Fuel for Fire: Professional Development for Writers of Colour

Registration for this event is now full. We are no longer accepting additional participants. Thank you for your interest.

This event is taking place on Friday, March 24 and Saturday, March 25, 2017.

About Fuel for Fire

The Fuel for Fire panels will discuss the systemic barriers encountered by writers of colour, and approaches to navigating the challenges faced in writing, editing, publishing, funding, securing residencies and jobs, and building community. We understand that this is not a new conversation for many artists of colour, but we hope that the ideas and energies generated from this event will be.

Join the conversation

Twitter: @ONArtsCouncil
Event hashtag: #OACFuel4Fire
 

Click here to view the panelists' profiles.

Agenda

Friday, March 24: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

• 5:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Registration
• 6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks
  • Karim Karsan, Board Member, OAC
  • Jack Illingworth, Literature Officer, OAC (Host)
  • Bushra Junaid, Outreach and Development Manager, OAC (Host and Event Coordinator)
  • Phoebe Wang (Event Programmer)
• 6:30 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. Keynote Address
  • Kamal Al-Solaylee, Author and Academic
• 7:15 p.m. Networking

Saturday, March 25: 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

• 8:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. Registration and Light Breakfast
• 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks
• 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Session 1 – Writing and Identity
  • Gwen Benaway, Writer
  • Shani Mootoo, Writer
  • Aisha Sasha John, Writer
  • Adnan Khan (Writer and Moderator)
• 10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m. Break
• 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Session 2 – Editing and Publishing
  • Anita Chong, McClelland & Stewart
  • Sam Hiyate, The Rights Factory
  • Jay MillAr BookThug
  • Leigh Nash Invisible Publishing
  • Saima S. Hussain (Writer and Moderator)
• 12:15 p.m. – 1 p.m. Lunch
• 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Session 3 – Funding, Grants, Residencies and Jobs
  • Cheri Dimaline, Executive Director, RIEL Centre
  • Whitney French, Founder and Co-editor, From the Root Zine
  • Jack Illingworth, Literature Officer, OAC
  • Dianah Smith, Writer
  • Phoebe Wang (Writer and Moderator)
• 2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Break
• 3 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Session 4 – Networking and Community Building
  • Ayesha Chatterjee, President, League of Canadian Poets
  • Dalton Higgins, Writer/Publicist/Music Presenter
  • Jael Richardson, Artistic Director, Festival of Literary Diversity
  • Anna Yin, Inaugural Poet Laureate of Mississauga
  • Léonicka Valcius (Writer and Moderator)
• 4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Closing Remarks
• 4:30 p.m. Post-Session Networking and Conversation

Contact information

Habibah Haque
Program Administrator
hhaque@arts.on.ca
416-961-1660, ext. 5081
1-800-387-0058, ext. 5081 (toll-free in Ontario)