Rummana Chowdhury is a poet, activist and cultural personality and is the author of 50 books in both Bengali and English, comprising of poetry, short stories, columns, essays and novels. Rummana has received multiple literary awards from Bangladesh, India, Europe and North America on Diaspora literature and translation works. She has won the 2022 IPPY Award (Independent Publishers Book Award), Bronze Medal for Multicultural Fiction and also one of five finalists for the Independent Book Award, June of 2022, both from the US, for her book Dusk in the Frog Pond and Other Stories by Inanna Publications of Toronto, Canada.
Bhajan Sarker, a Bengali author, was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. After studying at Terasree Kali Narayan Institution, Dhaka College, Bangladesh University of Engineering (BUET), and Windsor University, Bhajan Sarker is now a Professional Engineer in Canada and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. Although he started writing with poetry, Bhajan Sarker is now well-known as a fiction writer and essayist. The number of published books are Bivaktir Satkahan (Essay), Canvas e Behular Jol (Poetry), Banshee Pravase (Essay), Red Indian der Sathe Bosobas (Essay) and Chandramukhi Janala (A Novel on Bangladesh Liberation War and Naxalite Movement).
Debanjana Mukherjee Bhowmik has always lived in a cloud of creativity. Although her academic degrees are in Architecture and Computer Science Engineering, she holds an immense passion for creative writing. At the age of seventeen, Debanjana was selected nationally by the Poetry Society Of India, Delhi, as one of the youth poets. She has had many of her write-ups, stories, and poems published in acclaimed newspapers and magazines. Her poetry books include Canvas of Dreams and Primitive Poems of New Eve. Her book Flying Letters from Berkshire is a compilation of letters based on real-life experiences about residing in England.
Shabbeedur Shuja was born and raised in Bangladesh and has been writing since his teenage years. His first book of fiction Nilee was published in Bengali when he was nineteen. Since then he has written over two dozen novels in Bengali. He traveled to the USA in the early 90s for higher education and later emigrated to Canada. Currently, he edits a bilingual literary magazine Dhaboman and writes primarily in English (short stories, essays, screenplays, translations) and has received one award for a screenplay (Royal Reel). His notable Bengali novels are Damama, Nishith Kuhu, Chadni, Mohnay Dariye, Jujuba, Shukhe dukhe Canada.
Sreyoshi Bose Datta, a copy editor by profession, has a master’s degree in English literature and language from Jadavpur University, India, and University of Windsor, Canada. She is a supporter and advocate of language rights and language equity in Canada and elsewhere. Sreyoshi is an interpreter and translator in Canada, working with community partners to ensure limited English speakers’ access to vital information related to healthcare, education, legal rights, etc. Passionate about translations of literary and research-based work, she believes that translation is an important tool in opening up the minds of readers to new knowledge and experiences.
Badal Ghosh was born in Bangladesh in 1966 and obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing. He also completed advanced studies in Digital Marketing Management from UofT. Now he is teaching at a renowned College in Toronto. Badal has published more than 20 research articles in different research Journals, more than 100 creative articles and 1000 poems/rhymes in contemporary collections and magazines. He started his scholarly activities since 1985. A few of his major books are titled Trivujh Annonde Vhashi, Chhanda Gantha Onak Kotha, Akkerturare Chhara and Jhalmolo Rudduray.
Akhtar Hossain is a writer, drama director, and columnist. His recent novel is based on the true story of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Akhtar has written and directed 13 stage plays. They were all staged in Canada. Akhtar was involved in television and radio program as a child artist. His first short story was published in the weekly Bichitra, the most popular weekly magazine in Bangladesh during the 1970s and 1980s. He holds a Bachelor of Social Science and a Master of Social Science from Dhaka University. Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh Akhtar Hossain has been in Canada since 1987.
Stage in the Park, September 30 at 6:30pm ET.
Stories have shaped Turtle Island for thousands of years. First Story Toronto’s tours, in person and virtual, bring to the fore the importance of sharing, listening and witnessing Indigenous oral histories and truthtelling. Join the First Story tour hosts Jill Carter, Jon Johnson and Audrey Rochette in conversation with TIFA Director Roland Gulliver as they engage with the Indigenous history of Toronto, and reflect on the history between its shorelines. They will introduce the places and themes of their tours, and explore the importance and relevance of storytelling in beginning to reconcile the past.
This is a free outdoor event.
Harbourfront Centre’s West Lawn, October 2 at 10:30am – 6pm
Canadian Geographic Education’s vibrant and colourful Giant Floor Maps are unlike any other educational resource in the country. These maps offer students an opportunity to discover and explore the diverse aspects of geography in a unique and interactive way that accommodates various learning styles and is easy to integrate at all grade levels. This map shows the locations of Indigenous communities, residential schools, reserves and more. Rather than showing political borders, Canada is broken up into Indigenous language groups.
This is a free event. Find where the giant floor map will be located at #FestofAuthors22 here.
TIFA Kids is generously supported by Gail and Mark Appel.
Harbourfront Centre’s West Lawn, October 1 at 10:30am – 6pm
Canadian Geographic Education’s vibrant and colourful Giant Floor Maps are unlike any other educational resource in the country. These maps offer students an opportunity to discover and explore the diverse aspects of geography in a unique and interactive way that accommodates various learning styles and is easy to integrate at all grade levels. This map shows the locations of Indigenous communities, residential schools, reserves and more. Rather than showing political borders, Canada is broken up into Indigenous language groups.
This is a free event. Find where the giant floor map will be located at #FestofAuthors22 here.
TIFA Kids is generously supported by Gail and Mark Appel.