[URBAN NOTE] "Why diverse literary festivals are essential for emerging voices"

[rfmcdonald]

CBC's Gwen Benaway writes about why literary festivals like Naked Heart are so important. I look forward to going to the launch party at the new Glad Day tonight!

This weekend marks the second edition of the Naked Heart, the "LGBTQ Festival of Words." With over 90 participating authors, it may surprise you to know that Naked Heart is the largest LGBTQ literary festival in the world. Along with the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), it is also the most diverse literary festival in Canada with numerous Indigenous, transgender and racialized authors represented. It cannot be understated how important this is.

While literary festivals introduce readers to new authors and often profile emerging writers at a critical stage in their career, they also build community between writers and other members of the literary community. The broader Canadian literary arts scene can feel exclusionary to many new writers, especially writers from diverse backgrounds. Many of my author friends talk about being the only writer of colour or Indigenous author at literary festivals, pigeonholed into the role of being an advocate for diverse literature. I joke with other transgender writers about always being on the "tranel" — the singular transgender or LGBTQ-specific panel at a literary festival. With festivals like Naked Heart, we are connected to each other and allowed to build networks outside of the mainstream Canadian literary scene.

One thing I've learned as an Indigenous writer is that community is does not occur organically. Many writers are too busy to facilitate broad connections across cities and provinces. We lack the financial resources to engage with each other outside of our day jobs. One of the central goals of the Indigenous Writers' Gathering, an annual Indigenous-specific literary festival in Toronto, is to link Indigenous writers so we can nurture each other. Connection with other writers is essential for great literature, and festivals like Naked Heart, FOLD and the Indigenous Writer's Gathering make those connections happen.

Torontoist has more.