FESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS AUTHORS, POETS & PERFORMERS CHIDIOGO AKUNYILI-PARR is an author, speaker, and consultant with a passion for human development and connection. She is the founder of She ROARs. KAMAL AL-SOLAYLEE is the author of three books of nonfiction: Intolerable, Brown, and Return. He is the director of the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media at UBC. ANDRÉ ALEXIS is the author of several novels and works of fiction, including Fifteen Dogs, which won the Scotiabank Giller Prize. His latest novel is Ring, the conclusion to his quincunx of five novels. DIJA AYODELE is a skin care expert and the author of Black Skin, out now with HarperCollins. SUZANNE BARR is the author of My Ackee Tree: A Chef’s Memoir of Finding Home In The Kitchen. She grew up watching her parents prepare every meal, which was an opportunity to bond as a family, learn about cultural roots, tell stories and express love. S. BEAR BERGMAN is the author of nine books and the founder of Flamingo Rampant press. CURTIS CARMICHAEL is the award-winning author of the critically acclaimed memoir Butterflies In The Trenches—The World’s First Augmented Reality memoir—set in a close-knit Toronto public housing community in Scarborough. KERN CARTER is a writer and author who has written three novels. His latest is Boys And Girls Screaming, out now with Cormorant/DCB. SHAKIL CHOUDHURY is an award-winning educator and author of Deep Diversity: A Compassionate Approach to Achieving Racial Justice, described as a “breakthrough” book that integrates psychology with critical race perspectives.
CHLOE GONG is the New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and its sequel Our Violent Ends. SHELLY GRACE is a Toronto-based spoken word poet. She uses her art for community building and healing and focuses on the experiences of women and the Black community. ANAIS GRANOFSKY is an actor, director, producer and writer. The Girl in the Middle is her first book. Popular Instagram poet and artist MORGAN HARPER NICHOLS has created her life’s work around the stories of others. Her latest book, Peace is a Practice: An Invitation to Breathe Deep and Find a New Rhythm for Life, was published in February 2022. SYDNEY HEGELE (they/them) is the author of The Pump (Invisible Publishing 2021). FARAH HERON writes romantic comedies for adults and teens. Her latest YA novel is Tahira In Bloom. JUNE HUR is the critically acclaimed author of The Silence of Bones, The Forest of Stolen Girls, The Red Palace, and A Crane Among Wolves. SHAYDA KAFAI (she/her) is a queer, disabled, Mad femme of color writer, scholar, and educator. She is an Assistant Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Cal Poly Pomona. H.N. KHAN is a first-time author whose debut novel, Wrong Side Of The Court, was published in spring 2022 with Penguin Teen. ANOSH IRANI is a three-time Governor General’s Literary Award-shortlisted author and playwright, and a two-time winner of the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play. TSERING YANGZOM LAMA is the author of We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies.
HABIBA COOPER DIALLO is the author of #BlackInSchool.
PREMEE MOHAMED is an Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction author based out of Edmonton, Alberta.
DAVID DELISCA is a writer, poet, actor and humorist. A versatile artist, he uses stories about the immigrant and diasporic experience, as well as other various human realities, to bridge realms of communication.
OMAR MOUALLEM is an Alberta-based writer and filmmaker. His latest book is Praying to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas, and latest documentary is The Last Baron.
STEPHEN DORSEY is the Canadian-born author of Black and White, An Intimate, Multicultural Perspective on “White Advantage” and the Paths to Change, which was published in February 2022 by Nimbus Publishing.
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KIM FU is the author of two novels, a collection of poetry, and most recently, the story collection Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century.
NORMA DUNNING is an Inuk writer, professor, and grandmother. Her story collection, Tainna, won the 2021 Governor General’s Award for English Language Fiction.
CLAYTON THOMAS-MÜLLER is a campaigner, award winning film director, media producer, organizer, facilitator, public speaker and best selling author on Indigenous rights and environmental & economic justice. HASAN NAMIR is an Iraqi-Canadian author and poet. SARENA and SASHA NANUA are twin sisters and authors of the new YA fantasy, Sisters of the Snake, from HarperCollins.
