Qissa Festival: Celebrating Newcomer & Refugee Writers is a one-day celebration of literature, storytelling, and performance by newcomer and refugee writers and artists in Canada. The festival weaves together panel discussions, dramatic readings, musical collaborations, and participatory arts activations to create a dynamic, multi-disciplinary experience.
Taking place on March 29, 2026 at Small World Music, the festival invites readers, listeners, publishers, arts organizations, and community members into conversation—centering newcomer voices not as emerging subjects, but as established artists, thinkers, and cultural producers.
Schedule and RSVP details coming soon! Please share your contact details here if you would like to be notified when the registration link is live.
Meet the writers
Mostafa Al-A’sar – Journalist, PEN Canada Writers in Exile member, and human rights defender. Mostafa spent nearly four years in political prison in Egypt, where he was detained and tortured for his journalistic and human rights work. Forced into exile, he now lives in Toronto.
Salman Haider – Poet, playwright, and satirist in exile, with performances and publications in Pakistan, the U.S., and Canada. Detained and tortured for his outspoken work, he continues to use satire and poetry as acts of resistance and survival. He holds a PhD in Psychology.
Maya El Helou – a Queer Arab comic artist and a PhD in anthropology and sexual diversity studies.
Sana’a Jaber – Award-winning filmmaker and writer whose work explores exile, resilience, and motherhood. With over two decades in film and television, she creates fiction and memoir that give voice to women and refugees.
Tala Motazedi – Queer Iranian screenwriter, playwright, and novelist who was PEN Canada’s 2024 Writer-in-Residence. Her writing explores identity, belonging, and queerness within and beyond exile.
Ahmer Naqvi – Multidisciplinary writer and broadcaster whose work examines popular culture, migration, and diasporic identity across South Asia and Canada.
Blessing O. Nwodo – Multidisciplinary storyteller and feminist activist whose work spans immersive exhibitions, films, sonic storytelling, and literary writing. A prize-winning writer and filmmaker, she blends creative expression with sharp communications expertise across digital marketing, editorial work, and narrative strategy.
Harleen Singh – Author of The Lost Heer, a reimagining of Punjab’s folklore that highlights women’s resilience and contributions often overlooked in colonial narratives.
