Diaspora Dialogues

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ARCHIVED EVENT: Literary Image Description Best Practices

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Please join DD alum and CNIB Audio Producer Joanne Pak as she discusses the Literary Image Description (LID) project.

This information session will inform writers about the LID project and how they can make their works accessible to the Blind/low vision community and to take that into consideration even as they plan and write their works, creating born-accessible books for an underserved audience.

Video here.

About the Presenter

Joanne Pak is an accessible media specialist with an extensive career in both broadcasting and publishing. She is the official Canadian NER certifier of live caption accuracy, and she is an instructor and subject matter expert for the Toronto Metropolitan University. Joanne has worked for numerous broadcasters, nonprofits, and educational institutions, specializing in accessible media. At CNIB, Joanne led the audiobook production for CELA’s pilot project on accessible graphic novels. She is the lead for the eBOUND Literary Image Description (LID) project and the author of the LID Best Practices Guide, which she uses to train writers and publishers.

ARCHIVED EVENT: Legal 101 for Writers

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Join us for an informative workshop with entertainment lawyer, Michael Duboff. In this session, we will cover essential legal aspects that every writer should be aware of to protect their creative work and navigate the publishing landscape successfully. From copyright and intellectual property rights to understanding contracts and licensing agreements, participants will gain valuable insights to safeguard their written content. We will also address common legal challenges faced by writers and provide practical strategies for resolving them.

Register here.

About the Presenter

Michael Duboff is a Canadian entertainment lawyer with a professional focus on music, film and television, publishing, and corporate matters. He has worked with a variety of artists and creative businesses helping to facilitate projects, performance opportunities locally and across borders, and organizational matters.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Michael’s practice spans across Manitoba where he carries on clients and representation in addition to the firm’s primary residence in Ontario.

Prior to working as a lawyer, Michael has worked professionally in both the music and film/tv industries, as a musician in an alternative rock band and as a freelance director/writer/producer in Toronto and Vancouver. His passion for the arts and artists helps drive his practice and makes him grateful to be able to continue to work for and with the vibrant arts communities.

ARCHIVED EVENT: Live Table Reading for A, Brazil flag emoji, 47

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Please join us this Friday June 16 at 7 PM for a Tarragon Theatre live table reading of Yago Mequita’s play A, Brazil flag emoji, 47. This has been developed through DD’s Playwright Mentoring Program’s Youth-at-Risk component, with generous assistance from the Charles H Ivey Foundation. Register here for the Zoom livestream. 

About the Playwright

Yago Mesquita (he/him) is a queer Brazilian-Canadian theatre artist from Toronto. He is a playwright and writer, producer, and performer who has worked with theatre companies such as Aluna Theatre, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Factory Theatre, fu-GEN Theatre, New Harlem Productions, Open Heart Surgery Theatre, Paprika Festival, and more.

 About A, Brazil flag emoji, 47

Yago creates slice-of-life-made-surreal character-driven work from a young, queer, first-generation Canadian lens, heavily informed by his experience and that of friends, family, and fellow artists. He currently has two works in development: CHEW, developed as part of The Foundry (Factory Theatre, 2021), and A, Brazil flag emoji, 47, which was presented at the CAMINOS Festival (Aluna Theatre, 2021). Yago was also a collaborator on fu-GEN Theatre’s MH370, and his short story, & Dawn burned, was shortlisted for The Malahat Review’s Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction (2021).

Call for Submissions: Short Form Mentorship

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Diaspora Dialogues invites submissions from emerging writers across Canada including short stories or creative nonfiction less than 3,000 words in length; or up to 5 poems, with each poem being no more than 75 lines. (See below for definition of “emerging.”) Applicants are welcome to enter more than one category, but no more than one submission per category, please.

We have four rotating deadlines a year: March 31, June 30, September 30, Dec 31. Submissions received between those dates will be considered for the next deadline. Through an adjudicated process, selected writers will receive feedback from a rotating writer-in-residence at Diaspora Dialogues, over the course of a month.

The writer-in-residence will address issues of story, character, structure, pace, writing style, structure and substantive aspects of the work.

Please read all of the guidelines on our website carefully and email your submission to
Zalika Reid-Benta at zalika@diasporadialogues.com.

Deadline to apply is June 30, 2023 at midnight.

ARCHIVED EVENT: Be Your Own Promoter

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Are you a writer looking to build your personal brand and effectively promote your work? In today’s digital age, writers have incredible opportunities to connect with their audience and establish a strong presence. However, self-promotion can be a daunting task, often requiring skills beyond writing itself. Led by author Nadia Hohn, this workshop will equip you with the strategies and mindset necessary to successfully promote your work and engage with your target audience.

Watch the replay:

About the Presenter

Toronto-born of Jamaican parents, Nadia L. Hohn is an award-winning author, educator, and “artivist” who advocates for diversity in children’s literature. Nadia L. Hohn is the author of Malaika’s Costume (2016) which was the 2021 TD Grade One Book Giveaway. Her other books in the series are Malaika’s Winter Carnival (2017), Blue Spruce-nominated Malaika’s Surprise (2021), and Malaika, Carnival Queen (2023), published by Groundwood Books. Nadia has also written Harriet Tubman Freedom Fighter (Harper Collins, 2018), Music (Grade 5) and Media (Grade 6) in the Sankofa Black Heritage Collection series (Rubicon Publishing Inc, 2015), and A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice (Owlkids Books, 2019). Nadia has edited a middle grade anthology which comes out in 2023. She continues to write plays as well as picture books and novels for young people.

ARCHIVED EVENT: The Great Debate: Self Publishing vs Traditional

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The publishing industry today looks much different than it did a decade ago. In that time, self-publishing has outgrown its longstanding ‘vanity’ stigma and become a viable publishing option for many writers. The traditional publishing industry has also experienced great changes and just isn’t what it used to be – even for those who’ve found success within the system.

This workshop will outline the ways in which self-publishing differs from traditional publishing, and how the unrestricted nature of this path might align better with your publishing needs. We’ll also discuss the process of preparing your manuscript for publication and offer advice on how to successfully navigate the industry.

Register here.

About the Presenter

Diane Cameron is a Publishing Consultant at Friesen Press – the largest publishing services provider in Canada.

Her publishing career spans over 15 years, which includes working for traditional, academic, and self-publishing companies in both Canada and abroad.

Diane’s vast experience and expertise has helped hundreds of authors successfully navigate the publishing landscape and bring their books to life.

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