Writing Home: The Literature of Diaspora & Connection (Panel Discussion)

Join panelists Yolanda T. Marshall and Rabindranath Maharaj for a reflection on what “home” means through story. This conversation explores identity, belonging, and the ways writing connects us across distance and generations. Moderated by Denise Da Costa.

About the Presenters

Yolanda T. Marshall is a celebrated Guyanese-born, Bajan-heritage Canadian author renowned for her vibrant and culturally rich children’s literature. A passionate storyteller and children’s literary trailblazer, she began her publishing journey in 2008 and signed a multi-book deal in 2019. Yolanda is a traditionally published, agented author of over twenty beloved titles, including Brown Girl in the Snow, Marching North, A Piece of Black Cake for Santa, Miles Away in the Caribbean, Sweet Sorrel Stand, C is for Carnival, My Soca Birthday Party: with Jollof Rice and Steel Pans—recognized by CBC as one of the Best Canadian Picture Books of 2020 and featured on TD’s Top Recommended Reads for 2023—and Hot Cross Buns for Everyone, featured on TD’s Top Recommended Reads for 2025. An advocate for underrepresented voices, Yolanda has served as a volunteer columnist and editor for The Caribbean Camera newspaper’s “Lit Corner” for the last 4 years, spotlighting marginalised Canadian authors. Her school visits inspire over 40,000 students annually across Canada and New York. Yolanda’s work has earned national and international acclaim, including the 2023 My People Award, the 2022 Loop Caribbean Author of the Year, and recognition as one of Canada’s 100 Accomplished Black Women.

Denise Da Costa is a Canadian writer whose writing explores mental health and intersectional identity. Currently an MFA candidate at the University of British Columbia, her debut novel And the Walls Came Down (Dundurn 2023), was longlisted for the 2024 Toronto Book Award. Her poetry and essays have appeared in Geist and Existere. She resides in the Niagara region where she is currently working on her next novel.

Rabindranath Maharaj is the author of six novels and three short story collections. His novel, The Amazing Absorbing Boy, won both the Toronto Book Award and the Trillium Fiction Prize. In 2012, Maharaj received a Lifetime Literary Award as part of the commemoration of Trinidad’s 50th independence anniversary, and in 2013, he was awarded Canada’s Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. His books have been published in Canada, the US, the UK, the Netherlands, and Turkey. He is the co-editor, along with Dionne Brand and Tessa McWatt of Luminous Ink: An Anthology of Canadian Writing.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

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