TORONTO, ONT (January 2015) - Toronto publishing company Kya
Publishing, in association with the Toronto Public Library, will be hosting the
second annual Toronto Urban Book Expo (TUBE) on Saturday, February 28, 2015
from 12:00pm to 4:00pm at the Library’s Malvern Branch.
Announced authors include: Canadian writers Angela Walcott, Kamilah Haywood, Kwame Osei, Simone DaCosta, Bernadette Hood, Mutendei Nabutete, Matthew L. Taylor, Akwasi Afriyie, Ni'cola, Nadine Chevolleau, Randall Mitchell, Jennylynd James, Lavern Lewis, and Stacey Marie Robinson.
Announced authors include: Canadian writers Angela Walcott, Kamilah Haywood, Kwame Osei, Simone DaCosta, Bernadette Hood, Mutendei Nabutete, Matthew L. Taylor, Akwasi Afriyie, Ni'cola, Nadine Chevolleau, Randall Mitchell, Jennylynd James, Lavern Lewis, and Stacey Marie Robinson.
TUBE is the only Canadian event dedicated to
celebrating urban fiction, highlighting published and self-published writers selling
Canadian Urban Fiction, African-American Fiction, Multicultural Literature,
Ethnic Children’s Books, and Motivational Non-Fiction. The Expo will also
feature publishers of urban fiction, and guests from the Canadian literary and urban
cultural communities
“There are so many talented urban writers in
Toronto, and Kya Publishing is excited to celebrate their books and literary
contributions to Canadian culture,” said founder Stacey Marie Robinson. “We all
look forward to celebrating this culture, and sharing our stories at this Black
History Month book fair.”
The authors, in their own words:
Angela Walcott’s writing has appeared in CPA Magazine, This, Sway, Marketing Edge,
and Share newspaper. Angela was the
founder and editor-in-chief of the Ryerson University-funded Perfect Bound Magazine. A member of CANSCAIP and the African Canadian
Writers for Children and Young Adults, she has written and illustrated two
children's books, Mix It Well and the latest, I Want To Be which is available in bookstores
and on Amazon.com.
Kamilah Haywood is a native of
Toronto, who has used writing as an escape from the negativity in her
surroundings, and is using her urban stories as a tool to speak to and for
those who may be oppressed, at risk, or lost. Kamilah has just finished her
first novel Concrete Jungle.
Kwame Osei was born in Ghana
West Africa, came to Canada at the age of 4 and resided in Rexdale. During his
teen years Kwame attended Father Henry Carr High School, where he starred at
quarterback and receiver for the football team. Osei attended St. Francis Xavier
University in Nova Scotia where he earned two degrees while being a captain and
a key player on the StFX football team. Osei currently teaches Physical
Education and Sports Performance at Holy Trinity High school in Fort McMurray,
Alberta. Osei is also the Head Coach for the football team and is the Co-Owner
of a fitness company called Triumph Elite. He has just completed his first children's book.
Simone DaCosta is a writer,
author and publisher. She has published a devotional day planner, Remember to
Pray and a 2013 Day Planner, and two children's books titled A Silly
Rhyming Alphabet Book About Animals From A to Z and a colouring and activity book: Based on A Silly
Rhyming Alphabet Book About Animals From A to Z, and her recently
published children's book, Emily-Rose's Day at the Farm. Simone was nominated
for a Woman on Fire Award in the media category for her outstanding presence in
writing.
Bernadette Hood is a mother, grandmother, and a wife. She enjoys putting her thoughts on paper and published her first book in 2013. Bernadette is currently in the process of writing another book--she feels empowered when writing, and seeing the finished product gives her a sense of fulfillment.
Mutendei Nabutete has been writing privately since high school and college. His first
published work appeared in Scene Magazine London Ontario, titled “Nathaniel’s Ode” which was the subject matter of
the lecture delivered by Mutendei at York University earlier in February of 2014. While in College as a student journalist, he wrote several
pieces for the Fanshawe College newspaper The
Fanshawe Interrobang. In 2012, Mutendei focused on spoken
word performances within the Greater Toronto area, and doing several collaborations. 
Matthew L. Taylor is an author, poet and mortgage broker who has created a collection of valuable insights in his book Student of Life: My Lessons Are Yours, discussing various
important subjects in the journey of life from entrepreneurship, assets,
parenthood, choosing the right vocation, leadership to idea
implementation and public speaking. The underlying theme in the book is "open minds open
doors, those who learn better earn better, and no's can be turned into now's." These concepts and beliefs are the same ones that transformed Matthew from an
at-risk high school dropout to a college graduate, and educated entrepreneur
making a positive impact in his community.
Ni’cola - Striving to inject her unique flair into the realm of
contemporary fiction, Jamaican born, Award-Winning, Best-Selling author and
blogger, Ni’cola Mitchell enters the literary scene with one
main objective: To Stimulate Your Mind, One Word at a Time. Through her
independent publishing company NCM Publishing, Ni’cola published numerous
titles which have been featured on various best-selling lists throughout the
country. Much of her work revolves around complex relationship issues and
Mitchell’s compulsive desire to see women overcome challenges. Ni’cola has
published over 50 titles and has assisted over 300 authors and independent
publishing entities, publish successfully.
Nadine Chevolleau - the author of a new children’s book titled "Stop Kissing Me, Mommy!" Nadine has led the development of several educational resources for schools in Canada through the Toronto Star’s Classroom Connection program. One of these programs, titled Do You See a Money Tree?, won the Canadian Circulation Management Association (CCMA) Innovation Award. Over 50,000 copies of this financial literacy workbook have been distributed to schools in Ontario. As a contributing Blogger for International Newsmedia Marketing Association (INMA), Nadine has written blogs on various marketing topics.
Randall Mitchell has been working his entire life with teens, inspiring them to live out their dreams. His vast array of experience ranges from the southern parts of Africa to the Northern parts of Canada. His desire is to see that the development of teen character has a solid foundation; he has therefore dedicated his life to help teens to take leadership over themselves and life.
Jennylynd James is a "Renaissance" woman: an artist, writer, and musician with a Ph.D. in Food Science and 15 years experience in the field. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Jennylynd has lived in Florida, California, Quebec, Ontario, and Ireland. She has written a series of travel memoirs to chronicle her many adventures in relocation, including "Escape from Ireland" and "Goodbye Frying Pan, Hello Fire." She wants her stories of resilience and thriving to empower and motivate readers.
Lavern Lewis an up and coming author who is passionate about creating books for both children and adults. Born in Jamaica, Lavern has lived most of her life in Canada. Her first book "Don't Waste the Years" was published in 2013, while she was working on her next book "Sinful Thoughts." The children's story "Wishes Can Come True" was written about her granddaughter (at her request!), and Lavern is currently working on her next children's book "The Slumber Party" as well as a book of quotes.
Stacey Marie Robinson - A writer and communications specialist, Stacey operates Kya Publishing to ensure that the voices of her community are authentically documented and celebrated. She has written and self-published nine fiction titles--the Urban Toronto Tales collection--about Caribbean-Canadian culture and the Urban Toronto experience.For more information, please contact Stacey Marie Robinson at stacey@kyapublishing.com or 647-342-3040. Join the conversation online using #TUBE2015!