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 a fellow educator.
All virtual events designed for school groups will be presented live on our virtual platform April 30 – May 1, 2024 at 9:45am and 1:15pm ET. Events on Thursday, May 2 will be held in-person at the Rose Theatre. In-person tickets are available for these two events through the Rose Theatre Box Office.
All virtual events will be made available for on-demand viewing on the festival platform within 12-hours of their live presentation. In-person events will be available on the festival platform after the live festival ends. On-demand events will be available to watch and re-watch until June 30, 2024.
While the School Group events are specifically designed for classroom viewing and discussion, teachers are welcome to watch other events in the classroom.
A virtual pass can be purchased for $25 and allows teachers to access the entire virtual festival for use in their classrooms starting April 30. Teachers will also receive a Student Access Login (SAL) which allows virtual and in-person 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.
This year, the festival will also host two events to allow local educators and school groups to join us in-person at the Rose Theatre in Brampton on Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 10am and 12:30 ET. Authors will be available following the event for book-signings. Recordings of the events will be made available soon after the festival ends on the festival platform.
Teachers who wish to bring their class the festival for our in-person school group events on Thursday, May 2 can call the Rose Theatre box office as of February 15 to reserve a spot. Educators can book by phone (905 874 2844 Ext. 62803 or 62804) or they can email boxoffice@brampton.ca.
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 2 – 5 for in-person events. ASB also offers online sales of FOLD titles every year in the month leading up to the festival.
In this panel conversation for high school students, three young adult authors–Maya Ameyaw, Sarah Mughal Rana and Emily Pohl-Weary–discuss how they navigate realistic subjects with care and sensitivity and how they create in-depth characters which allow teens to see themselves and their peers on the page.
In this edition of The Writer’s Life series, young adult author and lawyer Brian G. Buckmire discusses how his life as a criminal defense attorney influenced the creation of his debut novel, Come Home Safe, in conversation with fellow author and educator, Matthew R. Morris. Learn about Buckmire’s experience as a public defender, his writing routine and more.
To write believably, writers need to know their characters as well as they know their real-life BFFs — from the way they speak, move, dress, and argue, to the way they fall in love and decorate their bedrooms, details are critically important. In this workshop for teens, author Emily Pohl-Weary explores how to develop great characters by determining their big secrets and everyday habits.
What goes into making monsters? For readers of the fantastical or the horrific, monsters can be easy to spot but how does someone write an iconic creature? Three young adult authors of speculative and horror novels–Matteo L. Cerilli, Clara Kumagai and Teen Writer-in-Residence Nafiza Azad–breakdown the monsters in their most recent work and discuss how teens can create (and defeat) their own.
The Teen Writer-in-Residence is made possible by Simon and Schuster Canada.
Building on the success of his novel, Moon of the Crusted Snow, Anishinaabe author Waubgeshig Rice returns to the FOLD with his sequel, Moon of the Turning Leaves. In this in-person event geared towards high school students, fellow dystopian author Jael Richardson, interviews Rice exploring the process of writing a sequel and creating an apocalypse story with an Indigenous lens.
In our annual teen spoken word showcase, three poets take the mic and present incredible poetry. Hosted by poetry curator The Wild Woman, this event is geared towards high school students.
An educator can register for a virtual pass starting March 20 at fold2024.vfairs.com, which will give them access to all of the virtual events from April 28 – May 1 and recordings of in-person events after May 5. If your board has purchased a board pass, you’ll receive a code to register for a virtual pass. 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) to provide students with access to the platform as well. Student Access Logins allow students 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.
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.
You can login to the platform by going to our website or by visiting fold2024.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 and shared with teachers prior to the event. 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 3 mins before start time to give people time to enter Zoom. But 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 12 hours of being presented live. In-person school group events will be recorded and made available once the entire festival wraps. All videos will be available until June 30.
All passes and 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, access to individual events is not available. However, festival 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.
To access other live events or to use the platform, teachers and students would need to purchase a FOLD 2024 pass. Patron passes are available for those in financial need.
As of January 1, 2024, the Peel District School Board, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Waterloo Region District School Board, Halton Catholic District School Board, and Durham 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. Email us if you have any questions.
Register for the tickets you MIGHT need and adjust your ticket amount once you know your class numbers. If the block of tickets are claimed and you need more tickets later, we will not be able to add more tickets, but if you adjust your tickets later, it’s possible that someone else may be able to use your leftovers.
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