27. WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT - The FOLD

27. WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT

Virtual Event

Description

Three writers dig into the process of writing romance — discussing the tropes, the drama, and the happily ever afters. They’ll discuss what drew them to the hot and steamy genre and what keeps them going as they share the ups and downs of their most recent work and the perks and challenges of navigating a romance writing career.

Date: May 3, 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)

A Black woman with hair pulled back in braids, wearing a teal shirt and standing against a brown background.
Gia de Cadenet
Bio
A white trans male with short blue hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black shirt.
Markus Harwood-Jones
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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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