TORONTO, ONT (October 2018) Kya Publishing author
Kamilah Haywood will be participating in the upcoming
Naked Heart festival at
Glad Day Bookshop, Buddies in Bad Times, and 5Six2. The annual LGTBQ festival of words, features a range of 60 authors and presenters, and runs from Friday, November 9 through Sunday, November 11. Kamilah will be featuring her third published novel "
Diamond in the Rough: Part 2" through a panel discussion and also a reading.
The Festival will include a range of events featuring Jewell Gomez, Larissa Lai, Fatima Jamal, Lindsay Nixon, Kai Cheng Thom, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and Shyam Selvadurai--a balance of new and returning presenters. The main session types include panels, workshops, and readings across the three locations, Glad Day Bookshop (499 Church Street), Buddies in Bad Times (12 Alexander Street), and 5Six2 (562 Church Street).
Glad Day Bookshop is the oldest surviving LGBTQ bookstore, dedicated to stories of representation and freedom of speech: it is an important venue for supporting, nurturing and inspiring creativity and community.
"Michael [Erickson] and Glad Day Bookshop have been supporters of my books from day one, and I am grateful for their support," said Kamilah Haywood. "I look forward to sharing my book Diamonds in the Rough: Part 2 with the Naked Heart festival attendees, and also learning from the range of presentations taking place over the festival weekend."
Diamonds in the Rough: Part 2 chronicles a series of questionable events taking place in a women's prison in Toronto, as the main character battles issues of love, addiction, and struggles with her mental health. Over the years, Kamilah has comfortably written about subjects ranging from the drug game, to the criminal system, relationships, and coming-of-age in urban Toronto, and has been praised for her truthful depictions of urban landscapes and characters.
"Kamilah brings an authentic voice and a gritty perspective to the Canadian literary scene," said Kya Publishing's Stacey Marie Robinson. "Her writing style, her subject matter, dialogue, and perspectives are unlike any other Canadian author, and will make a great addition to the Naked Heart festival."
For details about Naked Heart Festival events and times, please visit their website at
NakedHeart.ca.
