9. THE TRUTH ABOUT TRENDS IN PUBLISHING - The FOLD
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Home Festival & Events The Festival of Literary Diversity Schedule 9. THE TRUTH ABOUT TRENDS IN PUBLISHING

9. THE TRUTH ABOUT TRENDS IN PUBLISHING

Virtual Event

Description

Over the past few years, paper shortages, virtual launches and events, political upheaval and a global pandemic have all contributed to shifts and changes in the publishing industry. But how do these trends impact marginalized authors and industry professionals. In this event, three industry professionals break down what happened, what is happening and the future implications for those in publishing.

Date: May 1, 2023
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm ET

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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.

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On a Budget? Check out our Patron Pass program.

Featured Speaker(s)

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 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
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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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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