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DD and The Carol Shields Prize Foundation announce a new fellowship
Diaspora Dialogues and the Carol Shields Prize Foundation are delighted to announce the inaugural Carol Shields Prize Foundation Fellowship at Diaspora Dialogues, a $20,000 opportunity for a woman or non-binary BIPOC writer who is a refugee or new immigrant to Canada. The inaugural Fellowship will be awarded over the period of September 2023 to May 2024.
This stipend is intended to provide the opportunity for a writer to create, as free as possible from financial constraints. As part of the Carol Shields Prize Foundation Fellowship at Diaspora Dialogues, and in alignment with Diaspora Dialogue’s role as a literary mentoring organization, Diaspora Dialogues and the Carol Shields Prize Foundation will provide the fellowship recipient with the support of a mentor to provide structured feedback.
Additionally, the fellowship recipient will have access to all of Diaspora Dialogues’ traditional suite of professional development training and networking events as well as chances to connect with fellow writers through Diaspora Dialogues’ social networks of alumni and mentors.
The Carol Shields Prize Foundation and Diaspora Dialogues are deeply grateful to the M.A. Faris Foundation for supporting this fellowship.
Please see our Mentorship page for further information on applying to this opportunity.
Blind/low vision mentoring program
Thanks to funding from the Toronto Arts Council through Open Door we hired a Blind/low-vision consultant in 2022, Vivian Chong, to create training that would expand our staff abilities to reach out to this community, and to help us with starting a Blind/low vision short-form mentorship program, which we are committed to continuing. This video was part of this training, and we make it available here for other organizations to learn from.
At the end of the first iteration of the program we held a private online literary salon with the writers. Part of the event was a recorded performance of an original song by Lucas Haneman, which we are also posting here to give you a flavour of that memorable occasion. Each participant’s story was read by a member of DD staff, and it was a moving experience for all of us. Please enjoy Lucas’ performance of his original song Snapshot as a memento of that evening!
Diaspora Dialogues is Thrilled to Announce the Return of TOK Toronto
Diaspora Dialogues is thrilled to be bringing TOK Toronto to our community for yet another year! We are grateful for the support TOK has received in the years since it first began and have taken our time to curate a line up we’re excited to share.
Join us from September 23-25 as we will be putting on a series of author talks, play readings, and professional development sessions geared towards authors and writers in a variety of genres.
Professional Development Sessions
Fantasy for Young Adult and Kid Lit with David Robertson | Friday, Sept 23, 12:30pm
The Business of Publishing with Leigh Nash and Emmy Nordstrom Higdom | Friday, Sept 23, 2pm
Fantasy for Adult Fiction with Terri Favro | Saturday Sept 24, 12:30 PM
Introduction to Picture Books with Nadia Hohn | Saturday Sept 24, 2pm
Introduction to Writing Romantic Comedy with Farah Heron | Sunday Sept 25, 11am
Author Talks
In Conversation with Chelene Knight. Moderated by Aparita Bhandari | Saturday Sept 24, 4 PM
In Conversation with Tanya Turon. Moderated by Fiona Raye Clarke | Sunday Sept 25th, 3pm
In Conversation with Saeed Teebi and Martha Batiz. Moderated by Rasiqra Revulva | Sunday Sept 25 – 4:30pm
Play Reading
Play Reading: Libation by Esi Callender. In collaboration with Tarragon Theatre | Sunday Sept 25 12:30
Archived Event: Becoming an Author Entrepreneur
Join us on August 12 at 6:30 p.m. EST for an informative workshop with author-entrepreneur Yolanda T. Marshall on the business of writing and building your author business. Yolanda, who is both self-published and traditional published, will discuss her writing journey, along with with the things she’s learned over 14 years in the business of writing and publishing books.
Register for the workshop HERE.
About the Presenter
Yolanda T. Marshall is a Guyanese-born Canadian author. She ventured into the world of publishing in 2008. In 2015, after becoming a mom, Yolanda was inspired to write her first children’s book, Keman’s First Carnival. Yolanda is also the author of C is for Carnival, A Piece of Black Cake for Santa, Sweet Sorrel Stand, Miles Away In The Caribbean, My Soca Birthday Party: with Jollof Rice and Steel Pans and Hot Cross Buns For Everyone. Her picture books are all about celebrations, inclusion and recipes! A world traveller, a jazz lover and a devoted mother, she embodies art and takes her readers on adventurous, cultured journeys. Yolanda lives in Toronto, Canada with her family.
View the full event replay below:
Job Opportunity: Loans and Grants Administrative Assistant (Position Filled)
Position: Loans and Grants Administrative Assistant
Work term: May 9, 2022 to July 17, 2022 (six weeks)
Compensation: $16.00 per hour, 30 hours per week
Location: Toronto/online
JOB OPPORTUNITY
We are looking for a qualified go getter to work remotely with our small non-profit team. This position is funded by the Canada Summer Jobs program.
Responsibilities:
– under supervision of Manager of Business Operations research and create a calendar of deadlines for all applicable government granting agencies and the relevant programs to Diaspora Dialogues for application for funding, that can be updated from funding year to funding year
– under the guidance of Manager of Business Operations and President, research public and private foundations that have grants that are applicable to apply for and add them to the funding calendar as well, including hyperlinks for websites and relevant application information
– assess current pitches for funding and identify changes to be made to match up with potential funder guidelines with mentoring by board Director and President in charge of fundraising
– assess our online email database and update with necessary information, new clients, and remove and clean up duplications etc. under supervision of Marketing and Communications Coordinator
– organize database for ease of fundraising emails and create templates for major email campaigns in the spring, early fall, and end of year
– aid in updating our TOK Magazine and Diaspora Dialogues websites with content.
Experience/requirements for the job:
Candidates must be able to provide their own computer and internet access, as well as facility for Zoom calls.
Candidates must be 30 or younger( as per the Canada Summer Jobs program requirements), and have some experience working in small teams in an office setting (remote or in person). Experience in writing and communication required, and past fundraising an asset. Knowledge of WordPress or similar website experience is also desirable. Post secondary degree or degree in progress preferred, but not necessary.
Please apply directly to Christian Sharpe, Manager of Business Operations, by email at christian@diasporadialogues.com
Application deadline: Thursday May 5, 12 PM