For one night only, on Monday, September 15, 2025 – The Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) presents An Evening with R.F. Kuang, live at The Rose Theatre in Brampton. Join The FOLD’s Executive Director Jael Richardson in conversation with the bestselling author, who shares insights into her highly anticipated new novel Katabasis.
A storyteller unveils a magic-filled rescue mission to Hell
“Katabasis” is an Ancient Greek noun that refers to the story of a hero’s descent to the underworld. In Kuang’s novel, two graduate students must put aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their magician professor’s soul – perhaps at the cost of their own. Read more about the novel here.
This event will include an onstage conversation, followed by an audience Q&A. While there will not be a signing or photo opportunities with R.F. Kuang after the event, Another Story Bookshop will be the onsite bookseller – and they’ll have all R.F. Kuang books available for sale before and after the event.
Those who purchase the book and ticket bundle will receive one pre-signed deluxe limited edition of Katabasis, a collector’s hardcover that features stencilled edges, case effects and illustrated endpapers. There will only be one print run of this edition. The book will also include an exclusive Canadian tour stamp – an ink stamp only available at Canadian book tour stops – provided by HarperCollins Canada. A stamp table will be set up in the lobby where you can stamp your copy of Katabasis or other R.F. Kuang titles.
Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear from one of today’s most compelling literary voices.
”With nothing but the tales of Orpheus and Dante to guide them, enough chalk to draw the Pentagrams necessary for their spells, and the burning desire to make all the academic trauma mean anything, they set off across Hell to save a man they don’t even like.”
– HarperCollins Canada excerpt from the synopsis of Katabasis
About R.F. Kuang
American novelist Rebecca F. Kuang is the award-winning, #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History and Yellowface. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.
About Jael Richardson
Canadian writer, speaker and activist Jael Richardson is the author of The Stone Thrower: A Daughter’s Lesson, a Father’s Life, a memoir based on her relationship with her father, CFL quarterback Chuck Ealey. It was adapted into a children’s book in 2016. Her debut novel, Gutter Child is a dystopian story of courage and resilience and became an instant bestseller in January 2021. Richardson holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph and lives in Brampton, Ontario, where she founded and serves as the Executive Director for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD).
(Photo credits: R.F. Kuang at the Festival of Literary Diversity. Photo by Herman Custodio.)
Event details
Hosted by: The Festival of Literary Diversity
Type of event: author interview
Interviewer: Jael Richardson
Guest author: R.F. Kuang
Date: Monday, September 15, 2025
Start time: 7:30 PM ET
Duration: 2 hours
Cost:
- Book & ticket bundle: C$55.00 includes admission plus one pre-signed deluxe limited edition of Katabasis (retail price C$43.00) with an exclusive Canadian tour stamp (through HarperCollins Canada).
- Admission ticket only: C$18.00
Location: The Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton, ON, L6V 0A3, Canada
Booking link: Book your tickets here
Contact details: The Rose Theatre box office: (905) 874-2800, boxoffice@brampton.ca; The FOLD, outreach@thefoldcanada.org, thefoldcanada.org
Content warning: For audiences 18+. This event may discuss topics intended for mature audiences only.
Accessibility: Rose Theatre accessibility info here.
Refund policy: Please contact the organizer.