Teamwork Arts, producer of the Jaipur Literature Festival brought the much sought-after literary event to the shores of Toronto in 2019. JLF Toronto will continue to build on the success of the past two years with another virtual edition this Fall. This year’s virtual, weekend Jaipur Literature Festival Toronto will be held from 2-3 October 2021.
One of the revelations of the pandemic is the innovation that Teamwork Arts have added to their global soft power circus in the past 20 months. Their knowledgeable organizing team depends on a large group of sympathetic and well-read moderators who are quick to go deep within a subject or genre to deliver good sessions that engage the audience. The pandemic while depriving the organizing and its loyal followers such as us of the live event in Jaipur and in London and Boulder has realized a new dynamic. The audience no longer needs to travel to its local version of the JLF – the organizer’s caravan will travel virtually or otherwise along with a theme and a lively fund of veteran and new authors and speakers to create virtual literary fests in ever more cities such as London set to take place from 24 – 26 September 2021; Colorado from 8 – 10 October; Houston which is coming up on 16 & 17 October; and New York on 20 October.
JLF is a strong brand, with plenty of oomph which it derives from a growing number of authors and publishers who understand the value of reader enthusiasm and buying power. The organizers are now leveraging its international literary following while also presenting the Indian and South Asian diaspora a platform in which it can increasingly express its coming of age.
The 2021 Toronto chapter of the Festival will connect Canada’s distinct regions from coast to coast to coast through literature, dialogue, and debate, curating each session with a thematic connection to its geographical locale thus adding appeal to a wider audience. JLF Toronto 2021 aims to showcase South Asia’s rich, distinctive literary heritage and Canada’s myriad literary legacy, while also celebrating the richness of its landscape, people, and cultures. Virtual doors will open wide to authors, poets, and thinkers from across Canada and the globe to share with attendees their ideas, insights, and words on a multitude of engaging themes. JLF Toronto 2021 is set to be a celebration of all the aesthetic wonder and magic the written and spoken word can provide to readers.
The weekend virtual event will feature dynamic conversations with internationally acclaimed writers on timely and relevant subjects including climate justice, migration and identity, the art of mathematics, food and culture, adaptations, and the politics of language.
This year’s free program includes conversations with British mathematician and author Marcus du Sautoy, Lebanese-Canadian activist and author Najwa Zebian, Environmental lawyer and writer James Thornton, author Martin Goodman, Canadian novelist Gail Anderson-Dargatz, Hong Kong-based author and foreign correspondent James Griffiths, Canadian writer Shashi Bhat, Saskatchewan Métis, and nêhiyaw writer Lisa Bird-Wilson and BAFTA award-winning film director and producer Padmashri Shekhar Kapur.
2021 JLF Toronto edition will also feature the literary extravaganza’s latest initiative CanLitScape Poets & Storytellers project, in partnership with the League of Canadian Poets, to celebrate some of Canada’s poets and poetic expressions including Poet Laureates Al Moritz, Di R Brandt, John Barton, Julie Pellissier-Lush, and PJ Johnson.
The program of JLF Toronto 2021 will be made available to registrants shortly.
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