13. CRAFTY HEROES AND CURIOUS VILLAINS - The FOLD

13. CRAFTY HEROES AND CURIOUS VILLAINS

Virtual Event

Description

Three crime fiction writers discuss the creation of incredible characters. Join Sandra SG Wong, R. Barri Flowers and Wayne Arthurson as they discuss craft secrets on the making of incredible heroes and impeccable villains.

Date: May 1, 2023
Time: 7:30pm – 8:30pm ET

GET YOUR FESTIVAL PASS NOW

How to Register

The 2023 festival will run from April 30 – May 7. Dedicated virtual programming on our innovative, online platform will run April 30 – May 3, while in-person events — many of which will also be live-streamed and available on-demand for virtual audiences — will run May 4-7.

A Virtual Festival Pass gives guests access to more than 20 virtual events which can be viewed from the website or through our festival app designed for mobile devices. In addition to festival events, virtual passes provide users with direct access to more than a dozen vendors in our festival exhibitor hall. Guests who purchase a virtual pass can also participate in trivia times, roundtable discussions and our new festival after-parties, which will follow all of our evening events.

An In-Person Festival Pass gives users access to all of our virtual events as well as our standard in-person events in Brampton, Ontario on Saturday, May 6.

This year, the festival includes three in-person Specialty Events – the Dine N’ Draw on May 4, the Literary Cabaret on May 5 and our Historical Fiction High Tea on May 7. Tickets for these events are not covered with our passes and are only available until April 30.

REGISTER NOW

On a Budget? Check out our Patron Pass program.

Featured Speaker(s)

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
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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Stay connected

Follow us on social media

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: Access Token is not valid or has expired. Feed will not update.

Stay Informed

Sign up for our newsletter