INK TO ALGORITHM: Teen Literature Media Day Celebrates Stories, Black Canadian Creators, and Youth Voices

TORONTO, ONT. - TU Book Expo presents Ink to Algorithm, a youth-focused celebration of Black Canadian authors, storytelling, and digital creativity taking place on Friday, September 18, 2026, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Toronto Public Library's Fairview Branch** (35 Fairview Mall Drive, Toronto).

Designed as a dynamic literary and media experience, Ink to Algorithm brings together Black Canadian YA authors, teens, book media, content creators, influencers, educators, and community members to celebrate the stories shaping today’s young readers. The event highlights newly released teen and young adult titles while honouring the ongoing legacy of Black Canadian literature for youth.

The afternoon will feature author readings, live interviews, informal conversations, book discoveries, and opportunities for attendees to connect directly with writers. With content creation spaces, photography and video opportunities, and social media engagement throughout the event, Ink to Algorithm creates a welcoming environment where literature, culture, and digital storytelling intersect.

Featured authors include Kevin HeronJones, Eddie Kawooya, Angelot Ndongmo, Kamilah Haywood, and Stacey Robinson, with additional Black Canadian YA authors to be announced. The event will be hosted by Cleveland author Jameel Davis, with digital contributions from local and international TU Book Expo members.

More than an author event, Ink to Algorithm explores how stories can move from the page into today’s digital conversations. By bringing together writers and the online communities that amplify books (including BookTok creators, Bookstagrammers, influencers, content creators, and traditional media) the event celebrates reading as a visible, social, and meaningful part of contemporary culture.

Media, book bloggers, content creators, influencers, and literary communities are invited to attend, participate, and help amplify the voices and stories at the heart of Black Canadian teen literature.

Join the TU Book Expo collective as they continue their commitment to increasing the visibility, accessibility, and relevance of Black Canadian literature through programming that connects authors with new audiences.

Registration details are available now at https://tubookexpo.com/ink-to-algorithm.

Special thanks to the Toronto Arts Council for their support through the Literary Projects program.

**This event is not hosted by or sponsored by the Toronto Public Library.

How Black Artists Are Preserving Culture Through Print

Kya Publishing believes in the power of storytelling in print, and also creating spaces where voices, histories, and ideas can be documented, shared, and carried forward. Our commitment to publishing is deeply connected to our love of diasporic music cultures, from hip-hop and reggae to soca, dancehall, and the many African and Caribbean traditions that have shaped generations around the world.

We understand that music is more than sound: it's memory, language, movement, and history. Lyrics tell us where we come from, what we've experienced, and how communities have transformed those experiences into art. Storytelling remains a powerful act of preservation. When stories are documented, they can be remembered and they can inspire generations to come.

This tradition of preservation has always existed within Black music cultures. Many artists have understood that their creative contributions extend beyond the recording itself, using publishing as another way to document ideas, experiences, and histories.

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation partnered with Random House in 2020 to launch Roc Lit 101, a book imprint focused on culture, entertainment, music, sports, and influential voices. The imprint reflects a broader understanding that artists are not only performers, but also historians, entrepreneurs, and storytellers who document the world around them.

In 2007, 50 Cent launched G-Unit Books, bringing elements of hip-hop storytelling to the page through narratives centered around ambition, survival, street culture, and personal experience. The project reflected the same storytelling traditions that have long shaped hip-hop, transforming lived experiences into stories that could reach new audiences.

For KRS-One, hip-hop has always represented knowledge, history, and cultural expression. Through his writing and educational work with the Temple of Hip Hop, he has emphasized the importance of documenting hip-hop’s origins, principles, and contributions as a movement worthy of preservation.

RZA’s literary projects extend the philosophy that has always been central to Wu-Tang Clan’s identity: creativity, discipline, spirituality, and personal growth. His work demonstrates how publishing can provide another space to explore the ideas and influences that shape music.

Chuck D has long understood the power of words. Through Public Enemy, books, comics, and other creative projects, he has continued to show that music and literature can work together as tools for education, awareness, and cultural documentation.

In 2018, UK artist Stormzy launched Merky Books in partnership with Penguin Random House UK, creating a platform to elevate emerging writers and amplify voices that have historically been underrepresented in publishing. His approach highlights another important role artists can play: sharing their own stories while creating opportunities for others to share theirs.

Artists such as Lil Wayne, through Young Money Entertainment, and Travis Scott, through Cactus Jack, have also demonstrated the importance of building creative ecosystems that extend beyond music and create opportunities for new voices.

Together, these examples represent a larger movement: artists recognizing that culture is not only created, but preserved. Music captures moments through sound, while publishing creates another space to explore the ideas, experiences, and histories behind those moments.

The connection between music and print is not about replacing one form with another. It is about honoring the full story. The lyrics, compositions, rhythms, and creative choices behind music all carry meaning. They tell us where we come from, how communities have evolved, and how culture continues to be created.

Through publishing, these stories can be documented, shared, and carried forward for generations to come.

Read more about how Kya Publishing is contributing to the documentation of culture here: https://kyapublishing.com/publishing

Introducing Our Black Canadian Publishing Resource Hub

We're excited to announce a new addition to our website, a growing hub dedicated to highlighting Black Canadian publishing in one convenient place.

Designed as a central destination for readers, writers, publishers, researchers, and industry professionals, this new resource will showcase the people, organizations, research, and stories that continue to shape Black publishing in Canada.

Now Available: Selected Articles & Industry Perspectives

One of the first features in development is a curated collection of articles, research, interviews, reports, and published writing focused on the Black publishing experience in Canada.

By bringing these resources together, we hope to make the histories, conversations, and contributions of Black editors, publishers, writers, booksellers, scholars, and literary organizers more accessible. This growing collection will continue to expand with new research, industry discussions, and historical resources.

We're Building a Directory

Kya Publishing Inc. is also creating a directory that celebrates and connects Black Canadians working across the publishing industry, including:

• Agents
• Authors
• Booksellers
• Critics and scholars
• Editors
• Illustrators and designers
• Marketers and publicists
• Organizations
• Publishers

And others contributing to Black Canadian literature and publishing

Our goal is to increase visibility, strengthen connections, and showcase the breadth of talent and expertise across the sector.

A Growing Community Resource

This hub will continue to evolve as new resources, profiles, and perspectives are added. By bringing this information together in one place, we're creating a resource that supports discovery, learning, collaboration, and a deeper understanding of Black Canadian publishing.

We're just getting started, and we look forward to growing this collection alongside the community.

Visit our website KyaPublishing.com to take a look at this exciting new addition: https://kyapublishing.com/black-canadian-publishing.

Kya Publishing Expands Publishing Program to Preserve Black/Caribbean Canadian Stories

Since its founding, Kya Publishing has been committed to sharing meaningful stories and providing a platform for voices that deserve to be heard.

As we continue to grow, we are expanding our publishing focus to include nonfiction works that document histories, experiences, and cultural contributions in Canada.

This expansion reflects Kya Publishing’s ongoing commitment to storytelling, not only through fiction, but through the preservation of real-life experiences, community histories, and cultural knowledge.

We are seeking projects from knowledge holders, historians, artists, researchers, community leaders, and storytellers who have important stories, archives, and experiences to share.

Many of our histories exist through personal memories, photographs, recordings, research, and lived experiences. From musicians and DJs to organizers, entrepreneurs, artists, and community builders, countless individuals have helped shape Canada’s cultural landscape. Yet many of these stories have never been documented in published form.

Through this expanded publishing focus, Kya Publishing will work with contributors to develop professionally produced books that preserve these histories and make them accessible to readers, researchers, educators, and future generations.

We welcome conversations about projects related to Black/Caribbean Canadian history, music and cultural movements, oral histories, biographies, memoirs, archival collections, and other forms of cultural documentation.

If you have a story, archive, research project, or idea that you believe deserves to be preserved, we invite you to connect with us at books@kyapublishing.com, or visit kyapublishing.com/publishing to learn more.

Together, we can continue building a collection of stories that reflect the experiences, creativity, and contributions of our communities.

Rediscover Caribbean Carnival Moments Through Kya Publishing's Carnival Spotlight Archive

With Toronto's Caribbean Carnival season undeway, Kya Publishing invites the community to explore its Carnival Spotlight Archive, a growing digital collection celebrating Caribbean Carnival culture, the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, and the creativity of the Caribbean diaspora.

Spanning nearly two decades, the archive brings together articles, photographs, videos, artist features, Toronto mas band profiles, cultural commentary, and historical content documenting the people, traditions, and stories that shape Carnival in Canada and beyond.

Featured resources include:

Caribbean Carnival Booklist

Selecting a Caribbean Carnival Band to Play Mas With (free downloadable guide)

Preparing Your Teenager for Caribbean Carnival (free downloadable guide)

Carnival Curves and Carnival Spotlight novels

Coverage of Toronto Carnival, Jamaica Carnival, Canadian Calypso, Carnival leadership, and community initiatives from 2007 to today.

Whether you're playing mas for the first time, reconnecting with Carnival traditions, or looking to learn more about the culture, the Carnival Spotlight Archive offers educational resources and year-round inspiration for participants, families, educators, and Carnival enthusiasts alike.

This Toronto Carnival season, celebrate the culture by exploring the stories that preserve its legacy and inspire its future.

Kya Publishing's New Chapter of "Flash Fiction" Musical Mixes

Kya Publishing's Flash Fiction Mix series, a collection of short-form multimedia storytelling experiences, is now being shared across its social media platforms. More than 150 mixes have already been created and posted on YouTube since 2024, with new pieces continuing to be added regularly.

The Flash Fiction Mix series combines original curated music selections and visual imagery sourced from footage of independent creators around the world to create bite-sized stories that explore the connections between sound and narrative. Drawing inspiration from genres that span reggae, dancehall, hip hop, pop, rock, and African and Caribbean musical traditions, the mixes celebrate storytelling without boundaries.

"Music is storytelling," says creator and writer Stacey Robinson. "Lyrics can capture a feeling, a memory, or a truth in the same way books can. I've always been fascinated by how songs from different genres and generations can convey the same message in entirely new ways."

Robinson credits concerts, DJs, and performing artists for continually inspiring her creative process.

"Live performances sharpen my listening ear," Robinson says. "Whether it's a DJ creating a set, or an artist performing on stage, there's the potential for a story unfolding in the music. The Flash Fiction Mix concept grew out of that love of listening and became another way for me to tell stories."

Robinson is also the author of the young adult novels Dancehall Rebel (2024) and Carnival Curves (2025), both published by James Lorimer & Company Ltd. These works are deeply rooted in music and culture, continuing her long-standing exploration of how culture, identity, and storytelling intersect across generations.

The Flash Fiction Mix series will continue to be shared across Kya Publishing's social media channels and can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/@KyaP_Stacey/shorts

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Kya Publishing extends gratitude to the DJs, musicians, performing artists, and independent videographers whose creativity inspires these mixes and helps bring culture and storytelling to evolving multimedia platforms.

Stacey Robinson's YA Novel "Carnival Curves" Recognized by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre

Kya Publishing is proud to celebrate exciting news for our founder, Stacey Robinson, whose young adult novel Carnival Curves has been named one of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s (CCBC) Best Books for Kids & Teens: Spring 2026.

Published in 2025 by James Lorimer & Company Ltd. (Toronto), Carnival Curves joins a national selection of Canadian books "recognized for literary excellence, strong storytelling, and meaningful appeal to young readers."

The Canadian Children’s Book Centre is widely recognized as a trusted resource for discovering outstanding Canadian literature for children and youth. Through its Best Books for Kids & Teens program, expert committees of educators, booksellers, and school and public librarians from across Canada carefully select titles that demonstrate excellence in writing and illustration while engaging young readers in meaningful ways. The organization is deeply committed to ensuring Canadian children and youth see themselves reflected in the stories they read, with equity, diversity, inclusion, and representation at the centre of its work.

For Stacey, this recognition highlights the importance of authentic storytelling that reflects the lived experiences, cultures, and identities of young people in Canada.

Carnival Curves is a joyful young adult novel about self-acceptance, friendship, and cultural tradition, following two best friends as they prepare to experience their first Toronto Caribbean Carnival during the final summer before graduation. As one teen from a Nigerian-Canadian family and the other a Jamaican-Canadian prepare costumes to dance in the Carnival parad
e, they navigate body image, relationships, identity, and the uncertainties of life beyond high school.

The recognition follows Stacey Robinson’s growing work in young adult fiction with James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers (Toronto), including Dancehall Rebel (2024) and Carnival Curves (2025); we are thrilled to celebrate the achievements of Kya’s founder and the continued impact of stories that centre diverse voices and experiences.

At Kya Publishing, we believe in the transformative power of stories that foster belonging, spark imagination, and reflect the richness of our communities. We are delighted to see Carnival Curves recognized among Canada’s best new books for young readers!

Kya Publishing Inc. Launches "Own Your Words": A Practical Publishing Guide for Creators

Your story is power, and the way you share it matters.

Kya Publishing Inc. has released Own Your Words, a practical publishing guide for creators and visionaries who are ready to take ownership of their voice, protect their creative control, and build something that lasts.

Designed for creators across disciplines, Own Your Words goes beyond traditional writing advice. Whether you are an artist, entrepreneur, storyteller, musician, DJ, creative professional, or someone with original ideas worth preserving, this guide offers practical insight into building a publishing path that reflects your vision and values.

In a time when creative ownership matters more than ever, Own Your Words encourages readers to think intentionally about how they share their work, shape their message, and leave a meaningful legacy.

“Your story is power, and the way you share it matters” is the foundation of this creator-first approach to publishing. Own Your Words is designed for those who want to:

• Own their voice and creative narrative
• Maintain creative control over their ideas and work
• Build a personal publishing path
• Preserve original thoughts, stories, and creative legacy
• Share meaningful work

Now available as a 66-page downloadable PDF, Own Your Words can be purchased for $9.99 CAD via kyapublishing.com.

Konnection Newsletter | Two Black Canadian YA Novels Released Today

 

View in Browser Greetings! Join us in celebrating the release of two powerful new young adult novels by Black Canadian authors Angelot Ndongmo and Kamilah Haywood. Both stories center Canadian teens navigating identity, belonging, relationships, and community in contemporary Toronto. Committed to championing Black voices in Canadian literature, we are so excited to share these books that reflect the richness, complexity, and diversity of Black Canadian experiences and ensure more young readers can see themselves represented on the page. Congratulations Angelot and Kamilah! Presented by James Lorimer & Company Ltd. (a Canadian publisher known for its long-standing commitment to accessible, socially relevant fiction for young readers that reflects the diversity of contemporary life), Between Classes by Angelot Ndongmo and Finding Family by Kamilah Haywood bring forward fresh, authentic voices that expand the landscape of Canadian teen literature. "Between Classes" by Angelot Ndongmo When eighteen-year-old Derell leaves Jamaica to live with his father in Toronto, he enters a world defined by privilege, status, and unspoken rules at an elite high school that feels nothing like home. Struggling to adjust, he finds connection with Amina, a gifted dancer who is herself caught between personal desire and family expectations tied to wealth and social standing. As romance develops, Derell becomes entangled in tensions with Malik, a flashy aspiring rapper who sees him as both rival and threat. Navigating culture shock, family complexity, and the pressure to belong, Derell must decide what—and who—he is willing to fight for in a world shaped by class and ambition. FOLLOW @BETWEENCLASSESBOOK ON INSTAGRAM "Finding Family" by Kamilah Haywood Eighteen-year-old Trey leaves behind rejection in the suburbs and begins a new life in Toronto’s Gay Village, searching for acceptance and a place to belong. As he adjusts to a new environment, he begins to explore his queer identity while forming new friendships and navigating the possibilities of romance. Through these experiences, Trey begins to understand that family is not only defined by blood, but also by the people who choose to see, support, and accept you. Set against the backdrop of Toronto’s LGBTQ+ community, Finding Family is a story of self-discovery, healing, and the search for chosen family. FOLLOW @FINDINGFAMILYBOOK ON INSTAGRAM "Own Your Words" by Kya Publishing Inc. Coming soon from Kya Publishing Inc., Own Your Words is a practical guide to publishing for creators, centered on the idea that your story is your power. It offers a clear blueprint for publishing with purpose, maintaining creative control, and owning your voice from start to finish. This guide breaks down how to build a publishing path while developing work that contributes to a lasting creative legacy. While grounded in publishing, Own Your Words is not only for writers, it’s for all content creators, artists, and visionaries who want to take ownership of their work and solidify their place in cultural and creative history. More Teen Novels from Lorimer Kids Explore more teen novels from Black Canadian authors Kevin Heron Jones, Eddie Kawooya, and Stacey Robinson, also published by Lorimer. All books are available from your favourite local and online booksellers, including Chapters Indigo, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon. Resources for Writers and Creators At Kya Publishing Inc., through books, services, essays, and archives, we support storytelling in many forms with professional guidance and ongoing cultural commentary on the Black Canadian and Caribbean diaspora. Whether you’re discovering new novels, seeking support for your own creative work, or exploring the essays and materials in our "Jamaican Canadian Zone" or "Carnival Spotlight" archives, Kya Publishing offers a space dedicated to amplifying diverse voices and preserving the stories that shape our communities. VISIT KYAPUBLISHING.COM We welcome literary news submissions from our Konnection community; if you have updates to share, please send them to konnection@kyapublishing.com, and we’ll be glad to feature you!