TORONTO, ONT (January 2015) - The legendary Blackstarline Readers Book Club has been added to the festivities of the second annual Toronto Urban Book Expo, taking place on Saturday, February 28, 2015 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm at the Toronto Public Library's Malvern Branch. The Book Club will hold an open meeting at the Expo, and chat with special guest author Kamilah Haywood, discussing her new Canadian Urban Fiction novel "Concrete Jungle."The two-hour open meeting will take place from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Library, and will give readers an opportunity to take part in the discussion with Kamilah Haywood, observe the book club process, and interact with members of the group.
"We are excited to have this group of avid readers join our celebration," said Kya Publishing founder Stacey Marie Robinson. "The Blackstarline Readers are committed to supporting black writers and understanding their vision. We welcome anyone who is curious about the book club process to drop in and participate for a portion, or all of the meeting."
The Blackstarline Readers have been meeting as a book club to read, break bread, and discuss books since 1997. The premise of the book club is to foster reading and provide a platform for discussion while discovering and supporting authors from the diaspora. In doing so, the book club has supported Black owned or operated book stores in Toronto since its inception. They have also welcomed guest authors such as Austin Clarke, Rachel Manley, and Nalo Hopkinson to read and discuss their works. Blackstarline members have volunteered in children's reading circles in Toronto, and provided donations to pencil drives for children in Africa. In September 2006, the Blackstarline Readers were featured in Essence Magazine as book club of the month. Check them out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/blackstarline.readers.
For more information about the Toronto Urban Book Expo, please contact stacey@kyapublishing.com or 647-342-3040.