Quill & Quire cover story looks at author Jael Richardson and her plans for the first ever Festival of Literary Diversity “If you believe that the Canadian publishing industry is colour blind, think again,” so writes Quill & Quire’s Sue Carter in the March issue of Canada’s national publishing magazine. The Q&Q editor looks at how author and book-festival founder Jael Richardson is raising awareness to the challenges facing the exploding emergence of non-white authors in Canada. Jael Richardson tells the magazine that she is “excited to bring the first and only literary festival in Canada to focus on diverse authors and stories to Brampton, Ontario.” In May Richardson launches the first annual Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), a three-day event designed to celebrate stories that are underrepresented in Canadian literature — “stories that reflect variations in geography, ethnicity, race, culture, gender, ability, sexual orientation, and religion, and stories that employ different methods of story-telling.” The Quill & Quire feature article comes at a time when diversity, or the lack there of, is an issue in films, on stage and now in books. Carter looks in detail at how the U.S.–hatched “We Need Diverse Books Campaign” now resonates in Canada. “White authors dominate festival lineups here, too, with the exception of token panels dedicated to diversity. There’s a thing that happens systemically when that’s in play,” Richardson tells Q&Q. “People start to see white authors as experts in literary craft and writing, and diverse authors as experts in diversity and only relevant to a diverse community.” Richardson’s formal title is that of artistic director and founder of the Festival of Literary Diversity. Her first book, The Stone Thrower: A Daughter’s Lesson, a Father’s Life (Canadian Football Great Chuck Ealey), came out in 2012 and was made into a TSN documentary. The book received a CBC Bookie Award. Richardson received a My People Award recognizing her as a new and up-and-coming writer. Excerpts from her first play, my upside down black face, are published in the anthology T-Dot Griots: An Anthology of Toronto’s Black Storytellers. The article and the magazine are now available at magazine stands and bookstores. Sue Carter’s article can be read online at:http://www.quillandquire.com/omni/author-activist-jael-richardson-finally-finds-the-part-she-was-meant-to-play/ About Quill & QuireQuill & Quire is the magazine of the Canadian book trade. The print edition, published 10 times per year (monthly except for joint January/February and July/August issues), includes author profiles, news about upcoming books and developments in the Canadian industry, and reviews of new adult and children’s titles. The magazine reviews around 400 new titles each year, offering the most comprehensive look at Canadian-authored books in the country.Q&Q also posts regular online updates, featuring up-to-the-minute industry news, regular listings of new book deals, award nominations and wins, personnel changes, and more. The daily blog, Quillblog, spotlights book-related news in other media with context and commentary from Quill writers. About Sue CarterSue Carter is editor of Quill & Quire, and national books columnist for Metro News. Her writing has appeared in the Globe and Mail,Toronto Star, National Post, Toronto Life, and Reader's Digest, among other publications. [email protected]
