Think of Vivek Shraya’s beautifully inclusive picture book The Boy and the Bindi or Cherie Dimaline’s dystopian tale The Marrow Thieves. The Canadian literary scene has recently exploded with LGBTQ+ authors, Indigenous artists, and diverse writers making waves. Our curricula and book choices should reflect our students’ diverse identities and experiences. Wondering why you should, and where to begin? Start with the 3 ‘R’s. No matter what age range you teach, you too can diversify your teaching library.

These decisions not only opened the door to a new literary world, but delighted my students and re-energized my teaching. I designed an independent study focusing on under-represented voices in literature, film, and art. That year I made a bold choice to ditch the Bard and privilege the voices of women and contemporary writers of colour. What messages was I sending to students with my book choices? Whose voices were missing? What if I changed everything and sought out texts that better represented my students and community? Having just taught Ontario’s Grade 11 Gender Studies course, which had opened my mind to intersectional ways of thinking, I couldn’t help but notice that the writers populating the shelves presented a very narrow demographic: they were mostly Western, white, male, and long dead. Eager to prepare, I visited our school book room, but came away feeling uninspired by the options: 1984, Animal Farm, Fifth Business, and lots of Shakespeare. Five years ago, I was assigned to teach Grade 12 English for the first time in years.

Big red lollipop by rukhsana khan