13. Black in School - School Group Event - The FOLD
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Home Festival & Events The Festival of Literary Diversity FOLD 2022 13. Black in School – School Group Event

13. Black in School – School Group Event

Virtual Event

Description

Writers Curtis Carmichael, Habiba Cooper Diallo and Kern Carter unpack the challenges of navigating their education and the important work of turning real-life experiences as Black Canadians into teachable moments for students and educators from all backgrounds and walks of life. This event is geared towards high school students.

Date: May 4, 2022
Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am ET

GET YOUR FESTIVAL PASS NOW

How to Register

Guests can choose from three types of passes for FOLD 2022:

  • Virtual Events Only Passes ($35)
  • Virtual Plus In-Person Events Passes ($45)
  • In-Person Only Passes ($15)

GET YOUR FESTIVAL PASS HERE

Secondary school educators can choose a special Educator pass (with the same virtual and in-person options), which allow them to create a Student Access Login which their students can use to log on to individual devices.

Bundle passes are available for groups of five educators who wish to reduce the price of their pass by buying in bulk.

School discounts and board discounts are available by request until early April.

GET YOUR EDUCATOR PASS HERE

On a Budget? Check out our Patron Pass program.

Featured Speaker(s)

Author Photo 1 Credit_ TonyTones of XVXY Photo
Curtis Carmichael
Bio
A black woman wearing a purple headscarf and a cream turtleneck, sitting against a white wall.
Habiba Cooper Diallo
Bio
A young Black man with a shaved head and a small goatee. He wears a white t-shirt and is sitting outside. In the background is a lush green tree.
Kern Carter
Bio
Alight-skinned Black woman with short curly hair.
Skye Bowen
Bio
Author Photo 1 Credit_ TonyTones of XVXY Photo

Curtis Carmichael

Curtis Carmichael is the author of Butterflies in the Trenches—the World’s First Augmented Reality memoir and 2021 Best Indie Book Award Winner for Inspirational Non-Fiction. His cross-Canada cycling tour Ride for Promise raised funds for Toronto Community Housing afterschool programs and was featured in an award-winning documentary, CBC, Global News, CityNews, Your Morning, CP24 Breakfast, and TEDx. Curtis is an award-winning social entrepreneur, STEM and hip-hop teacher, and founder of Source Code Academy Canada. As a self-taught computer programmer, Curtis built the mobile app which brings his memoir to life by giving readers access to hidden content throughout the book.

A black woman wearing a purple headscarf and a cream turtleneck, sitting against a white wall.

Habiba Cooper Diallo

Habiba Cooper Diallo is the author of #BlackInSchool. She was a finalist in the 2020 Bristol Short Story Prize. She was also one of six finalists in the 2018 London Book Fair Pitch Competition. She is a women’s health advocate passionate about bringing an end to a maternal health condition called obstetric fistula. You can find her on Twitter @haalabeeba

A young Black man with a shaved head and a small goatee. He wears a white t-shirt and is sitting outside. In the background is a lush green tree.

Kern Carter

Kern Carter is a full-time freelance writer and author who has written and self-published two novels — Thoughts of a Fractured Soul (novella) and Beauty Scars. His latest book is Boys And Girls Screaming. When Kern isn’t penning novels, he curates stories through CRY Magazine, his online publication that creates space for artists to navigate through the emotions of their creative journey. He lives in downtown Toronto with his nineteen-year-old daughter.

Alight-skinned Black woman with short curly hair.

Skye Bowen

Skye Bowen is an educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. She is a passionate advocate for equity and social justice. Skye taught in a youth correctional facility where she saw firsthand the impact of the school to prison pipeline. This further motivated Skye to advocate for racialized youth and address systemic barriers. She has a passion for restorative justice and supports leaders to ensure that anti-racist/anti-oppressive approaches are part of the school culture. Skye has been married to Orlando Bowen for 19 years and they have three sons, Dante, Justice, and Marcus.

The FOLD is a remarkable and wonderful event for authors and attendees alike. What an amazing community, dedicated to the vital need for inclusive stories and the critical role they play in building a better world.

Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes Her

Field Guide to the North American Teenager is my first novel and FOLD was my first Canadian literary festival. While American and Canadian culture overlap quite a bit, especially when it comes to bookshelves, Canadian literature is unique and I was very heartened by to be embraced by that community I consider home despite residing in the US. It was a homecoming I didn’t know I needed!

Ben Philippe, author of Field Guide to the North American Teenager

The Festival of Literary Diversity was an absolute joy–the organizers thought of *everything* and by anticipating authors’ needs, they freed us to focus on connecting with the audience and each other. There was no pretension, no posturing–just very genuine conversations with invested writers and engaged readers.

Zetta Elliott, author of Dragons in a Bag

I have been to a lot of writers festivals and the FOLD is definitely near the top of the list of those I want to be invited back to.

Harold Johnson, author of the memoirs Clifford and Firewater

Being part of such a clearly diverse, inclusive and mutually respectful group was thrilling and inspiring: a glimpse of a better world.

Kathy Page, author of Dear Evelyn, winner of the 2018 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize

Wherever I go in Canada and find another writer of colour, we eventually end up gushing about how great the FOLD is, how by normalizing diversity it liberates us to talk to audiences about craft. It’s hard to imagine the literary landscape returning to a prehistoric pre-FOLD era.

Ian Williams, Author of the Giller Prize-winning novel Reproduction

FOLD is a festival experience unlike any other I’ve had. The FOLD team strive to create a space that’s welcoming and engaging, while allowing for curiosity, ingenuity and the fostering of real community – and they succeed, every year.

Alicia Elliott, author of A Mind Spread Out On The Ground

The FOLD is one of the most important literary events on this continent. By focusing on diverse voices and giving authors space to share their stories and speak their truths, it is revolutionizing the writing and storytelling realm as we know it.

Waubgeshig Rice, author of Moon Of The Crusted Snow

Being part of the FOLD community has provided me with a strong sense of belonging. Sharing diverse stories and listening to different voices that broaden my understanding of the world has impacted me as a person and motivated me as a writer.

Ann Y.K. Choi, author of Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety

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