Rebranded online this year as TUBookExpo, the writer's retreat and conference was created for authors and publishers to have the opportunity to communicate their projects, explore international networking opportunities, and participate in informative sessions with their peers, experts, and supporters in literature. Surrounding the Emancipation Day long weekend in Toronto, Ontario (which falls on the Civic Holiday, the first Monday in August), the Expo is open to all published and self-published writers.
"Since 2014, we have hosted nearly 100 authors from Canada, the U.S. and virtually from international locations," said event founder, Kya Publishing's Stacey Marie Robinson. "With the support of the Toronto Public Library (TPL) and the Toronto Arts Council, we have allowed writers to connect, learn, engage, and grow in their craft."
Four of the six previous editions of the Book Expo were hosted at TPL branches; the event has been sponsored by the Toronto Arts Council for the last three years.
"We are committed to sharing the voices of writers in Toronto, and internationally, and providing a platform for their creations," said Robinson. "We are particularly proud of the way this event has resonated with Black writers, and the opportunities for development and networking it has provided."
This year's virtual sessions will be provided free of charge for interested writers in hopes that the content will 1) contribute to professional development, 2) increase personal skills and knowledge base, and 3) connect an international gathering of like-minded writers to help build networks.
Andre Simpson (Kingston, Jamaica), Andrée Nicole (Toronto, Canada), Angelot Ndongmo (Toronto, Canada), D.A. Bourne (Toronto, Canada), Author Glowz (Toronto, Canada), Jameel Davis (Cleveland, USA), Jeffrey Lee Cheatham (Seattle, USA), Kamilah Haywood (Toronto, Canada), Mutendei Nabutete (Nairobi, Kenya), Stacey Ann Berry (Toronto, Canada), Victoria Daley (Toronto, Canada), Wilmont St. Cyr (Bridgetown, Barbados), and Yolanda T. Marshall (Toronto, Canada).
Registration for individual sessions will begin on Monday, July 5, 2021 through the new Book Expo website www.TUBookExpo.com.
All writers are welcome to participate and take part in this virtual celebration of writers and literature, and connect with the growing Book Expo community through social media:
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/tubookexpo
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/tubookexpo
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/tubookexpo