Schedule - The FOLD
fold-iconThe Festival of Literary Diversity

Schedule

A complete list of the FOLD 2023 schedule

Schedule

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
1. FOLD 2023 KICK-OFF: OPENING EVENT AND TRIVIA

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
2. WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair. She wears a dark t-shirt and sits with her hands clasped in front of her on a table.

El Jones

Robyn Maynard

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a denim button-up shirt under a green canvas jacket, standing against a stretch of bare winter trees.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

A brown woman with long black hair stands in a green field against a heritage building. She wears black pants and a black tank top.

Anita Ragunathan

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
3. THE SH*T NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT WRITING

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

An Asian man with short dark hair, wearing a button-up shirt and a blazer, standing against a corner window.

Kelvin Kong

A young Brazilian woman with ling brown hair standing against a dark background.

Cecilia Lyra

A white woman with long brown hair against a grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick and has bright blue eyes.

Bianca Marais

A white woman with short blonde hair wears a black parka and stands in an autumn field.

Carly Watters

A young Black woman with long braids pulled back into a high ponytail. She wears bright punk coral lipstick.

Léonicka Valcius

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
4. NETWORKING: THE WRITER’S HUB

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
5. SENSITIVITY READS AND CONSCIOUS EDITING

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

Black and white photo of a trans male with short curly dark hair and glasses.

Ronan Sadler

A young brown woman with long dark hair stands beside a window. She wears a green shirt.

Ameema Saeed

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
6. TRIVIA TIME: Canada Reads Edition

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

7:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
7. CANADA READS REUNION

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

A white woman with long light brown hair and bangs, sitting with her arms crossed. SHe wears a blue shirt with white flowers on it, covered by a light ivory cardigan.

Kate Beaton

A white man with short brown hair, standing against a lush green background.

Michael Christie

A young Mexican-Canadian woman with long curly dark hair, standing against a light outdoor background. She wears a dark blue blazer.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A brown Lebanese Canadian man with short dark hair and a goatee wearing a collared multi-coloured shirt.

Dimitri Nasrallah

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
8. AFTER-PARTY: CANADA READS EDITION

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

8:30 pm - 8:45 pm

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
9. THE TRUTH ABOUT TRENDS IN PUBLISHING

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

A young brown woman wearing a long pink head scarf sits comfortably on a couch. She wears glasses and dark red lipstick.

Hana El Niwairi

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.

Kern Carter

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
10. WORKSHOP: ACQUISITIONS AND EDITING WITH FAZEELA JIWA

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
11. WORKSHOP: WRITING 101 WITH JESMEEN KAUR DEO

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

A young Indian-Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a pink halter top.

Jesmeen Kaur Deo

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
12. TRIVIA TIME: Crafty Heroes and Curious Villains

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

7:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
13. CRAFTY HEROES AND CURIOUS VILLAINS

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

An Indigenous man with light brown and grey hair, standing against a blue background.

Wayne Arthurson

A Black man with short greying hair and a mustache, standing against a lush green background.

R. Barri Flowers

A middle-aged Asian woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun.

Sandra SG Wong

A senor Black woman with short grey hair and glasses, smiling against a light beige wall. She wears a white collared shirt.

Hyacinthe M. Miller

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
14. AFTER-PARTY: CRAFTY HEROES AND CURIOUS VILLAINS

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

8:30 pm - 8:45 pm

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
15. SCHOOL GROUPS: THE WRITER’S LIFE WITH ZOULFA KATOUH

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

10:00 am - 11:00 am

A young Syrian-Canadian woman wearing a dark blue headscarf. Her chin is propped up in her hands.

Zoulfa Katouh

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
16. SCHOOL GROUPS: TELLING TRUTHS

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

A young Indigenous man with a shaved head and a dark mustache. He wears a white button-up shirt under a black sweater and stands against a wall filled with books.

Cody Caetano

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair, sitting at a desk. She cups her head in her left hand and the wall behind her is blue and dotted with shelves.

Lindsay Ruck

A middle-aged Black woman kneels on the grass reading a book. She wears dark pants and a white shirt.

Alyssa Gray-Tyghter

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
17. DISABLED FUTURES

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

A mixed-race Arab nin-binary individual with short dark hair, standing against a field filled with flowers.

Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch

a middle-aged white woman with greying brown hair, smiling off into the distance.

Susan Mockler

A non-binary senior light-skinned Black individual, femme-presenting, wearing glasses and a green top.

Nisi Shawl

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
18. SUBMISSIONS AND SELECTIONS

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

A white non-binary individual with short blonde hair, wearing a striped shirt, dark sunglasses and white coveralls. They are outside and it is bright and sunny.

Kerry C. Byrne

An Asian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, smiling against a black background.

Anita Chong

A Filipino-Canadian woman with long dark hair. She is sitting on wooden steps indoors and wears two prosthetic legs.

Therese Estacion

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
19. TRIVIA TIME: Queer Joy Edition

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

7:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
20. QUEER JOY

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.

Markus Harwood-Jones

A brown Syrian-Canadian man with short dark hair and a small goatee. He wears a purple t-shirt and stands with his arms crossed against a black background. Various tattoos cover his arms.

Danny Ramadan

A Black woman with long curly hair, weating a black hat and a floral print shirt. She rests her head against her right hand and smiles widely.

Tanya Turton

A femme-presenting non-binary individual with curly orange hair and glasses, sitting in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
21. AFTER-PARTY: QUEER JOY

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

8:30 pm - 8:45 pm

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
22. SCHOOL GROUPS: WRITING COMPELLING CHARACTERS WITH DANIEL ALEMAN

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

10:00 am - 11:00 am

A young Mexican man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white t-shirt, standing against a reddish wooden wall.

Daniel Aleman

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
24. SCHOOL GROUPS: COMPLICATED FAMILIES

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

A young Mexican man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white t-shirt, standing against a reddish wooden wall.

Daniel Aleman

A white-passing Métis woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing bright red lipstick. She wears beaded earrings and her mouth is open in a wide smile.

Jen Ferguson

A young Black woman sits on a yellow couch. She wears glasses and a dark green top, and the wall behind her is a rich dark blue.

Talia Hibbert

A young dark-haired Latinx woman wearing a warm yellow sweater.

Yeli Cruz

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
23. LIFE AS AN EMERGING WRITER

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and standing against a pale grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jessie Conrad

A young two-spirit Indigenous man with short dark hair, wearing a dark blazer over a light collared shirt, and dark-framed glasses.

Julian Martin

An Indigenous woman with short grey hair in a mohwak and dark-framed glasses, standing against a red background. They wear a yellow t-shirt with a beaded design.

January Rogers

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
25. WORKSHOP: WRITING YOUR STORY WITH SUSAN MOCKLER

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

a middle-aged white woman with greying brown hair, smiling off into the distance.

Susan Mockler

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
26. TRIVIA TIME: Romance Edition

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

7:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Square graphic showing a laptop computer on a white background. The laptop screen showcases a graphic with black text that reads: THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY. April 30 - May 7, 2023. White text beneath this reads APRIL 30 - Mat 3 VIRTUAL, May 4 - 7 IN-PERSON BRAMPTON. Surrounding the text are illustrated characters of various ethnicities and disabilities, all of them reading books in various formats. At the bottom of the graphic is a website, thefoldcanada.org.
27. WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

A Black woman with hair pulled back in braids, wearing a teal shirt and standing against a brown background.

Gia de Cadenet

A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.

Markus Harwood-Jones

An Asian woman sits with her arms crossed and lying on a table in front of her, all against a dark grey background. She wears a white sweater.

Roselle Lim

An Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, smiling against a dark grey background.

Lavanya Narasimhan

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28. SCHOOL GROUPS: GREAT ESCAPES AND EXPECTATIONS

The Rose Theatre

10:00 am - 11:00 am

A Black man with short dark hair and a short beard standing against a field of green and yellow wildflowers.

Kevin heronJones

A young Indian-Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a pink halter top.

Jesmeen Kaur Deo

Liselle Sambury

Liselle Sambury

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29. SCHOOL GROUPS: THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE

The Rose Theatre

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.

Britta Badour

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a bright red blazer and standing against a grey stone wall. Her arms are crossed.

Tahira Rajwani

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

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30. DINE + DRAW: DUMPLING EDITION

The Rose Theatre

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Black and white photo of a young Asiam woman with long dark hair, parted in the middle and curling at the ends.

Meegan Lim

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31. THE GREAT READCEPTION: A LITERARY CABARET

The Rose Theatre

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young brown woman with long black hair, wearing dark pink lipstick.

Anuja Varghese

A young Black woman with long straight black hair, wearing long hoop earrings.

Téa Mutonji

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32. MICROWORKSHOP: PUBLISHING WITH CASEY PLETT

The Rose Theatre

10:00 am - 10:45 am

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

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33. HOW WE DID IT

The Rose Theatre

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.

Britta Badour

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

An Asian man with short dark hair and glasses sits at a patio table outdoors.

Dan K. Woo

a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.

Kern Carter

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34. MICROWORKSHOP: SONGWRITING WITH AJHANI AZURE

The Rose Theatre

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm

A Black man with an Afro stands at the front of a stage, smiling and singing into a mircophone.

Ajhani Azure

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35. MEMORABLE MEMOIRS

The Rose Theatre

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

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36. MICROWORKSHOP: MEMOIR WRITING WITH ELAMIN ABDELMAHMOUD

The Rose Theatre

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

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37. BOOKS WITH BUZZ

The Rose Theatre

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a black shirt and standing against a grey background.

Cherie Dimaline

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

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38. THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE

The Rose Theatre

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Young Black woman wearing a white wrap around her hair and a leopard-print shirt and jeans, standing with her hands clasped in front of her chest and her elbows out to the sides.

Shelly Grace

A young Black woman with long dark hair in many braids. She wears a teal suit and stands against a pink background with her arms stretch out to the camera.

Shahaddah Jack

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

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39. THE HISTORICAL FICTION HIGH TEA

The Rose Theatre

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a patterned beige shirt and standing against a light brown wall.

Janika Oza

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

A senior Black woman with short curly grey hair, wearing a multi-coloured scarf.

Sheila Murray

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

Featured Speaker(s)

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.
Ardo Omer
Bio
A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.
Amanda Leduc
Bio
JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography
Jael Richardson
Bio
A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair. She wears a dark t-shirt and sits with her hands clasped in front of her on a table.
El Jones
Bio
Robyn Maynard
Bio
An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a denim button-up shirt under a green canvas jacket, standing against a stretch of bare winter trees.
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Bio
A brown woman with long black hair stands in a green field against a heritage building. She wears black pants and a black tank top.
Anita Ragunathan
Bio
An Asian man with short dark hair, wearing a button-up shirt and a blazer, standing against a corner window.
Kelvin Kong
Bio
A young Brazilian woman with ling brown hair standing against a dark background.
Cecilia Lyra
Bio
A white woman with long brown hair against a grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick and has bright blue eyes.
Bianca Marais
Bio
A white woman with short blonde hair wears a black parka and stands in an autumn field.
Carly Watters
Bio
A young Black woman with long braids pulled back into a high ponytail. She wears bright punk coral lipstick.
Léonicka Valcius
Bio
A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.
Fazeela Jiwa
Bio
Black and white photo of a trans male with short curly dark hair and glasses.
Ronan Sadler
Bio
A young brown woman with long dark hair stands beside a window. She wears a green shirt.
Ameema Saeed
Bio
A white woman with long light brown hair and bangs, sitting with her arms crossed. SHe wears a blue shirt with white flowers on it, covered by a light ivory cardigan.
Kate Beaton
Bio
A white man with short brown hair, standing against a lush green background.
Michael Christie
Bio
A young Mexican-Canadian woman with long curly dark hair, standing against a light outdoor background. She wears a dark blue blazer.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Bio
A brown Lebanese Canadian man with short dark hair and a goatee wearing a collared multi-coloured shirt.
Dimitri Nasrallah
Bio
A young brown woman wearing a long pink head scarf sits comfortably on a couch. She wears glasses and dark red lipstick.
Hana El Niwairi
Bio
A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.
Casey Plett
Bio
a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.
Kern Carter
Bio
A young Indian-Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a pink halter top.
Jesmeen Kaur Deo
Bio
An Indigenous man with light brown and grey hair, standing against a blue background.
Wayne Arthurson
Bio
A Black man with short greying hair and a mustache, standing against a lush green background.
R. Barri Flowers
Bio
A middle-aged Asian woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun.
Sandra SG Wong
Bio
A senor Black woman with short grey hair and glasses, smiling against a light beige wall. She wears a white collared shirt.
Hyacinthe M. Miller
Bio
A young Syrian-Canadian woman wearing a dark blue headscarf. Her chin is propped up in her hands.
Zoulfa Katouh
Bio
A young Indigenous man with a shaved head and a dark mustache. He wears a white button-up shirt under a black sweater and stands against a wall filled with books.
Cody Caetano
Bio
A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.
Jen Sookfong Lee
Bio
A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair, sitting at a desk. She cups her head in her left hand and the wall behind her is blue and dotted with shelves.
Lindsay Ruck
Bio
A middle-aged Black woman kneels on the grass reading a book. She wears dark pants and a white shirt.
Alyssa Gray-Tyghter
Bio
A mixed-race Arab nin-binary individual with short dark hair, standing against a field filled with flowers.
Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch
Bio
a middle-aged white woman with greying brown hair, smiling off into the distance.
Susan Mockler
Bio
A non-binary senior light-skinned Black individual, femme-presenting, wearing glasses and a green top.
Nisi Shawl
Bio
An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and standing against a pale grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick.
Jessie Conrad
Bio
A young two-spirit Indigenous man with short dark hair, wearing a dark blazer over a light collared shirt, and dark-framed glasses.
Julian Martin
Bio
An Indigenous woman with short grey hair in a mohwak and dark-framed glasses, standing against a red background. They wear a yellow t-shirt with a beaded design.
January Rogers
Bio
A white non-binary individual with short blonde hair, wearing a striped shirt, dark sunglasses and white coveralls. They are outside and it is bright and sunny.
Kerry C. Byrne
Bio
An Asian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, smiling against a black background.
Anita Chong
Bio
A Filipino-Canadian woman with long dark hair. She is sitting on wooden steps indoors and wears two prosthetic legs.
Therese Estacion
Bio
A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.
Markus Harwood-Jones
Bio
A brown Syrian-Canadian man with short dark hair and a small goatee. He wears a purple t-shirt and stands with his arms crossed against a black background. Various tattoos cover his arms.
Danny Ramadan
Bio
A Black woman with long curly hair, weating a black hat and a floral print shirt. She rests her head against her right hand and smiles widely.
Tanya Turton
Bio
A femme-presenting non-binary individual with curly orange hair and glasses, sitting in front of a bookshelf filled with books.
Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
Bio
A young Mexican man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white t-shirt, standing against a reddish wooden wall.
Daniel Aleman
Bio
A white-passing Métis woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing bright red lipstick. She wears beaded earrings and her mouth is open in a wide smile.
Jen Ferguson
Bio
A young Black woman sits on a yellow couch. She wears glasses and a dark green top, and the wall behind her is a rich dark blue.
Talia Hibbert
Bio
A young dark-haired Latinx woman wearing a warm yellow sweater.
Yeli Cruz
Bio
A Black woman with hair pulled back in braids, wearing a teal shirt and standing against a brown background.
Gia de Cadenet
Bio
An Asian woman sits with her arms crossed and lying on a table in front of her, all against a dark grey background. She wears a white sweater.
Roselle Lim
Bio
An Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, smiling against a dark grey background.
Lavanya Narasimhan
Bio
A Black man with short dark hair and a short beard standing against a field of green and yellow wildflowers.
Kevin heronJones
Bio
Liselle Sambury
Liselle Sambury
Bio
A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.
Britta Badour
Bio
A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a bright red blazer and standing against a grey stone wall. Her arms are crossed.
Tahira Rajwani
Bio
A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.
Gavin Russell
Bio
A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.
The Wild Woman
Bio
Black and white photo of a young Asiam woman with long dark hair, parted in the middle and curling at the ends.
Meegan Lim
Bio
A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.
Elamin Abdelmahmoud
Bio
A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.
Ali Hassan
Bio
A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.
Catherine Hernandez
Bio
A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,
Alessandra Naccarato
Bio
A young brown woman with long black hair, wearing dark pink lipstick.
Anuja Varghese
Bio
A young Black woman with long straight black hair, wearing long hoop earrings.
Téa Mutonji
Bio
An Asian man with short dark hair and glasses sits at a patio table outdoors.
Dan K. Woo
Bio
A Black man with an Afro stands at the front of a stage, smiling and singing into a mircophone.
Ajhani Azure
Bio
An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a black shirt and standing against a grey background.
Cherie Dimaline
Bio
A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.
Suzette Mayr
Bio
Young Black woman wearing a white wrap around her hair and a leopard-print shirt and jeans, standing with her hands clasped in front of her chest and her elbows out to the sides.
Shelly Grace
Bio
A young Black woman with long dark hair in many braids. She wears a teal suit and stands against a pink background with her arms stretch out to the camera.
Shahaddah Jack
Bio
A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a patterned beige shirt and standing against a light brown wall.
Janika Oza
Bio
A senior Black woman with short curly grey hair, wearing a multi-coloured scarf.
Sheila Murray
Bio
A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

Ardo Omer has written for online platforms as a reviewer and critic for almost a decade. She’s been a judge for a few kids comics awards and is an advisor at the Canadian Comics Open Library. Omer lives in Toronto, Ontario, where she serves as the Kids Coordinator for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD).

Upcoming Events

1. FOLD 2023 KICK-OFF: OPENING EVENT AND TRIVIA

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

5. SENSITIVITY READS AND CONSCIOUS EDITING

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

Black and white photo of a trans male with short curly dark hair and glasses.

Ronan Sadler

A young brown woman with long dark hair stands beside a window. She wears a green shirt.

Ameema Saeed

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

15. SCHOOL GROUPS: THE WRITER’S LIFE WITH ZOULFA KATOUH

10:00 am - 11:00 am

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Syrian-Canadian woman wearing a dark blue headscarf. Her chin is propped up in her hands.

Zoulfa Katouh

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

Amanda Leduc is the author of the nonfiction book Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability and Making Space, the novels The Miracles of Ordinary Men and The Centaur’s Wife. Her new novel, Wild Life, will be published by Random House Canada in 2024. Amanda has an MFA in Writing from the University of St. Andrews, UK. She has cerebral palsy and lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where she serves as the Communications and Development Coordinator for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD).

Upcoming Events

1. FOLD 2023 KICK-OFF: OPENING EVENT AND TRIVIA

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

17. DISABLED FUTURES

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A mixed-race Arab nin-binary individual with short dark hair, standing against a field filled with flowers.

Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch

a middle-aged white woman with greying brown hair, smiling off into the distance.

Susan Mockler

A non-binary senior light-skinned Black individual, femme-presenting, wearing glasses and a green top.

Nisi Shawl

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

35. MEMORABLE MEMOIRS

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

Jael Richardson is the author of Gutter Child, The Hockey Jersey, Because You Are, The Stone Thrower, and the founder and Executive Director of the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) in Brampton, Ontario. Gutter Child was shortlisted for the Amazon First Novel Award and was a finalist for the Forest of Reading White Pine Award. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph and lives in Brampton, Ontario.

Upcoming Events

1. FOLD 2023 KICK-OFF: OPENING EVENT AND TRIVIA

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

7. CANADA READS REUNION

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white woman with long light brown hair and bangs, sitting with her arms crossed. SHe wears a blue shirt with white flowers on it, covered by a light ivory cardigan.

Kate Beaton

A white man with short brown hair, standing against a lush green background.

Michael Christie

A young Mexican-Canadian woman with long curly dark hair, standing against a light outdoor background. She wears a dark blue blazer.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A brown Lebanese Canadian man with short dark hair and a goatee wearing a collared multi-coloured shirt.

Dimitri Nasrallah

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

37. BOOKS WITH BUZZ

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a black shirt and standing against a grey background.

Cherie Dimaline

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

39. THE HISTORICAL FICTION HIGH TEA

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

May 7, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a patterned beige shirt and standing against a light brown wall.

Janika Oza

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

A senior Black woman with short curly grey hair, wearing a multi-coloured scarf.

Sheila Murray

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair. She wears a dark t-shirt and sits with her hands clasped in front of her on a table.

El Jones

El Jones is a writer, professor, and activist who works with people facing deportation and incarceration. She is the author of Abolitionist Intimacies and Life from the Afrikan Resistance!.

Upcoming Events

2. WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair. She wears a dark t-shirt and sits with her hands clasped in front of her on a table.

El Jones

Robyn Maynard

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a denim button-up shirt under a green canvas jacket, standing against a stretch of bare winter trees.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

A brown woman with long black hair stands in a green field against a heritage building. She wears black pants and a black tank top.

Anita Ragunathan

Robyn Maynard

ROBYN MAYNARD is the author of Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present (2017), a CBC, Toronto Star, and Globe and Mail national bestseller. Policing Black Lives was designated  one of the best 100 books of 2017 by The Hill Times, and is the winner of the 2017 Errol Morris Book Award. It was also a finalist for The Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ Emerging Writers; an Atlantic Book Award; the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction; and the Concordia University First Book Prize. It received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, as well as glowing reviews in the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, NOW Toronto, Maclean’s, and the Ottawa Citizen. It was translated into French as NoirEs sous surveillance: Esclavage, répression et violence d’État au Canada, and won the prestigious Prix des libraires award in 2019.

Upcoming Events

2. WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair. She wears a dark t-shirt and sits with her hands clasped in front of her on a table.

El Jones

Robyn Maynard

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a denim button-up shirt under a green canvas jacket, standing against a stretch of bare winter trees.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

A brown woman with long black hair stands in a green field against a heritage building. She wears black pants and a black tank top.

Anita Ragunathan

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a denim button-up shirt under a green canvas jacket, standing against a stretch of bare winter trees.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is a Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer, and musician. She is the author of seven books, including the recent non-fiction A Short History of the Blockade, and the acclaimed novel Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies.

Upcoming Events

2. WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair. She wears a dark t-shirt and sits with her hands clasped in front of her on a table.

El Jones

Robyn Maynard

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a denim button-up shirt under a green canvas jacket, standing against a stretch of bare winter trees.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

A brown woman with long black hair stands in a green field against a heritage building. She wears black pants and a black tank top.

Anita Ragunathan

A brown woman with long black hair stands in a green field against a heritage building. She wears black pants and a black tank top.

Anita Ragunathan

Anita Ragunathan is a Senior Producer, Cultural and Special Events at Toronto Public Library and a member of the Katarokwi Union of Tenants.

Upcoming Events

2. WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair. She wears a dark t-shirt and sits with her hands clasped in front of her on a table.

El Jones

Robyn Maynard

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a denim button-up shirt under a green canvas jacket, standing against a stretch of bare winter trees.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

A brown woman with long black hair stands in a green field against a heritage building. She wears black pants and a black tank top.

Anita Ragunathan

An Asian man with short dark hair, wearing a button-up shirt and a blazer, standing against a corner window.

Kelvin Kong

Kelvin Kong is the owner and principal agent at K2 Literary, and instructor/academic coordinator in the Toronto Metropolitan University/Chang School Publishing Certificate program.

Upcoming Events

3. THE SH*T NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT WRITING

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Asian man with short dark hair, wearing a button-up shirt and a blazer, standing against a corner window.

Kelvin Kong

A young Brazilian woman with ling brown hair standing against a dark background.

Cecilia Lyra

A white woman with long brown hair against a grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick and has bright blue eyes.

Bianca Marais

A white woman with short blonde hair wears a black parka and stands in an autumn field.

Carly Watters

A young Black woman with long braids pulled back into a high ponytail. She wears bright punk coral lipstick.

Léonicka Valcius

A young Brazilian woman with ling brown hair standing against a dark background.

Cecilia Lyra

Cecilia (“CeCe”) Lyra is an associate literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency representing adult fiction and nonfiction.

Upcoming Events

3. THE SH*T NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT WRITING

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Asian man with short dark hair, wearing a button-up shirt and a blazer, standing against a corner window.

Kelvin Kong

A young Brazilian woman with ling brown hair standing against a dark background.

Cecilia Lyra

A white woman with long brown hair against a grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick and has bright blue eyes.

Bianca Marais

A white woman with short blonde hair wears a black parka and stands in an autumn field.

Carly Watters

A young Black woman with long braids pulled back into a high ponytail. She wears bright punk coral lipstick.

Léonicka Valcius

A white woman with long brown hair against a grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick and has bright blue eyes.

Bianca Marais

Bianca Marais is a bestselling author and a host of the popular podcast, The Shit No One Tells You About Writing. She’s also an award-winning creative writing instructor.

Upcoming Events

3. THE SH*T NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT WRITING

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Asian man with short dark hair, wearing a button-up shirt and a blazer, standing against a corner window.

Kelvin Kong

A young Brazilian woman with ling brown hair standing against a dark background.

Cecilia Lyra

A white woman with long brown hair against a grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick and has bright blue eyes.

Bianca Marais

A white woman with short blonde hair wears a black parka and stands in an autumn field.

Carly Watters

A young Black woman with long braids pulled back into a high ponytail. She wears bright punk coral lipstick.

Léonicka Valcius

A white woman with short blonde hair wears a black parka and stands in an autumn field.

Carly Watters

Carly Watters is Senior Vice President and Senior Literary Agent at P.S. Literary and co-host of The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Podcast.

Upcoming Events

3. THE SH*T NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT WRITING

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Asian man with short dark hair, wearing a button-up shirt and a blazer, standing against a corner window.

Kelvin Kong

A young Brazilian woman with ling brown hair standing against a dark background.

Cecilia Lyra

A white woman with long brown hair against a grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick and has bright blue eyes.

Bianca Marais

A white woman with short blonde hair wears a black parka and stands in an autumn field.

Carly Watters

A young Black woman with long braids pulled back into a high ponytail. She wears bright punk coral lipstick.

Léonicka Valcius

A young Black woman with long braids pulled back into a high ponytail. She wears bright punk coral lipstick.

Léonicka Valcius

Léonicka Valcius is a second year law student at Lincoln Alexander at TMU, a host and Connect Group leader at C3Toronto Church, and a Literary Agent at Transatlantic Agency. She represents books for children and adults with a focus on commercial and genre fiction by writers of colour. Books she has worked on include Not The Plan by Gia de Cadenet, The Moonlight Blade by Tessa Barbosa and Falling Back in Love With Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom.

Upcoming Events

3. THE SH*T NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT WRITING

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Asian man with short dark hair, wearing a button-up shirt and a blazer, standing against a corner window.

Kelvin Kong

A young Brazilian woman with ling brown hair standing against a dark background.

Cecilia Lyra

A white woman with long brown hair against a grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick and has bright blue eyes.

Bianca Marais

A white woman with short blonde hair wears a black parka and stands in an autumn field.

Carly Watters

A young Black woman with long braids pulled back into a high ponytail. She wears bright punk coral lipstick.

Léonicka Valcius

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

Fazeela Jiwa is an acquisitions and development editor with Fernwood Publishing. She has a special interest in writing of any genre about social justice and radical politics.

Upcoming Events

5. SENSITIVITY READS AND CONSCIOUS EDITING

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

Black and white photo of a trans male with short curly dark hair and glasses.

Ronan Sadler

A young brown woman with long dark hair stands beside a window. She wears a green shirt.

Ameema Saeed

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

9. THE TRUTH ABOUT TRENDS IN PUBLISHING

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

May 1, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young brown woman wearing a long pink head scarf sits comfortably on a couch. She wears glasses and dark red lipstick.

Hana El Niwairi

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.

Kern Carter

10. WORKSHOP: ACQUISITIONS AND EDITING WITH FAZEELA JIWA

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

May 1, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

Black and white photo of a trans male with short curly dark hair and glasses.

Ronan Sadler

Ronan Sadler is an editor, sensitivity reader, and cultural consultant with a focus on disability and transgender issues.

Upcoming Events

5. SENSITIVITY READS AND CONSCIOUS EDITING

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

Black and white photo of a trans male with short curly dark hair and glasses.

Ronan Sadler

A young brown woman with long dark hair stands beside a window. She wears a green shirt.

Ameema Saeed

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

A young brown woman with long dark hair stands beside a window. She wears a green shirt.

Ameema Saeed

Ameema Saeed (@ameemabackwards) is a writer, an avid bookworm, a book reviewer, and a sensitivity reader. She’s the Books Editor for She Does the City, where she writes and curates bookish content, and book recommendations. She also has experience as a freelance editor and DEI consultant. She writes about books, big feelings, unruly bodies, and her lived experiences, and hopes to write your next favourite book one day. When she’s not reading books, she likes to talk about books (especially diverse books, and books by diverse authors) on her bookstagram: @ReadWithMeemz.

Upcoming Events

5. SENSITIVITY READS AND CONSCIOUS EDITING

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

Black and white photo of a trans male with short curly dark hair and glasses.

Ronan Sadler

A young brown woman with long dark hair stands beside a window. She wears a green shirt.

Ameema Saeed

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

A white woman with long light brown hair and bangs, sitting with her arms crossed. SHe wears a blue shirt with white flowers on it, covered by a light ivory cardigan.

Kate Beaton

Kate Beaton was born and raised in Cape Breton, where she lives with her family. After graduating from Mount Allison University, she moved to Alberta to pay down student loans. During the years she spent out West, Beaton began her webcomic Hark! A Vagrant, quickly drawing a worldwide following. She has published five books: Hark! A Vagrant, Step Aside Pops, King Baby, The Princess and the Pony, and the graphic memoir Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands which was named a New York TImes Notable Book and one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2022.

Upcoming Events

7. CANADA READS REUNION

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white woman with long light brown hair and bangs, sitting with her arms crossed. SHe wears a blue shirt with white flowers on it, covered by a light ivory cardigan.

Kate Beaton

A white man with short brown hair, standing against a lush green background.

Michael Christie

A young Mexican-Canadian woman with long curly dark hair, standing against a light outdoor background. She wears a dark blue blazer.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A brown Lebanese Canadian man with short dark hair and a goatee wearing a collared multi-coloured shirt.

Dimitri Nasrallah

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

A white man with short brown hair, standing against a lush green background.

Michael Christie

Michael Christie is the author of the internationally best-selling novel Greenwood, which was a finalist for Canada Reads, was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and has been translated into 10 languages. His previous novel, If I Fall, If I Die, was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and selected as a New York Times Editors’ Choice Pick. His linked collection of stories, The Beggar’s Garden, was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, shortlisted for the Writers’ Trust Prize for Fiction, and won the Vancouver Book Award. A former carpenter and homeless shelter worker, he lives in Victoria, BC, on the unceded territory of the Lkwungen speaking people, and the Songhees, Esquimalt, and WSÁNEC First Nations.

Upcoming Events

7. CANADA READS REUNION

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white woman with long light brown hair and bangs, sitting with her arms crossed. SHe wears a blue shirt with white flowers on it, covered by a light ivory cardigan.

Kate Beaton

A white man with short brown hair, standing against a lush green background.

Michael Christie

A young Mexican-Canadian woman with long curly dark hair, standing against a light outdoor background. She wears a dark blue blazer.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A brown Lebanese Canadian man with short dark hair and a goatee wearing a collared multi-coloured shirt.

Dimitri Nasrallah

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

A young Mexican-Canadian woman with long curly dark hair, standing against a light outdoor background. She wears a dark blue blazer.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic. She won the Locus and British Fantasy awards for her work as a novelist, and the World Fantasy Award as an editor.

Upcoming Events

7. CANADA READS REUNION

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white woman with long light brown hair and bangs, sitting with her arms crossed. SHe wears a blue shirt with white flowers on it, covered by a light ivory cardigan.

Kate Beaton

A white man with short brown hair, standing against a lush green background.

Michael Christie

A young Mexican-Canadian woman with long curly dark hair, standing against a light outdoor background. She wears a dark blue blazer.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A brown Lebanese Canadian man with short dark hair and a goatee wearing a collared multi-coloured shirt.

Dimitri Nasrallah

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

A brown Lebanese Canadian man with short dark hair and a goatee wearing a collared multi-coloured shirt.

Dimitri Nasrallah

Dimitri Nasrallah is the author of four novels. His most recent, 2022’s Hotline, is a national bestseller that’s been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and CBC’s Canada Reads. He was born in Lebanon in 1977, and moved to Canada in 1988. His previous books include The Bleeds, Niko, and Blackbodying. He lives in Montreal, where he serves as fiction editor for Véhicule Press’s Esplanade Fiction imprint and teaches creative writing at Concordia University.

Upcoming Events

7. CANADA READS REUNION

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

April 30, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white woman with long light brown hair and bangs, sitting with her arms crossed. SHe wears a blue shirt with white flowers on it, covered by a light ivory cardigan.

Kate Beaton

A white man with short brown hair, standing against a lush green background.

Michael Christie

A young Mexican-Canadian woman with long curly dark hair, standing against a light outdoor background. She wears a dark blue blazer.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A brown Lebanese Canadian man with short dark hair and a goatee wearing a collared multi-coloured shirt.

Dimitri Nasrallah

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

A young brown woman wearing a long pink head scarf sits comfortably on a couch. She wears glasses and dark red lipstick.

Hana El Niwairi

Hana El Niwairi is a literary agent and Rights Manager at CookeMcDermid Literary Management. She is also a writer herself and media enthusiast who appreciates a good story no matter the format it’s delivered in, from ads to movies, and of course, books. Prior to joining the publishing industry, Hana worked in the non-profit, arts, and culture sectors. She is also one of the co-founder of the non-profit organization BIPOC of Publishing in Canada.

Upcoming Events

9. THE TRUTH ABOUT TRENDS IN PUBLISHING

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

May 1, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young brown woman wearing a long pink head scarf sits comfortably on a couch. She wears glasses and dark red lipstick.

Hana El Niwairi

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.

Kern Carter

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

Casey Plett is the author of A Dream of a Woman, which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize; Little Fish, winner of a Lambda Literary Award, the Firecracker Award for Fiction, and the Amazon First Novel Award in Canada; and and A Safe Girl to Love, also a winner of a Lambda Literary Award. She was the co-editor of Meanwhile, Elsewhere: Science Fiction and Fantasy From Transgender Writers alongside Cat Fitzpatrick. Plett has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, the Winnipeg Free Press, and other publications, and she is also the publisher at LittlePuss Press.

Upcoming Events

9. THE TRUTH ABOUT TRENDS IN PUBLISHING

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

May 1, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young brown woman wearing a long pink head scarf sits comfortably on a couch. She wears glasses and dark red lipstick.

Hana El Niwairi

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.

Kern Carter

32. MICROWORKSHOP: PUBLISHING WITH CASEY PLETT

10:00 am - 10:45 am

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

33. HOW WE DID IT

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.

Britta Badour

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

An Asian man with short dark hair and glasses sits at a patio table outdoors.

Dan K. Woo

a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.

Kern Carter

a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.

Kern Carter

Author, writer, and community builder. Kern Carter is writing his own story and helping others share their own.

Upcoming Events

9. THE TRUTH ABOUT TRENDS IN PUBLISHING

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

May 1, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young brown woman wearing a long pink head scarf sits comfortably on a couch. She wears glasses and dark red lipstick.

Hana El Niwairi

A brown woman with dark hair and bangs and large glasses, situated against a black background. She wears a silver nose ring in her left nostril.

Fazeela Jiwa

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.

Kern Carter

33. HOW WE DID IT

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.

Britta Badour

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

An Asian man with short dark hair and glasses sits at a patio table outdoors.

Dan K. Woo

a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.

Kern Carter

A young Indian-Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a pink halter top.

Jesmeen Kaur Deo

Jesmeen Kaur Deo grew up in northern British Columbia, where she spent most of her childhood daydreaming. She loves books that can make her laugh and tug at her heartstrings in the same paragraph. When not wrapped up in stories, she can be found biking, playing the harmonium, or struggling to open jars. TJ Powar Has Something to Prove is her debut novel.

Upcoming Events

11. WORKSHOP: WRITING 101 WITH JESMEEN KAUR DEO

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

May 1, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Indian-Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a pink halter top.

Jesmeen Kaur Deo

28. SCHOOL GROUPS: GREAT ESCAPES AND EXPECTATIONS

10:00 am - 11:00 am

May 4, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short dark hair and a short beard standing against a field of green and yellow wildflowers.

Kevin heronJones

A young Indian-Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a pink halter top.

Jesmeen Kaur Deo

Liselle Sambury

Liselle Sambury

An Indigenous man with light brown and grey hair, standing against a blue background.

Wayne Arthurson

Wayne Arthurson is a writer and literary agent of Cree/French Canadian descent, the author of eight novels and five books of non-fiction. His books have won the Alberta Readers’ Choice Award, Best Trade Fiction from the Book Publishers of Alberta and was the first Indigenous writer to win an Arthur Ellis Award for Canadian Crime Writing for his book, The Red Chesterfield. His latest novel is Dishonour in Camp 133. He lives in Edmonton.

Upcoming Events

13. CRAFTY HEROES AND CURIOUS VILLAINS

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 1, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Indigenous man with light brown and grey hair, standing against a blue background.

Wayne Arthurson

A Black man with short greying hair and a mustache, standing against a lush green background.

R. Barri Flowers

A middle-aged Asian woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun.

Sandra SG Wong

A senor Black woman with short grey hair and glasses, smiling against a light beige wall. She wears a white collared shirt.

Hyacinthe M. Miller

A Black man with short greying hair and a mustache, standing against a lush green background.

R. Barri Flowers

R. Barri Flowers is an award-winning criminologist and bestselling author of more than one hundred books. These include gripping crime, thriller, and romance fiction, entertaining young adult mysteries and children’s books, riveting true crime books, and outstanding criminology titles. As a graduate of Michigan State University, Flowers is the recipient of the prestigious Wall of Fame Award from its renowned School of Criminal Justice. As an expert on violent criminality and serial killers, the author has appeared on popular television crime investigative documentary series, such as the Biography Channel’s Crime Stories, Investigation Discovery’s Wicked Attraction, and Oxygen’s Snapped: Killer Couples.

Upcoming Events

13. CRAFTY HEROES AND CURIOUS VILLAINS

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 1, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Indigenous man with light brown and grey hair, standing against a blue background.

Wayne Arthurson

A Black man with short greying hair and a mustache, standing against a lush green background.

R. Barri Flowers

A middle-aged Asian woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun.

Sandra SG Wong

A senor Black woman with short grey hair and glasses, smiling against a light beige wall. She wears a white collared shirt.

Hyacinthe M. Miller

A middle-aged Asian woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun.

Sandra SG Wong

Sandra SG Wong (she/her) writes fiction across genres, including the cross-genre Lola Starke novels, Crescent City short stories, and the bestselling standalone thriller, In The Dark We Forget. A Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence finalist & Whistler Independent Book Awards nominee, as well as a speaker, mentor, and hybrid author, Sandra currently chairs the DEIJB Advisory Committee for Sisters in Crime, and is an active member of Crime Writers of Color. You can join her Reader Group via sgwong.com.

Upcoming Events

13. CRAFTY HEROES AND CURIOUS VILLAINS

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 1, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Indigenous man with light brown and grey hair, standing against a blue background.

Wayne Arthurson

A Black man with short greying hair and a mustache, standing against a lush green background.

R. Barri Flowers

A middle-aged Asian woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun.

Sandra SG Wong

A senor Black woman with short grey hair and glasses, smiling against a light beige wall. She wears a white collared shirt.

Hyacinthe M. Miller

A senor Black woman with short grey hair and glasses, smiling against a light beige wall. She wears a white collared shirt.

Hyacinthe M. Miller

Hyacinthe M. Miller writes crime fiction spiced with seasoned romance. Her debut novel, Kenora Reinvented, will be followed by The Fifth Man, book two of the series.

Upcoming Events

13. CRAFTY HEROES AND CURIOUS VILLAINS

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 1, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Indigenous man with light brown and grey hair, standing against a blue background.

Wayne Arthurson

A Black man with short greying hair and a mustache, standing against a lush green background.

R. Barri Flowers

A middle-aged Asian woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun.

Sandra SG Wong

A senor Black woman with short grey hair and glasses, smiling against a light beige wall. She wears a white collared shirt.

Hyacinthe M. Miller

A young Syrian-Canadian woman wearing a dark blue headscarf. Her chin is propped up in her hands.

Zoulfa Katouh

Zoulfa Katouh is a Canadian with Syrian roots based in Switzerland. She is currently pursuing her master’s in Drug Sciences and finds Studio Ghibli inspiration in the mountains, lakes, and stars surrounding her. When she’s not talking to herself in the woodland forest, she’s drinking iced coffee, baking aesthetic cookies and cakes, and telling everyone who would listen about how BTS paved the way. One of her many dreams is to get Kim Nam-joon to read one of her books. Her first novel, As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow, is out now.

Upcoming Events

15. SCHOOL GROUPS: THE WRITER’S LIFE WITH ZOULFA KATOUH

10:00 am - 11:00 am

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Syrian-Canadian woman wearing a dark blue headscarf. Her chin is propped up in her hands.

Zoulfa Katouh

A photo of a Somali woman with curly hair. She wears dark-rimmed glasses and is laughing.

Ardo Omer

A young Indigenous man with a shaved head and a dark mustache. He wears a white button-up shirt under a black sweater and stands against a wall filled with books.

Cody Caetano

Cody Caetano is the author of Half-Bads in White Regalia (Hamish Hamilton). He works as a literary agent with CookeMcDermid.

Upcoming Events

16. SCHOOL GROUPS: TELLING TRUTHS

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Indigenous man with a shaved head and a dark mustache. He wears a white button-up shirt under a black sweater and stands against a wall filled with books.

Cody Caetano

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair, sitting at a desk. She cups her head in her left hand and the wall behind her is blue and dotted with shelves.

Lindsay Ruck

A middle-aged Black woman kneels on the grass reading a book. She wears dark pants and a white shirt.

Alyssa Gray-Tyghter

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

Jen Sookfong Lee was born and raised in Vancouver’s East Side, and she now lives with her family in North Burnaby. Her books include The Conjoined, nominated for International Dublin Literary Award and a finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, The Better Mother, a finalist for the City of Vancouver Book Award, The End of East, The Shadow List, and Superfan. Jen acquires and edits for ECW Press and co-hosts the literary podcast Can’t Lit.

Upcoming Events

16. SCHOOL GROUPS: TELLING TRUTHS

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Indigenous man with a shaved head and a dark mustache. He wears a white button-up shirt under a black sweater and stands against a wall filled with books.

Cody Caetano

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair, sitting at a desk. She cups her head in her left hand and the wall behind her is blue and dotted with shelves.

Lindsay Ruck

A middle-aged Black woman kneels on the grass reading a book. She wears dark pants and a white shirt.

Alyssa Gray-Tyghter

31. THE GREAT READCEPTION: A LITERARY CABARET

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

May 5, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young brown woman with long black hair, wearing dark pink lipstick.

Anuja Varghese

A young Black woman with long straight black hair, wearing long hoop earrings.

Téa Mutonji

35. MEMORABLE MEMOIRS

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair, sitting at a desk. She cups her head in her left hand and the wall behind her is blue and dotted with shelves.

Lindsay Ruck

Lindsay Ruck is a mother, author, and editor from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She studied journalism at Carleton University’s School of Journalism in Ottawa before returning to her home province to continue her writing career. Lindsay’s first published book, Winds of Change: The Life and Legacy of Calvin W. Ruck, is a biography of her grandfather. Her first book for younger readers, Amazing Black Atlantic Canadians, is nominated for a Hackmatack Children’s Book Award. My Favourite Colour, a rhyming children’s picture book, will be released Fall 2023.

Upcoming Events

16. SCHOOL GROUPS: TELLING TRUTHS

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Indigenous man with a shaved head and a dark mustache. He wears a white button-up shirt under a black sweater and stands against a wall filled with books.

Cody Caetano

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair, sitting at a desk. She cups her head in her left hand and the wall behind her is blue and dotted with shelves.

Lindsay Ruck

A middle-aged Black woman kneels on the grass reading a book. She wears dark pants and a white shirt.

Alyssa Gray-Tyghter

A middle-aged Black woman kneels on the grass reading a book. She wears dark pants and a white shirt.

Alyssa Gray-Tyghter

Alyssa Gray-Tyghter (she/her) is an educator, writer, speaker, and PhD student. For over 10 years, she has taught a variety of subjects in a public middle school in Peel where she is now an Equity Resource Teacher. In 2020, She began a series on Instagram (@AlyssaGTyghter) titled #HerstoricallySpeaking where she tackles Canadian Black History, Indigenous Stories, and other racialized communities in Canada. Her current research focuses of Black girlhood, identity, and belonging in Canada.

Upcoming Events

16. SCHOOL GROUPS: TELLING TRUTHS

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Indigenous man with a shaved head and a dark mustache. He wears a white button-up shirt under a black sweater and stands against a wall filled with books.

Cody Caetano

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A light-skinned Black woman with long curly dark hair, sitting at a desk. She cups her head in her left hand and the wall behind her is blue and dotted with shelves.

Lindsay Ruck

A middle-aged Black woman kneels on the grass reading a book. She wears dark pants and a white shirt.

Alyssa Gray-Tyghter

A mixed-race Arab nin-binary individual with short dark hair, standing against a field filled with flowers.

Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch

Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch is a writer living in Tio’tia:ke, author of knot body (Metatron Press 2020) and The Good Arabs (Metonymy Press 2021).The Good Arabs was granted the honorary mention for poetry by the Arab American Book Awards and won the Grand Prix du Livre de Montréal. Their translation of Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay’s La fille d’elle-même is forthcoming Spring 2023. With co-editor Samia Marshy, they are editing El Ghourabaa, an anthology of queer and trans writing by Arab and Arabophone writers, forthcoming Spring 2024.

Upcoming Events

17. DISABLED FUTURES

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A mixed-race Arab nin-binary individual with short dark hair, standing against a field filled with flowers.

Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch

a middle-aged white woman with greying brown hair, smiling off into the distance.

Susan Mockler

A non-binary senior light-skinned Black individual, femme-presenting, wearing glasses and a green top.

Nisi Shawl

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

a middle-aged white woman with greying brown hair, smiling off into the distance.

Susan Mockler

Susan Mockler is a disabled writer living in Kingston, Ontario. Her recent memoir, Fractured, details her experiences with acquired disability following a car accident that left her with an incomplete spinal cord injury. Her book provides insights into the physical and psychological challenges she faced in rehabilitation and beyond, as well as the discrimination and marginalization she encountered when she was no longer able-bodied. Susan’s fiction and nonfiction have been published in a variety of Canadian and US publications.

Upcoming Events

17. DISABLED FUTURES

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A mixed-race Arab nin-binary individual with short dark hair, standing against a field filled with flowers.

Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch

a middle-aged white woman with greying brown hair, smiling off into the distance.

Susan Mockler

A non-binary senior light-skinned Black individual, femme-presenting, wearing glasses and a green top.

Nisi Shawl

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

25. WORKSHOP: WRITING YOUR STORY WITH SUSAN MOCKLER

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

a middle-aged white woman with greying brown hair, smiling off into the distance.

Susan Mockler

A non-binary senior light-skinned Black individual, femme-presenting, wearing glasses and a green top.

Nisi Shawl

Nisi Shawl (they/them) is the multiple award-winning author, co-author, and editor of over a dozen books of speculative fiction and related nonfiction, including the standard text on diverse representation in literature, Writing the Other; the African Congo alternate history novel Everfair; and the first two volumes of the New Suns anthology series. They’ve guest lectured at Duke University, Spelman College, Stanford University, Sarah Lawrence College, and many other institutions. Recent titles include the horror-friendly story collection Our Fruiting Bodies and the Middle Grade historical fantasy novel Speculation. Shawl teaches online writing courses via Hugo House and the writingtheother.com website.

Upcoming Events

17. DISABLED FUTURES

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A mixed-race Arab nin-binary individual with short dark hair, standing against a field filled with flowers.

Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch

a middle-aged white woman with greying brown hair, smiling off into the distance.

Susan Mockler

A non-binary senior light-skinned Black individual, femme-presenting, wearing glasses and a green top.

Nisi Shawl

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and standing against a pale grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jessie Conrad

Jessie Conrad is an emerging Author enrolled in an MA degree in community engagement. She was part of the Audible Indigenous Writers’ Circle 2022, a 2008 CBC Non Fiction Reader for CBC Books and published her first story, “Where They Belong“, in 2012. Currently she’s writing a speculative fiction novella, Fish Bait. Born in Windsor, Ontario she has also lived in Yellowknife, Vancouver and Edmonton. Being part of the communities she lives in is instrumental to her writing practice, as is receiving mentorship from established authors and peers.

Upcoming Events

23. LIFE AS AN EMERGING WRITER

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and standing against a pale grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jessie Conrad

A young two-spirit Indigenous man with short dark hair, wearing a dark blazer over a light collared shirt, and dark-framed glasses.

Julian Martin

An Indigenous woman with short grey hair in a mohwak and dark-framed glasses, standing against a red background. They wear a yellow t-shirt with a beaded design.

January Rogers

A young two-spirit Indigenous man with short dark hair, wearing a dark blazer over a light collared shirt, and dark-framed glasses.

Julian Martin

Julian Martin is a Two-Spirited Indigenous Man. Julian has always been passionate about writing and storytelling from a very young age. Julian describes himself as an aspiring Author who strides to share the unheard voices of Indigenous people. His goals is to share knowledge and awareness of the Indigenous people of Turtle Island (Best known as North America) His stride is to encourage the younger generation to be open and proud to call themselves Indigenous. By sharing stories from the young age point of view and from the modern world.

Upcoming Events

23. LIFE AS AN EMERGING WRITER

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and standing against a pale grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jessie Conrad

A young two-spirit Indigenous man with short dark hair, wearing a dark blazer over a light collared shirt, and dark-framed glasses.

Julian Martin

An Indigenous woman with short grey hair in a mohwak and dark-framed glasses, standing against a red background. They wear a yellow t-shirt with a beaded design.

January Rogers

An Indigenous woman with short grey hair in a mohwak and dark-framed glasses, standing against a red background. They wear a yellow t-shirt with a beaded design.

January Rogers

January Rogers is a Mohawk/Tuscarora poet, media producer, performance and sound art-ist. She lives on her home territory of Six Nations of the Grand River where she operates Ojistoh Publishing and Productions.

Upcoming Events

23. LIFE AS AN EMERGING WRITER

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and standing against a pale grey wall. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jessie Conrad

A young two-spirit Indigenous man with short dark hair, wearing a dark blazer over a light collared shirt, and dark-framed glasses.

Julian Martin

An Indigenous woman with short grey hair in a mohwak and dark-framed glasses, standing against a red background. They wear a yellow t-shirt with a beaded design.

January Rogers

A white non-binary individual with short blonde hair, wearing a striped shirt, dark sunglasses and white coveralls. They are outside and it is bright and sunny.

Kerry C. Byrne

Kerry C. Byrne an autistic, queer and nonbinary editor/community organizer/writer/cat lover living in Toronto, ON. They are the Co-Founder and Publisher of Augur Magazine, as well as the Co-Director of AugurCon, a two-day Canadian speculative literature event. As a writer, their fiction and poetry can be found or is forthcoming in Solarpunk Magazine, Fantasy Magazine, THIS Magazine, and others. Otherwise, they can be found rifling through the depths of their D&D world, Illaran. Find them on Twitter as @kercoby.

Upcoming Events

18. SUBMISSIONS AND SELECTIONS

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white non-binary individual with short blonde hair, wearing a striped shirt, dark sunglasses and white coveralls. They are outside and it is bright and sunny.

Kerry C. Byrne

An Asian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, smiling against a black background.

Anita Chong

A Filipino-Canadian woman with long dark hair. She is sitting on wooden steps indoors and wears two prosthetic legs.

Therese Estacion

An Asian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, smiling against a black background.

Anita Chong

Anita Chong is Executive Editor at McClelland & Stewart, where she edits literary fiction and memoir, and champions writers from traditionally underrepresented communities. Books she has edited include Souvankham Thammavongsa’s How to Pronounce Knife, Tsering Yangzom Lama’s We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies, Sharon Bala’s The Boat People, Reema Patel’s Such Big Dreams, Michael Christie’s Greenwood, and, most recently, Jen Sookfong Lee’s Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart and Janika Oza’s A History of Burning. Anita is also the manager of the Writers’ Trust McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize for emerging Canadian writers.

Upcoming Events

18. SUBMISSIONS AND SELECTIONS

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white non-binary individual with short blonde hair, wearing a striped shirt, dark sunglasses and white coveralls. They are outside and it is bright and sunny.

Kerry C. Byrne

An Asian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, smiling against a black background.

Anita Chong

A Filipino-Canadian woman with long dark hair. She is sitting on wooden steps indoors and wears two prosthetic legs.

Therese Estacion

A Filipino-Canadian woman with long dark hair. She is sitting on wooden steps indoors and wears two prosthetic legs.

Therese Estacion

Therese Estacion is part of the Visayan diaspora community. She is an elementary school teacher and is currently studying to be a psychotherapist. Therese is also a bilateral below knee and partial hands amputee. She has been a guest editor and judge for Poetry in Voice. Her first book, Phantompains, was published by Book*Hug, and was a finalist for the CLMP Firecracker Awards and the 2021 Indies Foreward Review. She lives in Toronto/Tkaronto.

Upcoming Events

18. SUBMISSIONS AND SELECTIONS

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white non-binary individual with short blonde hair, wearing a striped shirt, dark sunglasses and white coveralls. They are outside and it is bright and sunny.

Kerry C. Byrne

An Asian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, smiling against a black background.

Anita Chong

A Filipino-Canadian woman with long dark hair. She is sitting on wooden steps indoors and wears two prosthetic legs.

Therese Estacion

A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.

Markus Harwood-Jones

Markus Harwood-Jones (he/they) is a proudly queer and trans space-case who has been writing since he can remember. Markus specializes in writing young-adult fiction and has a soft-spot for sappy love stories. He lives in downtown Toronto with his husband, their platonic co-parent, and their extra-cute kiddo. Markus is an aspiring TikTokker and can be found on social media under the handle @MarkusBones.

Upcoming Events

20. QUEER JOY

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.

Markus Harwood-Jones

A brown Syrian-Canadian man with short dark hair and a small goatee. He wears a purple t-shirt and stands with his arms crossed against a black background. Various tattoos cover his arms.

Danny Ramadan

A Black woman with long curly hair, weating a black hat and a floral print shirt. She rests her head against her right hand and smiles widely.

Tanya Turton

A femme-presenting non-binary individual with curly orange hair and glasses, sitting in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon

27. WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A Black woman with hair pulled back in braids, wearing a teal shirt and standing against a brown background.

Gia de Cadenet

A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.

Markus Harwood-Jones

An Asian woman sits with her arms crossed and lying on a table in front of her, all against a dark grey background. She wears a white sweater.

Roselle Lim

An Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, smiling against a dark grey background.

Lavanya Narasimhan

A brown Syrian-Canadian man with short dark hair and a small goatee. He wears a purple t-shirt and stands with his arms crossed against a black background. Various tattoos cover his arms.

Danny Ramadan

Danny Ramadan is an award-winning Syrian-Canadian author and advocate for LGBTQ-identifying refugees. His work includes The Clothesline Swing, The Foghorn Echoes, and the children’s series Adventures of Salma! His upcoming memoir Crooked Teeth will be released in 2024. He had raised over $300k for Rainbow Refugee society since his arrival to Canada as a refugee in 2014.

Upcoming Events

20. QUEER JOY

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.

Markus Harwood-Jones

A brown Syrian-Canadian man with short dark hair and a small goatee. He wears a purple t-shirt and stands with his arms crossed against a black background. Various tattoos cover his arms.

Danny Ramadan

A Black woman with long curly hair, weating a black hat and a floral print shirt. She rests her head against her right hand and smiles widely.

Tanya Turton

A femme-presenting non-binary individual with curly orange hair and glasses, sitting in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon

A Black woman with long curly hair, weating a black hat and a floral print shirt. She rests her head against her right hand and smiles widely.

Tanya Turton

Hailing from Jamaica, and raised in Toronto, Tanya Turton is an award-winning entrepreneur, storyteller, wellness educator, and mental health advocate. Tanya’s work uses an intersectional lens to explore the relationship between narrative, mental wellness and care. As a wellness world builder Tanya takes steps to tell intersectional stories, and construct a world for Black and queer communities to feel heard, seen, and witnessed. Tanya is the author of Jade Is a Twisted Green, A coming-of-age story about Jamaican Canadian identity, love, passion, chosen family, and rediscovering life’s pleasures after loss.

Upcoming Events

20. QUEER JOY

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.

Markus Harwood-Jones

A brown Syrian-Canadian man with short dark hair and a small goatee. He wears a purple t-shirt and stands with his arms crossed against a black background. Various tattoos cover his arms.

Danny Ramadan

A Black woman with long curly hair, weating a black hat and a floral print shirt. She rests her head against her right hand and smiles widely.

Tanya Turton

A femme-presenting non-binary individual with curly orange hair and glasses, sitting in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon

A femme-presenting non-binary individual with curly orange hair and glasses, sitting in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon

Emmy is a queer, non-binary colonizer originally from Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland), now based in Tkaronto (Toronto), where they work as a literary agent for Westwood Creative Artists.

Upcoming Events

20. QUEER JOY

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 2, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.

Markus Harwood-Jones

A brown Syrian-Canadian man with short dark hair and a small goatee. He wears a purple t-shirt and stands with his arms crossed against a black background. Various tattoos cover his arms.

Danny Ramadan

A Black woman with long curly hair, weating a black hat and a floral print shirt. She rests her head against her right hand and smiles widely.

Tanya Turton

A femme-presenting non-binary individual with curly orange hair and glasses, sitting in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon

A young Mexican man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white t-shirt, standing against a reddish wooden wall.

Daniel Aleman

Daniel Aleman is the award-winning author of Indivisible. He was born and raised in Mexico City. A graduate of McGill University, he is passionate about books, coffee, and dogs. After spending time in Montreal and the New York City area, he now lives in Toronto, where he is on a never-ending search for the best tacos in the city. His second novel, Brighter Than the Sun, was published this past March.

Upcoming Events

22. SCHOOL GROUPS: WRITING COMPELLING CHARACTERS WITH DANIEL ALEMAN

10:00 am - 11:00 am

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Mexican man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white t-shirt, standing against a reddish wooden wall.

Daniel Aleman

24. SCHOOL GROUPS: COMPLICATED FAMILIES

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Mexican man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white t-shirt, standing against a reddish wooden wall.

Daniel Aleman

A white-passing Métis woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing bright red lipstick. She wears beaded earrings and her mouth is open in a wide smile.

Jen Ferguson

A young Black woman sits on a yellow couch. She wears glasses and a dark green top, and the wall behind her is a rich dark blue.

Talia Hibbert

A young dark-haired Latinx woman wearing a warm yellow sweater.

Yeli Cruz

A white-passing Métis woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing bright red lipstick. She wears beaded earrings and her mouth is open in a wide smile.

Jen Ferguson

Jen Ferguson (she/her) is Métis and white, an activist, a feminist, an auntie, and an accomplice armed with a PhD. She believes writing, teaching and beading are political acts. Her debut YA novel, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, is out now from Heartdrum / HarperCollins and won the 2022 Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature. Her latest novel, Those Pink Mountain Nights, is forthcoming in September 2023.

Upcoming Events

24. SCHOOL GROUPS: COMPLICATED FAMILIES

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Mexican man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white t-shirt, standing against a reddish wooden wall.

Daniel Aleman

A white-passing Métis woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing bright red lipstick. She wears beaded earrings and her mouth is open in a wide smile.

Jen Ferguson

A young Black woman sits on a yellow couch. She wears glasses and a dark green top, and the wall behind her is a rich dark blue.

Talia Hibbert

A young dark-haired Latinx woman wearing a warm yellow sweater.

Yeli Cruz

A young Black woman sits on a yellow couch. She wears glasses and a dark green top, and the wall behind her is a rich dark blue.

Talia Hibbert

Talia Hibbert is a New York Times bestselling romance author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate. Talia writes diverse and indulgent love stories because marginalised people deserve honest and joyous representation. She enjoys tea and biscuits, the colour pink, and unnecessary sarcasm.

Upcoming Events

24. SCHOOL GROUPS: COMPLICATED FAMILIES

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Mexican man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white t-shirt, standing against a reddish wooden wall.

Daniel Aleman

A white-passing Métis woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing bright red lipstick. She wears beaded earrings and her mouth is open in a wide smile.

Jen Ferguson

A young Black woman sits on a yellow couch. She wears glasses and a dark green top, and the wall behind her is a rich dark blue.

Talia Hibbert

A young dark-haired Latinx woman wearing a warm yellow sweater.

Yeli Cruz

A young dark-haired Latinx woman wearing a warm yellow sweater.

Yeli Cruz

Yeli Cruz (she/her) is a voracious reader, a writer, and a publishing professional. In her free time she loves playing video games and wearing cozy sweaters.

Upcoming Events

24. SCHOOL GROUPS: COMPLICATED FAMILIES

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A young Mexican man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white t-shirt, standing against a reddish wooden wall.

Daniel Aleman

A white-passing Métis woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing bright red lipstick. She wears beaded earrings and her mouth is open in a wide smile.

Jen Ferguson

A young Black woman sits on a yellow couch. She wears glasses and a dark green top, and the wall behind her is a rich dark blue.

Talia Hibbert

A young dark-haired Latinx woman wearing a warm yellow sweater.

Yeli Cruz

A Black woman with hair pulled back in braids, wearing a teal shirt and standing against a brown background.

Gia de Cadenet

Author of Getting His Game Back and Not The Plan, Gia de Cadenet is a Maggie Award finalist, BCALA Literary Award nominee, and lifelong romance reader. She is also a business school professor and former translator and editor for UNESCO. A native Floridian, she currently lives in Paris with her children and her teacup Pomeranian, Sumo.

Upcoming Events

27. WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A Black woman with hair pulled back in braids, wearing a teal shirt and standing against a brown background.

Gia de Cadenet

A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.

Markus Harwood-Jones

An Asian woman sits with her arms crossed and lying on a table in front of her, all against a dark grey background. She wears a white sweater.

Roselle Lim

An Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, smiling against a dark grey background.

Lavanya Narasimhan

An Asian woman sits with her arms crossed and lying on a table in front of her, all against a dark grey background. She wears a white sweater.

Roselle Lim

Roselle Lim is the critically acclaimed author of Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune, Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop and Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club. She lives on the north shore of Lake Erie and always has an artistic project on the go.

Upcoming Events

27. WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A Black woman with hair pulled back in braids, wearing a teal shirt and standing against a brown background.

Gia de Cadenet

A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.

Markus Harwood-Jones

An Asian woman sits with her arms crossed and lying on a table in front of her, all against a dark grey background. She wears a white sweater.

Roselle Lim

An Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, smiling against a dark grey background.

Lavanya Narasimhan

An Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, smiling against a dark grey background.

Lavanya Narasimhan

Lavanya Narasimhan has been in the publishing industry for 11 years, starting her career in New York. She is currently a sales director at Penguin Random House Canada.

Upcoming Events

27. WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

May 3, 2023

FOLD 23 Virtual Platform

A Black woman with hair pulled back in braids, wearing a teal shirt and standing against a brown background.

Gia de Cadenet

A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.

Markus Harwood-Jones

An Asian woman sits with her arms crossed and lying on a table in front of her, all against a dark grey background. She wears a white sweater.

Roselle Lim

An Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, smiling against a dark grey background.

Lavanya Narasimhan

A Black man with short dark hair and a short beard standing against a field of green and yellow wildflowers.

Kevin heronJones

Kevin heronJones is a youth basketball coach, author, poet, journalist, editor, actor and lecturer. This electrifying artist is best known for his profound and powerful delivery. His poetry is edu-tainment. It is poignant and inspiring. Words that equally speak to the street, the church, the night club and institutions of higher learning. He attempts to analyze life beyond the physical and spiritual norms to find the scientific parallels between our art forms, belief systems and history. His prose challenges young people to look inward to find solutions and encourages young athletes to become more involved with literature.

Upcoming Events

28. SCHOOL GROUPS: GREAT ESCAPES AND EXPECTATIONS

10:00 am - 11:00 am

May 4, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short dark hair and a short beard standing against a field of green and yellow wildflowers.

Kevin heronJones

A young Indian-Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a pink halter top.

Jesmeen Kaur Deo

Liselle Sambury

Liselle Sambury

Liselle Sambury

Liselle Sambury

Liselle Sambury is the Trinidadian-Canadian author of the Governor General’s Literary Awards Finalist, Blood Like Magic. Her work spans multiple genres, from fantasy to sci-fi, horror, and more. In her free time, she shares helpful tips for upcoming writers and details of her publishing journey through a YouTube channel dedicated to demystifying the sometimes complicated business of being an author.

Upcoming Events

28. SCHOOL GROUPS: GREAT ESCAPES AND EXPECTATIONS

10:00 am - 11:00 am

May 4, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short dark hair and a short beard standing against a field of green and yellow wildflowers.

Kevin heronJones

A young Indian-Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a pink halter top.

Jesmeen Kaur Deo

Liselle Sambury

Liselle Sambury

A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.

Britta Badour

Born and raised in Kingston, Ontario, Britta Badour, better known as Britta B., is an award-winning artist, voice talent, educator, and poet living in Toronto. Her work has featured in notable spheres such as The Walrus Talks, Art Gallery of Ontario, Canadian Women’s Foundation, as well as literature festivals like the FOLD, Toronto International Festival of Authors, and LitFest Bergen. Britta holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Guelph and teaches spoken word performance at Seneca College. Wires that Sputter (McClelland & Stewart, 2023), is her debut collection of poetry.

Upcoming Events

29. SCHOOL GROUPS: THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 4, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.

Britta Badour

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a bright red blazer and standing against a grey stone wall. Her arms are crossed.

Tahira Rajwani

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

33. HOW WE DID IT

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.

Britta Badour

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

An Asian man with short dark hair and glasses sits at a patio table outdoors.

Dan K. Woo

a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.

Kern Carter

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a bright red blazer and standing against a grey stone wall. Her arms are crossed.

Tahira Rajwani

Tahira Rajwani is a student, volunteer and spoken word artist. She is the winner of Mississauga’s 2022 poetry slam and has been published with The Stranger Poets, Poetry Undressed and Paper Crane Magazine. Most recently, she was also the runner-up for Button Poetry’s 2022 poem cover contest. Tahira is currently Marketing Lead with Sauga Poetry, an up-and-coming organization that aims to foster the local spoken word community and create opportunities for spoken word artists. By day, she is a psychology student at the University of Toronto.

Upcoming Events

29. SCHOOL GROUPS: THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 4, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.

Britta Badour

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a bright red blazer and standing against a grey stone wall. Her arms are crossed.

Tahira Rajwani

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

Gavin Russell is a Spoken Word Artist out of Whitby, Ontario. Over the course of the last decade, he has brought his words to stages all over, attempting to bring levity, contemplation, and a desire to relish in the mundane to audiences everywhere. I multi-city champion in poetry slam, and a one time national champion, He hopes to enlighten and entertain with you. Yes, you specifically.

Upcoming Events

29. SCHOOL GROUPS: THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 4, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.

Britta Badour

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a bright red blazer and standing against a grey stone wall. Her arms are crossed.

Tahira Rajwani

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

38. THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

Young Black woman wearing a white wrap around her hair and a leopard-print shirt and jeans, standing with her hands clasped in front of her chest and her elbows out to the sides.

Shelly Grace

A young Black woman with long dark hair in many braids. She wears a teal suit and stands against a pink background with her arms stretch out to the camera.

Shahaddah Jack

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

The Wild Woman is a Jamaican-born creator rooted deeply in her intersections as Black, woman, and queer, to harness purpose and use poetry, spirituality, and sensual self-introspection to challenge thoughts and ideals, instigating waves of change. With a career spanning over a decade, The Wild Woman is an award-winning spoken word artist, poet, author, educator, and workshop facilitator. She is also an event producer, host, speaker, and curator.

Upcoming Events

29. SCHOOL GROUPS: THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

May 4, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.

Britta Badour

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a bright red blazer and standing against a grey stone wall. Her arms are crossed.

Tahira Rajwani

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

38. THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

Young Black woman wearing a white wrap around her hair and a leopard-print shirt and jeans, standing with her hands clasped in front of her chest and her elbows out to the sides.

Shelly Grace

A young Black woman with long dark hair in many braids. She wears a teal suit and stands against a pink background with her arms stretch out to the camera.

Shahaddah Jack

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

Black and white photo of a young Asiam woman with long dark hair, parted in the middle and curling at the ends.

Meegan Lim

Meegan Lim is an illustrator and arts facilitator based in Brampton, Ontario that strives to nurture community growth and healing through visual arts. She is known for her detailed illustrations focusing on food and cultural identity, and the vast stories within those intersections. She holds a Bachelor of Design in Illustration, specializing in Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation, from OCAD University.

Upcoming Events

30. DINE + DRAW: DUMPLING EDITION

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

May 4, 2023

The Rose Theatre

Black and white photo of a young Asiam woman with long dark hair, parted in the middle and curling at the ends.

Meegan Lim

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Elamin Abdelmahmoud is the host of CBC’s Commotion, and author of the No. 1 national bestseller Son of Elsewhere, a New York Times notable book of the year. He is a Reporter at Large for BuzzFeed News and a contributor to The National’s At Issue panel. Elamin was a founding host of Party Lines and Pop Chat for CBC Podcasts. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, the Globe, and others. When he gets a chance, he writes bad tweets.

Upcoming Events

31. THE GREAT READCEPTION: A LITERARY CABARET

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

May 5, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young brown woman with long black hair, wearing dark pink lipstick.

Anuja Varghese

A young Black woman with long straight black hair, wearing long hoop earrings.

Téa Mutonji

35. MEMORABLE MEMOIRS

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

36. MICROWORKSHOP: MEMOIR WRITING WITH ELAMIN ABDELMAHMOUD

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

Ali Hassan is a Stand-up Comic, Actor and CBC Personality. Ali is the host of the CBC Radio stand-up comedy show Laugh Out Loud, and the host of Canada Reads – the annual battle of the books celebrating the best of Canadian literature. Ali appears can be seen as a recurring guest star in Sort Of on CBC GEM and HBO Max, and the sitcom Run The Burbs on CBC Television, and just began touring his latest solo show ‘Does This Taste Funny?’ across Canada. His comedic memoir Is There Bacon in Heaven? is out NOW with Simon & Schuster.

Upcoming Events

31. THE GREAT READCEPTION: A LITERARY CABARET

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

May 5, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young brown woman with long black hair, wearing dark pink lipstick.

Anuja Varghese

A young Black woman with long straight black hair, wearing long hoop earrings.

Téa Mutonji

37. BOOKS WITH BUZZ

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a black shirt and standing against a grey background.

Cherie Dimaline

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

Catherine Hernandez (she/her) is an award-winning author and screenwriter. She is a proud queer woman who is of Filipino, Spanish, Chinese and Indian descent and married into the Navajo Nation. Her novel, Scarborough, was a finalist for several awards including Canada Reads 2022. She wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Scarborough, which won 8 Canadian Screen Awards including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Her second novel, Crosshairs, was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award. Her latest novel, The Story of Us, was published this year. She is currently working on a few television projects and her fourth novel.

Upcoming Events

31. THE GREAT READCEPTION: A LITERARY CABARET

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

May 5, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young brown woman with long black hair, wearing dark pink lipstick.

Anuja Varghese

A young Black woman with long straight black hair, wearing long hoop earrings.

Téa Mutonji

37. BOOKS WITH BUZZ

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a black shirt and standing against a grey background.

Cherie Dimaline

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

Alessandra Naccarato is the author of Imminent Domains: Reckoning with the Anthropocene (Essays) and Re-Origin of Species (Poems). Born and raised in Tkaronto (Toronto), her poetry and essays speak to intersections of disability and ecological change, and have appeared widely in publications such as The New Quarterly, Room Magazine, and Event. She is the recipient of numerous recognitions, including the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award and the CBC Poetry Prize, and holds graduate degrees in both creative writing and community economic development, supporting two decades of work in grassroots social change, community arts, and the prevention of gender-based violence.

Upcoming Events

31. THE GREAT READCEPTION: A LITERARY CABARET

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

May 5, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young brown woman with long black hair, wearing dark pink lipstick.

Anuja Varghese

A young Black woman with long straight black hair, wearing long hoop earrings.

Téa Mutonji

35. MEMORABLE MEMOIRS

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young white woman stands beside a tree trunk and smiles. She wears a green button-down shift top and a cream cardigan. She has long curly brown hair.

Amanda Leduc

38. THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

Young Black woman wearing a white wrap around her hair and a leopard-print shirt and jeans, standing with her hands clasped in front of her chest and her elbows out to the sides.

Shelly Grace

A young Black woman with long dark hair in many braids. She wears a teal suit and stands against a pink background with her arms stretch out to the camera.

Shahaddah Jack

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

A young brown woman with long black hair, wearing dark pink lipstick.

Anuja Varghese

Anuja Varghese (she/her) is a QWOC Pushcart-nominated writer based in Hamilton, ON. Her work appears in Hobart, The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, Plenitude Magazine, and others. Anuja is also a professional grant writer and editor, and in 2021, took on the role of Fiction Editor with The Puritan. Her debut short story collection Chrysalis (House of Anansi, 2023) centers brown women and girls in genre-blending stories that tackle sexuality, cultural expectations, and transformation through a feminist lens. Find Anuja on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok or through her website.

Upcoming Events

31. THE GREAT READCEPTION: A LITERARY CABARET

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

May 5, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young brown woman with long black hair, wearing dark pink lipstick.

Anuja Varghese

A young Black woman with long straight black hair, wearing long hoop earrings.

Téa Mutonji

A young Black woman with long straight black hair, wearing long hoop earrings.

Téa Mutonji

Téa Mutonji is a poet writing fiction. Her short stories collection, Shut Up You’re Pretty (2019), was published by VS. Books and Arsenal Pulp Press.

Upcoming Events

31. THE GREAT READCEPTION: A LITERARY CABARET

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

May 5, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with short hair and a goatee sits in front of a dark green background, resting his arm and propping his head against his right hand. He wears a dark blue shirt.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

A middle-aged Asian Canadian woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a dark printed dress and standing against a black background with her arms crossed. She wears bright red lipstick.

Jen Sookfong Lee

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A young brown woman with long black hair, wearing dark pink lipstick.

Anuja Varghese

A young Black woman with long straight black hair, wearing long hoop earrings.

Téa Mutonji

An Asian man with short dark hair and glasses sits at a patio table outdoors.

Dan K. Woo

Dan K. Woo edited the anthology, The Spirits Have Nothing to Do with Us, forthcoming in Spring 2023 from Buckrider Books. He was winner of the 2018 Ken Klonsky Award, a literary prize for a novella with a social justice theme, and is also the author of Letters to Little Comrade (2023). His recent collection, Taobao: Stories, was featured on the Chicago Review of Books most anticipated reads of 2022. He also works full time as a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers and occasionally teaches at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. 

Upcoming Events

33. HOW WE DID IT

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Black woman with a curly brown Afro stands against a lush green background.

Britta Badour

A white transwoman with dark straight hair and bangs, wearing a black t-shirt. She sits against a lush floral background.

Casey Plett

An Asian man with short dark hair and glasses sits at a patio table outdoors.

Dan K. Woo

a middle-aged Black man with a shaved head and small goatee. He wears a whit t-shirt and is photographed outside against a lush green backdrop.

Kern Carter

A Black man with an Afro stands at the front of a stage, smiling and singing into a mircophone.

Ajhani Azure

Ajhani Azure is a 21-year-old independent artist, producer, and vocalist from Brampton Ontario. His goal as an artist is to stand out with his unique approach and sound, inspire others to push boundaries and break the mold, & become the first tide of a new wave of genre-defying and groundbreaking artists from Brampton!

Upcoming Events

34. MICROWORKSHOP: SONGWRITING WITH AJHANI AZURE

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A Black man with an Afro stands at the front of a stage, smiling and singing into a mircophone.

Ajhani Azure

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a black shirt and standing against a grey background.

Cherie Dimaline

Cherie Dimaline‘s book, The Marrow Thieves, was declared one of the Best YA Books of All Time by TIME Magazine and won the Governor General’s Award and the Kirkus Prize. Her novel Empire of Wild became an instant Canadian bestseller and was named Indigo’s 2019 Best Book. Hunting By Stars was a 2022 American Indian Library Association Honor Book and her new novel VENCO debuted at #1 on Canadian bestseller lists. Other 2023 titles include Funeral Songs for Dying Girls, Anthology of Monsters, and Into the Bright Open. Cherie lives in her community and writes for television and stage.

Upcoming Events

37. BOOKS WITH BUZZ

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a black shirt and standing against a grey background.

Cherie Dimaline

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

Suzette Mayr is the author of six novels including her most recent, The Sleeping Car Porter, winner of the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Award. Her other novels have won the ReLit Award and City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize, and been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Commonwealth Prize for Best Book in the Canada-Caribbean Region, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s Best First Book and Best Novel Awards, and the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBT Fiction. Mayr teaches Creative Writing at the University of Calgary.

Upcoming Events

37. BOOKS WITH BUZZ

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

An Indigenous woman with long dark hair, wearing a black shirt and standing against a grey background.

Cherie Dimaline

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

A brown bald man with a goatee stands against a dark blue background. He is smiling and wearing a red-brown leather jacket over a blue shirt.

Ali Hassan

A queer brown femme with short dark hair, wearing a strapless black dress with a white skirt.

Catherine Hernandez

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

39. THE HISTORICAL FICTION HIGH TEA

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

May 7, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a patterned beige shirt and standing against a light brown wall.

Janika Oza

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

A senior Black woman with short curly grey hair, wearing a multi-coloured scarf.

Sheila Murray

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

Young Black woman wearing a white wrap around her hair and a leopard-print shirt and jeans, standing with her hands clasped in front of her chest and her elbows out to the sides.

Shelly Grace

Shelly Grace is a Toronto-based spoken word poet, photographer, and arts educator. In 2022 she was named Toronto’s Breakthrough Artist by Toronto Arts Foundation, and JAYU’s Emerging Artist of the year. In 2019 she won the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word while on the Up From The Roots slam team, becoming a National Spoken Word Champion. She is involved with VIBE Arts on their artist roster, where she works as an art educator and performer. She has also performed and worked for groups such as Toronto Poetry Slam (TPS), Toronto Public Library (TPL), Toronto District School Board (TDSB), and more.

Upcoming Events

38. THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

Young Black woman wearing a white wrap around her hair and a leopard-print shirt and jeans, standing with her hands clasped in front of her chest and her elbows out to the sides.

Shelly Grace

A young Black woman with long dark hair in many braids. She wears a teal suit and stands against a pink background with her arms stretch out to the camera.

Shahaddah Jack

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

A young Black woman with long dark hair in many braids. She wears a teal suit and stands against a pink background with her arms stretch out to the camera.

Shahaddah Jack

Shahaddah Jack is an 18 year old bilingual spoken word poet, author, performer, emcee, human rights activist, arts facilitator, and student of life. She uses the realities of her identity to create stories of art that connect with others and are used to teach one of her greatest beliefs in life, that your pain is your power and our beauty is our story. Not only does she do this with her poetry, but conjointly with her activism and arts facilitation as well. For her efforts, Shahaddah has recently been announced as BGC Canada’s 2022 National Youth of The Year.

Upcoming Events

38. THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

May 6, 2023

The Rose Theatre

Young Black woman wearing a white wrap around her hair and a leopard-print shirt and jeans, standing with her hands clasped in front of her chest and her elbows out to the sides.

Shelly Grace

A young Black woman with long dark hair in many braids. She wears a teal suit and stands against a pink background with her arms stretch out to the camera.

Shahaddah Jack

A white woman with brown hair leans against a wooden countertop. She wears a black blazer,

Alessandra Naccarato

A white man with a short light brown beard. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and stands against an urban streetscape.

Gavin Russell

A Black woman wearing long feathered earrings and looking pensively into the camera.

The Wild Woman

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a patterned beige shirt and standing against a light brown wall.

Janika Oza

Janika Oza is the author of the novel A History Of Burning, forthcoming from McClelland & Stewart in May 2023. She is the winner of the 2022 O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction, and the 2020 Kenyon Review Short Fiction Award, and her stories and essays have appeared in publications such as The Best Small Fictions 2019 Anthology, Catapult, The Adroit Journal, and Prairie Schooner, among others. She lives in Toronto.

Upcoming Events

39. THE HISTORICAL FICTION HIGH TEA

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

May 7, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a patterned beige shirt and standing against a light brown wall.

Janika Oza

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

A senior Black woman with short curly grey hair, wearing a multi-coloured scarf.

Sheila Murray

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

A senior Black woman with short curly grey hair, wearing a multi-coloured scarf.

Sheila Murray

Sheila Murray’s 2022 debut novel, Finding Edward, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award and was a longlisted nominee for Canada Reads 2023. It was listed in the Globe and Mail’s 100 best books, CBC’s best fiction, 49th Shelf’s best books and the Toronto Star’s books gift guide. Her short fiction has appeared in many Canadian literary journals. Sheila has worked as a documentary filmmaker and television sound editor. She moved to the non-profit sector in 2009, and leads a grassroots, volunteer-driven initiative that engages urban residents in adapting to local climate change impacts.

Upcoming Events

39. THE HISTORICAL FICTION HIGH TEA

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

May 7, 2023

The Rose Theatre

A young Indian Canadian woman with long dark hair, wearing a patterned beige shirt and standing against a light brown wall.

Janika Oza

A middle-aged Black woman with greying black hair pulled back from her face. She wears silver hoop earrings and bright read lipstick and stands against a grey wall.

Suzette Mayr

A senior Black woman with short curly grey hair, wearing a multi-coloured scarf.

Sheila Murray

JRichardon_SimonRemarkPhotography

Jael Richardson

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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