EDUCATOR’S GUIDE
PRESENTED BY THE FESTIVAL OF LITERARY DIVERSITY APRIL 28—MAY 5, 2024 >> VIRTUAL + IN-PERSON
GETTING STARTED
This guide was created to help educators engage with their students while attending the festival events. The pre- and post-activities below can be used for all our events. The exercises that explore specific events, and the author profiles are meant to provide you with more information about the creatives participating in this year’s festival.
NEW! Curriculum Feature:
Included with the event descriptions are specific course connections to Secondary School themes and some Ontario Secondary School Courses.
PRE-EVENT ACTIVITY
Before watching a festival event, look up the authors. Make note of the books they’ve written and discover a little bit about them.
1. What made you choose this writer?
2. What was the most interesting thing you learned about them?
3. Share why you chose the author and what you learned about them with your classmates and teacher. Prepare one question that you would ask them if you got the chance.
POST-EVENT ACTIVITY
After listening to the session, identify:
1. three things you learned,
2. two things you found interesting, and
3. one question you still have about writing or about one of the authors
SCHOOL GROUP SESSIONS + EXERCISES
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.
QUESTIONS:
1. Which book have you read that had a realistic character you related to? What did the author include about the character or situations that made it relatable?
2. What are some themes you look for when choosing a book? (eg. friendship, family, addiction, mental health). Is it important to you to have a book that reflects real life and difficult issues or do you prefer books that offer escape from reality?
3. Research “Freedom to Read* ” week. In Canada, it was Feb 18–24, 2024. What are the consequences of banning books? What factors should be considered when sharing a book with children or teens?
*Freedom to Read week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom: www.freedomtoread.ca
CURRICULUM
CONNECTIONS:
4. Do you know of any banned or challenged books? As a class make a list (research some titles if you need to). What were the reasons they were banned or challenged?
• NBSE – BLACK STUDIES COURSES
• NBE – INDIGENOUS STUDIES COURSES
• DE-STREAMED ENGLISH COURSES
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.
* ”The Talk” is a conversation Black parents have with their children about the risks associated with being Black in our society. Learn More: “How Do Parents Talk to Black Children About Racism?” (TVO) www.tvo.org/video/how-do -parents-talk-to-black-children-about-racism
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
QUESTIONS:
1. What do you know about “ the talk ”? *
2. How does your lived experience contribute to your opinion of the role of police in society? (i.e., protectors or persecutors)
3. What should the police know about young people today? If you could influence a police officer to challenge the way they do their job, what would you say?
• NBSE – BLACK STUDIES COURSES
• NBE – INDIGENOUS STUDIES COURSES
• MENTAL HEALTH & STUDENT WELLBEING
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.
QUESTIONS:
1. Who are the iconic monsters that come to mind whether in books or on screen? What is it about these monsters that make them so memorable?
2. After listening to Matteo, Clara and Nafiza discuss writing their monsters, what did you learn about how genre impacts the kinds of monsters a writer creates and how they’re used within a story? (eg. monsters in horror vs fantasy)
3. How are monsters used as symbols in stories to represent an abstract concept?
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
DE-STREAMED ENGLISH COURSES
MENTAL HEALTH & STUDENT WELLBEING
•
•
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 on exploring the process of writing a sequel and creating an apocalypse story with an Indigenous lens.
*Examples of dystopian novels: www.goodreads.com/genres/dystopia
QUESTIONS:
1. What is a dystopian novel? What examples * of dystopian novels have you read?
2. What elements of society would you alter or focus on if you were to create a dystopian setting for a story?
(consider: environmental, social hierarchy, gender roles)
3. How does a dystopian novel allow us to hold a mirror to our own society in a different way than other genres of literature?
Additional Resource: Listen to some Anishinaabe vocabulary before you read, use the pronunciation guide (13:35)
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
NBE – INDIGENOUS STUDIES COURSES
INDIGENOUS HERITAGE MONTH
•
•
In our annual teen spoken word showcase, three poets will take the mic and present incredible poetry. This event is geared towards high school students and will feature a Q&A with the poets!
CURRICULUM
CONNECTIONS:
Discuss as a class the difference between reading poetry and watching it performed. (Predict what the differences may be if your group doesn’t have experience watching performances.)
ACTIVITIES/QUESTIONS:
1. What is the difference between reading poetry and performing poetry? Pick a poem, read it to yourself and then read it aloud. How does the poem change when performed versus read silently?
2. What are some skills spoken word poets need to perform for an audience? How could these skills transfer to other areas of your life?
• DE-STREAMED ENGLISH COURSES
OTHER VIRTUAL EVENTS TO CHECK OUT >>>
Writing involves constantly re-working and revising words. In this panel of writers from Audible’s Indigenous Writers’ Circle, emerging writers discuss how writing groups and various writing habits help them hone their craft and learn new skills.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
• NBE – INDIGENOUS STUDIES COURSES
• DE-STREAMED ENGLISH COURSES
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.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
• NBSE – BLACK STUDIES COURSES
• DE-STREAMED ENGLISH COURSES
• NBE – INDIGENOUS STUDIES COURSES
• DE-STREAMED ENGLISH COURSES
WRITER & PERFORMER
BIOS + SOCIALS
MAYA AMEYAW TORONTO, ONTARIO
Maya Ameyaw was born and raised in Toronto by a family of voracious readers in a cozy little house bursting with books. A former bookseller, she currently works as a community arts writing group facilitator and has edited several mental health themed anthologies. In her free time, she interviews writers about their journeys toward publication for her blog and YouTube channel. Her contemporary YA debut When It All Syncs Up (Annick Press, June 2023) received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal.
website: mayaameyaw.com
x : @MayaAmeyaw
instagram: mayaameyaw
FEATURED AT THE FESTIVAL
When It All Syncs Up (2023)
• Ages 14+
• ISBN-13: 9781773217819
• Available as: hardcover, paperback, ebook
OTHER BOOKS
• Under All the Lights (2024)
NAFIZA AZAD
BRITISH COLUMBIA
FEATURED AT THE FESTIVAL
Nafiza Azad is a self-identified island girl. She has hurricanes in her blood and dreams of a time she can exist solely on mangoes and pineapple. Born in Lautoka, Fiji, she currently resides in British Columbia, Canada, where she reads too many books, watches too many K-dramas, and writes stories about girls taking over the world. Nafiza is the coeditor of the young adult anthology Writing in Color and author of The Candle and the Flame , which was nominated for the William C. Morris Award, The Wild Ones , and Road of the Lost . She is currently the Teen Writer-in-Residence for the FOLD.
website: nafizaazad.com
x : @nafizaa
instagram: nafizaaz
Writing in Color (2023)
• Ages 9+
• ISBN-13: 9781665925648
• Available as: hardcover, paperback, ebook
Road of the Lost (2022)
• Ages 9+
• ISBN-13: 9781534484993
• Available as: hardcover, paperback, ebook
OTHER BOOKS
• The Candle and the Flame (2019) , The Wild Ones (2021)
BRIAN G. BUCKMIRE BROOKLYN, NY
Brian G. Buckmire is a former NYC public defender in the Criminal Defense Practice and Homicide Defense Task Force of the Legal Aid Society, where he represented indigent clients in Brooklyn, NY. Currently, he is a trial counsel for Hamilton Clarke LLP, where he represents clients in federal civil rights and federal criminal cases. Buckmire is also an ABC legal contributor appearing on GMA , ABC News Live , Nightline , and GMA3’s “Better Call Brian,” as well as a legal analyst on the Law & Crime Network and a host on CBS Sports Golazo. In addition, he serves on the board of trustees for Coney Island Prep, a charter school in South Brooklyn. Born in Toronto, of Caribbean heritage, Brian, his wife Victoria, and their son Reid live in New York.
x : @BrianGBuckmire instagram: thebuckesq
FEATURED AT THE FESTIVAL
Come Home Safe (2023)
• Ages 12+
• ISBN-13: 9780310142188
• Available as: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook
MATTEO L. CERILLI TORONTO, ONTARIO
Matteo L. Cerilli is a transmasc author and activist who helped found Students for Queer Liberation (Toronto) and works with the No Pride in Policing Coalition. He writes widely across genres and age categories. Lockjaw is his debut book.
x : @MattLCerilli
instagram: matteolcerilli
FEATURED AT THE FESTIVAL
Lockjaw (2024)
• Ages 14+
• ISBN-13: 9781774882306
• Available as: hardcover, ebook
CLARA KUMAGAI IRELAND
Clara Kumagai is from Canada, Japan and Ireland. Her fiction and non-fiction for children and adults has been published in The Stinging Fly, The Irish Times , Banshee , Room , The Kyoto Journal and Cicada , among others. She is a recipient of a We Need Diverse Books Mentorship, and was a finalist for the 2020 Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers Award. Catfish Rolling is her debut novel.
x : @clarakiyoko
instagram: clarakiyoko
FEATURED AT THE FESTIVAL
Catfish Rolling (2023)
• Ages 14+
• ISBN-13: 9781803288048
• Available as: print, ebook, audiobook
SARAH MUGHAL RANA UNITED KINGDOM
Sarah Mughal Rana is a Muslim author and student who completed her bachelors with honours at the University of Toronto and is now at Oxford University, pursuing her career at the intersection of human rights and policy. She is a BookTok personality and the co-host of On the Write Track Podcast where she enjoys spilling tea with her favourite authors about the book world. Outside of school, she falls down history rabbit holes and trains in traditional martial arts.
website: sarahmughalrana.net
x : @sarahmughal769
instagram: sarahmughal769
FEATURED AT THE FESTIVAL
Hope Ablaze (2024)
• Ages 14+
• ISBN-13: 9781250899316
• Available as: print, ebook, audiobook
EMILY POHL-WEARY VANCOUVER, BC
Emily Pohl-Weary is the author of eight books, a play, and a girl pirate comic. Her new young adult novel, How to Be Found, features a “darker, grittier Nancy Drew” (Toronto Star). The Witch’s Circle , her 40-minute play, can be streamed via Odyssey Theatre’s website. Previous books include Not Your Ordinary Wolf Girl (YA), Ghost Sick (poetry), and Better to Have Loved: The Life of Judith Merril (non-fiction).
website: emilypohlweary.com
x : @emilypohlweary
instagram: kissmachine
FEATURED AT THE FESTIVAL
How to Be Found (2023)
• Ages 13+
• ISBN-13: 978-0593482339
• Available as: print, ebook
OTHER BOOKS
• Not Your Ordinary Wolf Girl (2013), Strange Times at Western High (2006), and more…
WAUBGESHIG RICE
SUDBURY, ON
Waubgeshig Rice grew up in Wasauksing First Nation on the shores of Georgian Bay, in the southeast of Robinson-Huron Treaty territory. He’s a writer, listener, speaker, language learner, and a martial artist, holding a brown belt in Brazilian JiuJitsu. He is the author of the short story collection Midnight Sweatlodge (2011), and the novels
Legacy (2014) and Moon of the Crusted Snow (2018). He appreciates loud music and the four seasons. He lives in N’Swakamok—also known as Sudbury, Ontario—with his wife and three sons.
website: waub.ca
x : @waub
instagram: waub
FEATURED AT THE FESTIVAL
Moon of the Turning Leaves (2023)
• Ages 18+
• ISBN-13: 9780358673255
• Available as: print, ebook, audiobook
OTHER BOOKS
• Moon of the Crusted Snow (2018), Legacy (2014), Midnight Sweatlodge (2011), and more…
AFRAKAREN ONTARIO
afrakaren is a critical thinker and contemporary philosopher who is deeply invested in claiming spaces of healing and rest for #theblackbodypolitic. With a mission to be on stage who she is off stage, afrakaren’s work/words/art/thought is embodied in the life she lives, the child she raises and the community that requires her to be her unapologetic and authentic self. Forever spiralling through this life, guided by the force of her ancestors, afrakaren believes “the artistic creation of anything can be the birth of an everything” and it is her personal mandate to midwife as many revolutions as is possible through this personal philosophy.
CECE/CEDRIC BUSTAMANTE ONTARIO
Cece/Cedric Bustamante is a Queer, Filipino-Canadian, multidisciplinary poet who aims to write poetry that has momentum and vivid imagery, as well as reflect on topics such as Existentialism, Love, Deism, nature, sciences, and enjoyment of the mundane. They also enjoy to abstract the normal into the imagined.
DAVID DELISCA SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO
Born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida residing in Scarborough. 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. His works and performances have been featured in Toronto Star, CBC, Netflix.
BOOK LIST 2024
Kazim Ali
INDIAN WINTER
978-1552454657
Coach House Books
Maya Ameyaw
WHEN IT ALL SYNCS UP
978-1773217819
Annick Press
Nafiza Azad
ROAD OF THE LOST
978-1534485006
Simon and Schuster Canada
Nafiza Azad
WRITING IN COLOR
978-1665925648
Simon and Schuster Canada
Marjorie Beaucage
LEAVE SOME FOR THE BIRDS
978-1928120360
Kegedonce Press
Brian G. Buckmire
COME HOME SAFE
978-0310142188
HarperCollins Canada
Matteo L. Cerilli
LOCKJAW
978-1774882306
Penguin Random House Canada
Tania De Rozario DINNER ON MONSTER ISLAND
978-0063299665
HarperCollins Canada
Rodney Diverlus UNTIL WE ARE FREE
978-0889776944
University of Regina Press
Farzana Doctor 52 WEEKS TO A SWEETER LIFE
978-1771624039
Douglas & McIntyre
Alicia Elliott AND THEN SHE FELL
978-0385684101
Penguin Random House Canada
Christine Estima THE SYRIAN LADIES BENEVOLENT SOCIETY
978-1487012335
House of Anansi
Roshan James
PINK MOON
978-1770417625
ECW Press
RJ McDaniel
ALL THINGS SEEN AND UNSEEN
978-1770417090
ECW Press
Emily Pohl-Weary
HOW TO BE FOUND
978-1551529356
Arsenal Pulp Press
Natalie Sue
I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL
978-0063320369
HarperCollins Canada
Jessica Johns
BAD CREE
978-1443465489
HarperCollins Canada
Matthew R. Morris
BLACK BOYS LIKE ME
978-0735244580
Penguin Random House Canada
Adam Pottle
APPARITIONS
978-1958598184
Dark Matter INK
Kim Thúy
RU
978-0345816146
Penguin Random House Canada
Balsam Karam
THE SINGULARITY
978-1771668897
Book*hug
Tiffany Morris
GREEN FUSE BURNING
978-1778092664
Stelliform Press
Waubgeshig Rice
MOON OF THE TURNING LEAVES
978-0735281585
Penguin Random House Canada
Leanne Toshiko Simpson
NEVER BEEN BETTER
978-1443465533
HarperCollins Canada
Alina Khawaja
MAYA’S LAWS OF LOVE
978-0778305248
HarperCollins Canada
Sarah Mughal Rana
HOPE ABLAZE
978-1250899316
Macmillan Publishers
Jael Richardson
GUTTER CHILD
978-1443457828
HarperCollins Canada
Opal Wei
WILD LIFE
978-1335475954
Harlequin
Clara Kumagai
CATFISH ROLLING
978-1774882764
Penguin Random House Canada
Téa Mutonji
SHUT UP YOU’RE PRETTY
978-1551527550
Arsenal Pulp Press
Craig Shreve
THE AFRICAN SAMURAI
978-1668002865
Simon and Schuster Canada
Christina Wong
DENISON AVENUE
978-1770417151
ECW Press
Tessa Hulls FEEDING GHOSTS
978-0771010682
Penguin Random House Canada
Salma Hussain
THE SECRET DIARY OF MONA HASAN
978-0735271494
Penguin Random House Canada
Catherine Leroux
THE FUTURE
978-1771965606
Biblioasis
Mai Nguyen
SUNSHINE NAILS
978-1668011256
Simon and Schuster Canada
Tara Sidhoo Fraser
WHEN MY GHOST SINGS
978-1551529271
Arsenal Pulp Press
Taj McCoy
THE GOOD ONES ARE TAKEN
978-0778305422
Harlequin
Louisa Onomé
PRIDE AND JOY
978-1443468787
HarperCollins Canada