Diaspora Dialogues

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UPCOMING EVENT: How to Use Poetry for Advocacy with Jamilla Kabongo-Bah

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June 29, 2026 | 12:30PM

In a world filled with constant headlines focused on ongoing wars, genocide, and the destruction and illegal seizing of ancestral land for the creation of new technology and the production of agriculture, many people feel as though their voices are not being heard in North America and abroad. In this workshop, we will learn how to use poetry for advocacy and make our voices heard throughout the world.

Register here.

About the Presenter

JAMILLA KABONGO-BAH (Jah-meal-ah Kah-bon-go-Bah) is a Congolese-Sierra Leonean graduate of the University of Toronto Mississauga, where she earned an Honours Bachelor of Science (HBSc) degree in psychology. In her memoir, poetry, paintings, and public engagements, she combines her passion for critical thinking, advocacy, and sports. Her goal is to inspire and empower individuals, particularly young people, to overcome their childhood traumas so they can lead happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives.

UPCOMING EVENT: Literary Translation 101 with Nuzhat Abbas

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June 18, 2026 | 12:30PM

Are you a writer or translator working with and through languages other than English? As an author, are you being pressured to write or translate your work into English in order to ‘belong’ in Canada? What are the poetics, politics, and practices of translating work from the global South into English? Join Nuzhat Abbas, editor and publisher or trace, an award-winning Tkaronto-based press publishing literature from the global South and diasporas for a thoughtful discussion of the important work of literary translators, current debates in the field, the ethical and publishing risks of AI, and any questions you may have.

Register here.

About the Presenter

Nuzhat Abbas is the founding editor and publisher of trace, an award-winning Tkaronto-based small press focused on literature from the global South and diasporas (tracepress.org). Her former lives have included teaching world literature and film at colleges and universities, facilitating writing workshops for refugees and immigrants, curating events, festivals and radio programs, and working as a nonprofit consultant.

ARCHIVED EVENT: Diaspora Dialogues Presents DD’s Big Literary Carnival

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Step right up to DD’s Big Literary Carnival—a one-of-a-kind evening where storytelling takes center stage and the line between audience and artist disappears.


This carnival transforms the Kimpton Saint George into a vibrant playground of words, wit, and wonder. Have your future foretold at our Literary Fortune Telling booth, where writers channel beloved books like tarot cards to craft bespoke poetic horoscopes just for you. Then, be transported to the spirit of Venice with a bold, contemporary performance inspired by The Merchant of Venice, reinterpreted by an alum of our playwrights program.


But the magic doesn’t stop there. With live music and a room full of writers ready to spark conversation, provide advice from the ancestors or create you a mask, this is literature as you’ve never experienced it—playful, immersive, and alive. Grab a drink, savor some snacks, and revel in an evening where creativity runs wild and anything feels possible.


Join us this May for a carnival that celebrates not just stories, but the people who bring them to life. Participating artists include Uzma Jalaluddin, Rasiqra Revulva, Britta Badour, Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio, Jinwoo Park and Joseph Donato.


May 22, 2026: Shows at 5:30pm and 7:30pm (each ninety minutes)
May 23, 2026: Shows at 5:30pm and 7:30pm (each ninety minutes)

Tickets: $25, includes snacks and cash bar. Purchase tickets here.

PWYC tickets also available by emailing info@diasporadialogues.com

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

ARCHIVED EVENT: Romantasy 101 with Anuja Varghese

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April 28, 2026 | 12:30pm EST

This is an introduction to the genre of romantasy where author Anuja Varghese will break down common tropes and structures, and where you will look at things like the intersections of genre elements, and much more!

Anuja Varghese (she/her) is an award-winning writer of literary fiction, fantasy, and erotica/romance where women of color get leading roles! In 2023, her short story collection, titled CHRYSALIS, won the Writers Trust of Canada Dayne Ogilvie Prize and the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction, and in 2024, was longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, among others. Her debut novel, A KISS OF CRIMSON ASH, the first in a new medieval India-inspired romantasy trilogy, is forthcoming in May 2026. Anuja lives in Hamilton with her partner, two kids, and two cats. Find Anuja online at anujavarghese.com.

OPEN CALL FOR DD Fellowship for Women or Non-Binary Writers (40+)

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 About Us: 

Diaspora Dialogues (DD) supports diverse writers turn their craft into a career through mentorship, professional development and opportunities to publish and present their work. Our focus is on the development of both artist and audience, and on working toward redefining the “mainstream” in the arts sector, ensuring it is as diverse as the country itself. Further information: www.diasporadialogues.com

Fellowship Program:

Diaspora Dialogues invites submissions from women and/or Non-Binary Writers aged 40 and above who currently have a full or near-full draft of a manuscript. We accept novels, short story collections, creative non-fiction/memoir, works intended for young adults and poetry. Complete or near complete means that the writer has up to 85,000 words or 300 double-spaced pages of prose; or up to 25 poems (50 pages maximum). Submissions will consist only of excerpts from these works (see guidelines below).

This will be a six-month program in which there will be literary mentorship, career support including professional development sessions, and public speaking and media training, and peer-to-peer networks.Diaspora Dialogues is committed to supporting a literature that is as diverse as Canada itself. Writers are encouraged to keep this mandate in mind, but addressing this theme directly is not essential in the submission.

Submission Guidelines

  • Work from which the excerpt is submitted must be in a full draft or near-full draft stage.
  • Excerpts submitted can be one chapter or one short story from the collection up to but not exceeding 5,000 words; poetry can include up to 10 poems but not exceed 15 pages.
  • Submissions must include a one-page description of the project.
  • Submissions must include a short biography in paragraph form (no more than 250 words.)
  • The work must be original and not previously published.
  • Submissions must be in English.
  • Each writer may submit only one manuscript.
  • Submissions will be accepted electronically.
  • All prose submissions should be double-spaced, Times New Roman font size 12. Poetry can be single-spaced.
  • Commentary/feedback is not available on submissions.

Eligibility

  • Writers must not have a previously published full-length manuscript, although appearances in magazines and/or anthologies are acceptable.
  • Writers must be 40 and above.
  • Writers must identify as a woman or as non-binary.
  • Writers must be Canadian citizens or Canadian residents.

Deadline: May 15, 2026

Please read all of the guidelines carefully before submitting and send all submissions to: zalika@diasporadialogues.com 

ARCHIVED EVENT: Celebrating New Asian Canadian Novels

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House of Anansi, Cormorant, and Flying Books (784 College St. Toronto ON) are thrilled to to host DD alumni and authors Jane Park (Inheritance) and Leslie Shimotakahara (The Breakwater) for a conversation and book signing. Moderated by Rachel Phan.

FREE to attend, but RSVP required.

ABOUT INHERITANCE

A Korean Canadian woman returns to the prairies, where she revisits her childhood and confronts her haunting guilt. Inheritance explores the immigrant experience, the sacrifices made by both parents and children, and the way trauma is transferred to the next generation. As Anne completes her journey to the past, she emerges to finally define life on her own terms.

Jane Park is a second-generation Korean Canadian writer. She is a MacDowell Fellow, and was a participant in the Banff Centre’s Writing Studio, and Diaspora Dialogues. She was born in Edmonton, Alberta, lived in New York City for over a decade, and now lives in Calgary, Alberta. Currently, she is pursuing an MFA at the University of British Columbia. Inheritance is her debut novel.

ABOUT THE BREAKWATER
A multigenerational saga about the long shadow of an unspeakable family secret, culminating in an overdue reunion between rivalrous brothers.  In this heartbreaking family story, two brothers, both old men not far from death, must at last confront long-buried family secrets — and their lingering effects on subsequent generations.

Leslie Shimotakahara is an award-winning author of three novels and a memoir, as well as numerous short fiction and essays. She won the Canada-Japan Literary Prize (2012) and has been shortlisted for the K.M. Hunter Artist Award. Her writing has appeared in the National Post, World Literature Today, and other anthologies and periodicals. She holds a PhD in English from Brown University, and lives in Toronto with her husband.

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