The Festival of Literary Diversity Festival events designed for students in grades 9-12
The Festival of Literary Diversity features a series of events specifically designed for high school students, accompanied by an Educator Guide which includes pre- and post-event activities designed by an educator (available early April).
All virtual events designed for school groups will be presented live on our virtual platform April 29 – 30, 2025 at 9:45am ET and 1:15pm ET. They’ll be made available for on-demand viewing on the festival platform within a few hours of their live presentation. On-demand events will be available to watch and re-watch until June 30, 2025.
A virtual pass can be purchased for $30 and allows teachers to access the entire virtual festival for use in their classrooms starting April 27. Teachers can also choose to receive Student Access Logins (SALs) which allows students to view events on their own devices – including through our new festival app – until the platform closes on June 30. For information on School Board Passes, head over to the Educator Information page.
While the School Group events are specifically designed for classroom viewing and discussion, teachers are welcome to watch other events in the classroom or for their own professional development.
There will also be two in-person events on Thursday, May 1 at 10:00am ET and 12:30pm ET taking place at the Rose Theatre. Authors will be available following the event for book-signings. A recording of the panel conversation will be made available on the festival platform soon after the festival ends.
In-person tickets are available through the Rose Theatre Box Office for $7 per student for a single event and free for educators.
Educators can book tickets online by heading to the Arts Adventure page and entering the code TEACH into the promo code box. Tickets can also be purchased by phone (905 874 2844 Ext. 62803 or 62804) or by email boxofficeEDU@brampton.ca.
Educators who want to attend both events can take advantage of the bundle price of $10. This can be redeemed ONLY by calling or emailing the Box Office.
See below for the School Group events schedule.
School Group events at the Festival of Literary Diversity are ideally suited for students grade 9-12 due to mature themes and subject matter. School group events in November, for the FOLD Kids Book Fest will be tailored to elementary, middle grade, and secondary students.
Another Story Bookshop, the FOLD’s official festival bookseller, will be onsite for the May 1 – 4 for in-person events. ASB also offers online sales of FOLD titles every year in the month leading up to the festival.
In this workshop with poet Kyo Lee, emerging teen writers will kick-start their journey into a long-term writing project by learning to build sustainable writing routines and exploring different strategies to garner creative momentum. From selecting an idea to finishing the last page, Lee will cover practical tips for starting to write, writing, and continuing to write.
In this edition of The Writer’s Life series, young adult author Judy I. Lin discusses her career as an occupational therapist, her path to becoming an author, and her writing process for her latest horror novel, The Dark Becomes Her. Moderated by the FOLD’s Kids Program Coordinator Ardo Omer, this interview will showcase Lin’s publishing journey, writing tips, and more.
In this panel conversation for high school students, three young adult authors–Jumata Emill, Coltrane Seesequasis, and Anna Sortino–along with moderator Ameema Saeed, discuss the strengths and challenges of working within different genres and why they chose their particular genre.
In this panel conversation for high school students, three young adult authors–Mackenzie Angeconeb, Tanya Boteju, and Judy I. Lin–along with moderator Alyssa Gray-Tyghter, discuss mental health and well-being, the pursuit of perfection, and grief experienced by the teen characters in their novels.
Cree author David A. Robertson and Anishinaabe author Tanya Talaga dive into their family histories to understand more about themselves and where they come from. This in-person event, geared toward high school students, will explore the importance of identity, origin stories, and generational knowledge. The conversation will be moderated by Alyssa Gray-Tyghter. This event is sponsored by Penguin Random House.
This event is held at the Rose Theatre at 1 Theatre Ln in downtown Brampton.
Tickets are available through the Rose Theatre Box Office for $7 per student for a single event and free for educators. Educators can book tickets online by heading to the Arts Adventure page and entering the code TEACH into the promo code box. Tickets can also be purchased by phone (905 874 2844 Ext. 62803 or 62804) or by email boxofficeEDU@brampton.ca. Educators who want to attend both events can take advantage of the bundle price of $10. This can be redeemed ONLY by calling or emailing the Box Office.
In our annual spoken word showcase, three poets – Patrick de Belen, Wali Shah and Lisa Shen – take the mic and perform incredible poetry. This event is hosted by rapper Spitty and is geared towards high school students. A Q&A with the poets will follow!
This event is held at the Rose Theatre at 1 Theatre Ln in downtown Brampton.
Tickets are available through the Rose Theatre Box Office for $7 per student for a single event and free for educators. Educators can book tickets online by heading to the Arts Adventure page and entering the code TEACH into the promo code box. Tickets can also be purchased by phone (905 874 2844 Ext. 62803 or 62804) or by email boxofficeEDU@brampton.ca. Educators who want to attend both events can take advantage of the bundle price of $10. This can be redeemed ONLY by calling or emailing the Box Office.
Registration for all festival events* opens on March 19. Details will be shared closer to the date.
*In-person school group events are now open
An educator can register for a virtual pass starting March 19, which will give them access to all the virtual events from April 27 – May 4. During registration, you’ll have the option to opt into receiving Student Access Logins (SALs).
If your board has purchased a board pass, you’ll receive a code to register for a virtual pass for free. You’ll have the option to add in-person tickets at check out.
Educators in the following school boards should check their message board and reach out to a representative or email the FOLD for their School Board Code:
Educators registering for a virtual pass will be given the option to create a STUDENT ACCESS LOGIN (SAL)* during registration. It provides students with access to the platform by allowing them to login on their own devices with a generic account that’s connected to their educators. SALs limit a student’s reach on the platform for safety and security reasons. SALs can only be created at the time of registration.
*NOTE: Some boards may not allow the creation of SALs as part of their particular board policy.
If you’re planning to show the events in class, you will not need an SAL, but when you register as an educator who will be showing the events in class, one will automatically be created for you. SALs are helpful if a student is away or if they are planning to watch events on their own device. If you do need an SAL, you must select yes when registering for the SAL to be created.
Your board-wide access code will remain the same for FOLD 2025. You will still need to register for FOLD 2025 by visiting fold2025.vfairs.com.
You can login to the platform by visiting fold2025.vfairs.com. We recommend logging into the platform on the website or though the vFairs app as soon as you register. You’ll be prompted to create a password using your email. Please do this for your SAL as well so that you can share the code and the password with any student who needs it. On the day of an event, login and head to the Auditorium. Click on the screen and click “Play” on any completed or pre-recorded event.
The virtual festival takes place on an innovative, customized virtual platform called vFairs. All virtual events take place in the platform using Zoom. Events can also be viewed on the vFairs mobile app.
The FOLD is taking every precaution to keep all guests safe. SAL’s give students restricted access on the platform. They will never appear on video. While they can pose questions in Zoom, they cannot participate in the chat or on the leaderboard. All questions will be monitored by a designated FOLD team member. Any concerns with student use will result in the suspension of that code and a follow up with the teacher associated with the account.
Our Virtual Safe Space Policy will be posted on the platform. In the unfortunate event that inappropriate behaviour does occur, FOLD staff will act swiftly, in consultation with the teacher and school board.
We recommend logging in to the platform 10 mins before the event. The event will go live roughly 5 mins before start time to give people time to enter Zoom. You can test out your sound quality by trying out any of the previously recorded events. If tech issues arise, contact tech support via the email address at the top of the screen, through the chat, or through the Info Desk.
All FOLD virtual events will be made available within a few hours of being presented live. A recording of the panel conversation will be made available on the festival platform soon after the festival ends. All videos will be available until June 30.
All virtual passes and Student Access Logins (SALs) provide full access to all virtual events. In-person event passes, and specialty tickets must be purchased separately.
Other than our in-person school group events at the Rose Theatre, access to individual virtual events is not available. However, virtual passes are set at a reasonable rate, providing access to more than 25 incredible literary events. We’re confident that educators we be able to find a number of events for you and/or your class to enjoy.
As of March 15, 2025, Peel District School Board, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Waterloo Region District School Board, Durham District School Board and Halton District School Board purchased passes for all of their educators. Please contact your board representative and/or check your board message board to see if there are any updates after March 19. Email us if you have any questions.
When registering, educators will be given the option to receive Student Access Logins (SALs). Get the number of SALs you MIGHT need and adjust the amount once you know your class numbers. SALs cannot be added once your registration has been completed.
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