Diaspora Dialogues at TIFA 2025

We’re so excited to be part of this year’s Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA)! Our lineup of panels brings together incredible writers exploring what it means to tell stories of identity, belonging, and community—from reimagining CanLit to examining the impact of war and memory through different genres.

Check out all our TIFA events below and join us in celebrating the voices shaping Canada’s literary landscape.

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CanLit at Home in the World | Saturday Nov 1 at 1:30pm

What is CanLit? What is it to be a part of CanLit? Join authors Jinwoo Park and Nadia Staikos as they discuss their works and what it is to be a Canadian-based author who writes about characters in different countries and how their books and books like theirs contribute to the characterization of CanLit.

Moderated by Aparita Bhandari

Writing War | Saturday Nov 1 at 4:30pm

This panel features writers Sanita Fejzić and Jumoke Verissimo, whose works, Blissful State of Surrender and Circumtrauma, examine and parse the impact of war on identity and community in two different genres and two different forms.

The Intimacies of Chosen Families | Sunday Nov 2 at 1:30pm

In their books, Property and Runs in the Blood both Kate Cayley and Matthew J. Trafford write about queer experiences as they relate to chosen families. Join us as they talk about the various themes, such as the complexity of intimacy and interpersonal relationships, that surface when writing about family, chosen or otherwise.

Moderated by Daniel Sarah Karasik

Expanding Black Narratives | Sunday Nov 2  at 4:30pm

Join Terese Mason Pierre and others as they confront and expand society’s preconceived notions around Blackness, particularly as it relates to Canadians. Let’s dig into what that means, how that works, and where we go from here.

Moderated by Zilla Jones