Welcome to
BlackLit Canada
BlackLit Canada is the public-facing identity of the Canadian Black Literature Institute, a national organization building cultural infrastructure around Black Canadian literature.
We preserve its history, support the creation and development of new work, amplify writers and ideas, and activate communities through literature. Our work connects writers, readers, educators, researchers, publishers, cultural organizations, and communities while helping Black Canadian literary culture grow, connect, and endure.
Explore the writers, stories, programs, events, resources, and opportunities that make up BlackLit Canada.
Our Strategic Goals & Objectives
The work of the Canadian Black Literature Institute is organized under four pillars:
1. Preserve
Knowledge & Memory — Preserving the record of Black Canadian literary culture
Primary Question: What must be remembered?
This pillar protects the past while creating the foundation for future scholarship.
2. Create
Creation & Development — Supporting the next generation of stories, scholarship, and creators
Primary Question: What should be created next?
This pillar focuses on the development of writers, researchers, storytellers, and cultural innovators.
3. Amplify
Reach & Recognition — Extending influence nationally and internationally
Primary Question: How do ideas, stories, and achievements travel?
This pillar scales the Institute's impact beyond Durham Region to encompass the entire nation, and eventually beyond Canada and throughout the diaspora.
4. Activate
Community & Culture — Bringing people together through shared literary and cultural experiences
Primary Question: How do people connect to the work and to each other?
This pillar ensures that Black Canadian literature remains a living cultural force rather than simply an academic subject.
Our initiatives
The Canadian Black Literary Festival is a uniquely conceived celebration of African-Canadian literature of all genres that takes place in Ajax on the last weekend in August before Labour Day weekend every year.
BlackLit Durham is a bimonthly community-centred literary gathering held in historic Pickering Village in Ajax, Ontario. Featuring notable writers of all genres, this free event also includes a literary open mic.
Upcoming events