Kya Publishing Documents Toronto Caribbean Carnival Season to Encourage International Participation

TORONTO, ONT (April 2019) - Toronto-based communications and publishing company Kya Publishing will be chronicling the masquerade bands, costumes, events, and arts surrounding Toronto's annual Carnival, taking place this year on Saturday, August 3. The parade, the pinnacle of the season's festivities, has attracted millions of participants, both local and international over its 52 years of production and presentation in the diverse Ontario city.

"We enjoy participating in and endorsing this festival, as it has always been a staple of summer arts and activity in Toronto," said Kya Publishing founder Stacey Marie Robinson. "From the band launches to the registration process, we hope to always play a part in promoting this local enterprise by helping interested patrons locate a designer, band, and events to support."

Kya Publishing's 2014 novel "Carnival Spotlight" is based on the Toronto Carnival experience--the Carnival arts industry in Toronto continues to thrive, with a talented system of designers, administrators, makeup artists, DJs, dancers, event promoters, and musicians involved in keeping the industry energetic and profitable. Each year, the sponsoring entity behind the beloved celebration (still affectionately referred to as "Caribana") develops and supports a full schedule of summer activities to keep the city's Caribbean community and supporters engaged.

From the official launch, to public showcases, television appearances, concerts, and the anticipated start-of-season band launches, the event captivates Toronto's Caribbean arts crowd for the majority of the summer, leading up to parade day.

With a history of costume design, mas band administration, and communications over the years, Kya Publishing has been committed to Toronto's Carnival, its sustainability and community development.

"We love Carnival," said Robinson. "We love every aspect of this vibrant celebration, from the organizational side, to the stage show presentations. For this reason, we've dedicated one of our social media channels (@CarnivalSpotlight) to documenting and promoting the important stages along the way, and as a platform to support the community on an infrastructure level."

Dedicated to promoting Urban and Caribbean culture in Canada, Kya Publishing will continue to share the costumes and activities of the Carnival creators, as well as help to spread the word about the events and initiatives from the individual mas bands throughout the season. In addition to providing online/promotional support, Kya Publishing has also expanded their services to include Carnival-friendly items. A full list of services are listed online at KyaPublishing.com.

To connect directly with the various mas bands, please visit their individual websites for event and costume registration information:

Tribal Carnival
Toronto Revellers
Fantazia Carnival
Dream Carnival
Epic Carnival
Saldenah Carnival
Sunlime Mas
Carnival Nationz
Costume Creators
Venom Carnival
Atlantic Mas Toronto

Please note that Kya Publishing operates independently, and is not affiliated with or working in official representation of the Toronto Carnival organization.


To connect with Kya Publishing in regards to Carnival writing and administration services, please contact services@kyapublishing.com.

Kya Publishing Adds Musical Literacy to Services

TORONTO, ONT (January 2019) - Toronto-based communications and publishing company Kya Publishing has added Musical Literacy to their list of available services for 2019. Their 6-week course will teach students to read music and understand the basics of music theory.

The course will be available in person to students in the Scarborough/Toronto area, or delivered online via interactive video conference for one-hour sessions. Instruction will be personalized to the individual student, whether a child beginners or adult novice; all sessions will cover the same topics, based on the initial student assessment.

Concepts to be covered will include (but are not limited to) reading music, music history, understanding musical terminology, scales, rhythm, and the composition of the musical staff.

"Musical literacy is a great tool to have," said Kya Publishing founder, and music instructor Stacey Marie Robinson. "For instrumentalists, singers, DJs, performers, or music lovers, having an understanding of how to read music can be helpful and enhance your musical experience overall."

Registration is currently open via services@kyapublishing.com. The initial assessment is free, and can be conducted upon request.

Toronto Urban Book Expo to Return in the Spring of 2020

TORONTO, ONT (January 2019) - Kya Publishing's urban book fair, the Toronto Urban Book Expo, will return to the city in the Spring of 2020. The literary event, which began in 2014 in association with the Toronto Public Library, has since hosted nearly 100 independent and published writers, community organizations, and provided the opportunity for local book lovers to purchase original literature and meet with a range of authors from Toronto and across the U.S.

"We are committed to providing the best possible service for our participating writers as well as our book-loving patrons," said founder Stacey Marie Robinson. "Over the past five years we have collected data, feedback, recommendations, and aspirations from our participants, and are now dedicated to implementing improvements and brainstorming innovative ways to encourage literacy and increase independent book sales through the Book Expo."

While all writers are welcome to participate in the Toronto Urban Book Expo, the event culture and significance is its dedication to black writers and to telling "urban" stories rooted in the African- and Caribbean-Canadian (as well as African-American) experience. Highlighted books range in genre from Canadian Urban Fiction to African-American Fiction, Caribbean Fiction, Multicultural Literature, Motivational Texts, Autobiographies, and Diverse Children's Books.

"The best part about the Toronto Urban Book Expo thus far has been the connections made between writers and the community that has been built as a result," said Robinson. "Since our last edition in August of 2018, we have created an online List of Featured Authors for easy access to our previous Book Expo participants. We have also formed a Board of Directors."

The Toronto Urban Book Expo's Board of Directors (including Robinson, Jameel Davis, Angelot Ndongmo, Ancil London, Kamilah Haywood, Jeffrey Lee Cheatham II, Camille Ramnath, and Marsha Mohammed) has been meeting to ensure optimal benefit from the event going forward.

"We do this for the love of literature, and for the celebration and encouragement of literacy," said Robinson. "Our return in the Spring of 2020 will bring our book fair back to the city with new programming and an increase in partnerships to ensure that we can continue to support the writing community and the unique and important stories they are contributing to contemporary Canadian culture."

For information and updates about the Toronto Urban Book Expo, connect with Kya Publishing at tube@kyapublishing.com, via mailing list or social media, or visit the website for details.