Diversity In Canadian Literature Is Long Overdue #DiverseCanLit | Jael Richardson

One of the things that I always found interesting is the number of Canadian authors of diverse backgrounds (e.g., Ondaatje, Vassanji, Hill, Hage) and how that enriched Canada. Richardson argues not enough and has organized this upcoming event aims to address that:

In 2014, I met with Scholastic Book Buyer Leonicka Valcius. She was doing important work on social media via the hashtag #DiverseCanLit. She was passionate about increasing the representation of people of colour in the industry. She was also interested in dismantling literary elitism — pushing against the hierarchy that places literary fiction in the upper echelon of worthy reading and leaves genres like graphic novels, science fiction, speculative fiction, crime novels and romance novels on the literary worthiness periphery.

Together, we made plans to kickoff the first Festival of Literary Diversity in May 2016.

In our first planning meeting, our small team of three talked about where we might host the festival. Toronto is so dense — literary events happen throughout the city year-round, the literary scene is vibrant — supporting numerous long-standing series and events. In the suburbs, reading series are not as common. Many readers have never been to a literary festival or a reading, and many suburban and rural writers I know feel disconnected from the action.

Brampton is one of Canada’s youngest cities. It is amongst the most diverse cities in the country. The downtown core is easily accessible from Union Station and close to the airport. It was the perfect place for the FOLD.

But Brampton was also a risk. It’s considered to be a “bedroom community” by some — a place where residents sleep, but not a place where they go to enjoy life or work. And while the population is large and the downtown core boasts great accessible venues, the FOLD would be the city’s first major event.

So while the Festival of Literary Diversity will serve as a necessary addition to Canada’s literary landscape, it will also play an important role in Brampton’s growth and development. Backed by a committed planning team and a supportive board of directors — as well as significant municipal and provincial funding — the first festival is set to welcome over 40 authors, spoken word artists and literary professionals for a three-day event on May 6 to 8, delivering more than 30 sessions for readers and writers from all walks of life in historic, downtown Brampton.

Our hope is that the FOLD will benefit readers and writers across Canada — showcasing voices they may not otherwise encounter, highlighting topics and discussions that will evoke thought-provoking conversations which will have a positive impact on Canada’s literary arts scene for years to come.

Source: Diversity In Canadian Literature Is Long Overdue | Jael Richardson