THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY Announces Author Lineup for 2023 Event

The Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), Canada's first festival dedicated to diverse authors and storytellers, today announced the programming line-up for its eighth annual festival running April 30 to May 7, 2023.

This year's festival is presented in a multi-modal format, beginning with a virtual festival and transitioning into a mix of in-person and hybrid events. FOLD 2023 features over 50 authors from Canada and around the world, with online events including Disabled Futures, Canada Reads - The Final Tea, and Publishing 101, and in-person events including The Historical Fiction High Tea and the Spoken Word Showcase, and the return of The Great Readception: A Literary Cabaret. The FOLD is presented by Audible Canada.

All in-person events at The Rose theatre in Brampton will include book signings. Tickets to the FOLD are now on sale at thefoldcanada.org.

"Every year we ask ourselves: how can we create a more meaningful experience for people who know the FOLD and for those who are new to the festival," said FOLD Executive Director, Jael Richardson. "This year, it's all about making connections - both virtually and in person. Literary festivals are like concerts for writers and book lovers and we want everyone to have the opportunity to experience the festival in a meaningful way."

The FOLD's virtual exhibit hall will once again feature over a dozen vendors from community and publishing-based organisations, many of whom will host roundtable meetups for festival guests on Sunday, April 30. In addition to hosting digital events and discussions within a state-of-the-art virtual space, the FOLD also offers a mobile app, allowing guests to participate in the festival anytime, anywhere.

Signature Events at FOLD 2023

Where We Go From Here

April 30, 12pm ET, Virtual

In the festival's opening panel event, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, El Jones, and Robyn Maynard explore critical questions of care and community. Responding to some of the crises of recent years, they delve into their work as writers and activists -- exploring the origins of their most recent work and the community efforts that continue to shape their lives and their stories.

The Great Readception: A Literary Cabaret

May 5, 8 PM ET, The Rose Theatre, Brampton

This in-person evening event features festival authors Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Ali Hassan, Catherine Hernandez, Jen Sookfong Lee, Alessandra Naccarato, and Anuja Varghese reading from their works accompanied by music composed and performed by Brampton musician Carmen Spada with a live jazz band.

The Historical Fiction High Tea

May 7, 12pm ET, The Rose Theatre, Brampton

The FOLD Sunday brunch is back! Enjoy high tea and conversation with historical fiction writers Suzette Mayr, Sheila Murray and Janika Oza.

See the full FOLD schedule at thefoldcanada.org.

The FOLD also runs virtual and in-person school group events including the Writer's Life series of author events, and hands-on writing workshops. Educators can register for in-person school events by calling The Rose box office.

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