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The Festival of Literary Diversity. April 27-May 4, 2025. On the right is the 10th anniversary logo.

A Decade of Change

Nov 20, 2024

INTO THE FOLD – A Books and Lit Fest Podcast – with Jael Richardson and Hudson Lin Launches this month in advance of the 10th Anniversary Festival of Literary Diversity BRAMPTON, ON | November 20, 2024 – Jael Richardson, founder and Executive Director of the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), Canada’s first festival dedicated...

White graphic with orange border. Text reads: The FOLD Challenge. 12 Great Ways to Diversify Your Reading. November: An accessible book by a marginalized author. Graphic shows the covers of the recommended books.

November FOLD 2024 Challenge: An Accessible Book by a Marginalized Author

Oct 31, 2024

By Centre for Equitable Library Access CELA is a national accessible library service which provides more than 1.4 million titles to people in Canada who have print disabilities. It is estimated that more than 1 in 10 people have a print disability which includes low vision or blindness, learning disabilities, or physical disabilities which make...

October FOLD 2024 Challenge: Non-Fiction by a nonbinary and/or transgender author

Oct 1, 2024

By Monika Trzeciakowski In honour of 2SLGBTQ+ History Month, we want to feature non-fiction by non-binary, transgender, and two-spirit authors. It’s important to remember that the fight for queer and trans rights is not something that has happened in the past – it’s happening right now. With the challenges to the rights of transgender children in...

Graphic that reads The FOLD Read Along. Open books cover the background.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Sep 30, 2024

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and here at the FOLD, we are taking the time to reflect on our own relationship with the land, its history, and the Indigenous Peoples who have called it home for tens of thousands of years. Our mission at the FOLD has always been to...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the October FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: A House Unsettled by Trynne Delaney; Asking for a Friend by Ronnie Riley; and Abolition is Love by Syrus Marcus Ware and illustrated by Alannah Fricker. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge24.

October FOLD Kids 2024 Challenge: A book by a non-binary and/or transgender author

Sep 27, 2024

by Ardo Omer This month’s challenge is a book by a non-binary and/or transgender author. We’re seeing more and more trans and nonbinary authors in the KidLit space and it would be nice to see more in the middle grade/chapter book realm in particular. The books chosen for this month’s recommendations showcase a wide range...

White rectangular graphic with orange border, showcasing four book covers for the titles chosen for the FOLD September Challenge: Fiction by a neurodivergent author. The titles are The Winter Knight by Jes Battis; The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang; Dawn by Octavia E. Butler; and Dawn by Octavia E. Butler.

September FOLD 2024 Challenge: Fiction by a neurodivergent author

Aug 31, 2024

By Rahma Shere People experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways. Neurodiversity refers to this diversity of all people, but it is often used in the context of neurological or developmental conditions that come under the umbrella of a range of differences in individual brain function and behavior traits. In...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the September FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: Something More by Jackie Khalilieh; Paige Not Found by Jen Wilde; and Too Much by Jolene Gutiérrez and illustrated by Angel Chang. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge24.

September FOLD Kids 2024 Challenge: A book about a neurodivergent character

Aug 31, 2024

This month’s challenge is a book about a neurodivergent character. This includes but is not limited to people with Autism, ADHD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Dyslexia, Schizophrenia, DID, Tourette Syndrome, DCD or learning disabilities. In putting together this list, we noticed that Canadian children’s literature needs more books about neurodivergent characters by neurodivergent authors. That...

White rectangular graphic with orange border, showcasing four book covers for the titles chosen for the FOLD August Challenge: Novel OR book of poetry by a Caribbean author. The titles are WEST OF WEST INDIAN by Linzey Corridon; POLAR VORTEX by Shani Mootoo; BROUGHTUPSY by Christina Cooke; and NANIKI by Oonya Kempadoo.

August FOLD 2024 Challenge: Novel OR book of poetry by a Caribbean author

Jul 24, 2024

By Alya Somar Throughout Canada, there has been a glittering Caribbean presence in our literary scene for many years. By bringing stories from overseas or cultivating new narratives on local soil, Caribbean literature has proven itself to be a mainstay of the CanLit scene through its unique ability to engage with place and colonial narratives...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the August FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad by Natasha Deen; The Antiracist Kitchen edited by Nadia L. Hohn and illustrated by Roza Nozari; Julie and the Mango Tree by Sadé Smith and illustrated by Sayada Ramdial; and Little Black Lives Matter by Khodi Dill and illustrated by Chelsea Charles. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge24.

August FOLD Kids 2024 Challenge: A novel or book of poetry by a Caribbean author

Jul 24, 2024

By Alexandra Yeboah The Caribbean is made up of many diverse and vibrant cultures, each with their own traditions, music, dishes, festivals and influences. In the region alone, there are people of African, European, Indigenous, Asian, and Middle Eastern decent. Here in Canada, we celebrate the rich heritage of Caribbeans in October, where we are...

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