Emmy Award and resides in Los Angeles, California.
Author
Sharon Bala (she/her) is the author of the novels Good Guys and The Boat People. Her short fiction has been widely published and won the Journey Prize.
Jael Richardson is the author of The Stone Thrower: A Daughter’s Lesson, a Father’s Life, a memoir based on her relationship with her father, CFL quarterback Chuck Ealey. The Stone Thrower was adapted into a children’s book in 2016 and was shortlisted for a Canadian picture book award.
Richardson holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph and lives in Brampton, Ontario, where she founded and serves as the Executive Director for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD). Her debut novel, Gutter Child, was published in January 2021 by HarperCollins Canada.
Lily Kwok |
Michael Nyby
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Britta B. |
Desiree Mckenzie |
Akil Elijah
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