tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36164089684933737442024-03-13T14:03:01.277-07:00The Journal of Canadian Urban FictionKya Publishing’s Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction highlights research in the field of urban fiction, and examines cultural and literary works from an urban perspective. Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-51378229107501918332018-11-20T11:32:00.003-08:002018-11-20T11:32:44.880-08:00JCUF VOL 5 NO 1 (2018) - FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS: Developing Romantic Relationships During Life's Transitions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtN87NNtwgOaxo94SwCz7zSXxl8qLTaTMSaipqGu8qILokq309vuxbljdagQeqJ48nFgt2nmYwRhOjiKlGZLLD1Ds3pRTKWJdkT2TFJtgYcYcI761qcC707kUQgDrs7LQzhER2TlW6Ll0/s1600/COVER+-+Friends+With+Benefits+copy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtN87NNtwgOaxo94SwCz7zSXxl8qLTaTMSaipqGu8qILokq309vuxbljdagQeqJ48nFgt2nmYwRhOjiKlGZLLD1Ds3pRTKWJdkT2TFJtgYcYcI761qcC707kUQgDrs7LQzhER2TlW6Ll0/s1600/COVER+-+Friends+With+Benefits+copy.gif" /></a></div>
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (1996) - Despite the title's implications, this is not a book about sexual promiscuity, a lack of virtuosity, or an erotic urban novel. This book was written while I was finishing high school, preparing to attend university at a time when the curiosity about the life and love of a "college woman" was increasing amongst my peers and I. What challenges would she face? How would she balance her romantic world with her academic life? Without the restrictions of parental regulations, with a later curfew, access to a vehicle and cash flow, how would life change from high school to college/university, and how would that affect things? How would her womanhood develop?<br />
<br />
The theme of this story quickly unfolded to be about the broader issue of self-love, about lifestyle choices, and how to develop and maintain romantic relationships. The idea of having options and being presented with potential partners, yet having the ability to choose a path was enticing. The process of having the character discover herself and understand her choices was liberating.<br />
<br />
THE GENERAL THEME OF "FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS": A young woman learning about relationships.<br />
<br />
THE SOCIAL THEME OF "FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS": Understanding the importance of making good relationship choices, during a transitional period of life.<br />
<br />
Dionne Codrington wrote an article about "Black Women Writing History" for a 2006 edition of The Link (Concordia University's student publication)--like most young Black girls, searching for self-identification in books at a young age was something that was attempted, but rarely fulfilled. Dionne mentioned how she felt when she first discovered a story about Harriet Tubman, and then with age, how she also became obsessed with writings from Frederick Douglass, James Baldwin, and Langston Hughes. She said that when she discovered Maya Angelou... "I knew I had finally come home."<br />
<br />
Home = Black womanhood. There is something powerful about seeing yourself, your flaws, and your strengths, reflected in print and or the media. Even the routine choices like boyfriends and college courses are strenuous, and of utmost importance to a young mind, but a relief to see as a a commonality.<br />
<br />
Dionne said, of Maya Angelou's writing: "Even though her portraits of Black women were not always gracious or glamorous, they were real." She continued to speak about reading Alice Walker's "The Color Purple," and how those words spoke to the heart of Black women, in particular. As a "young Montrealer of West Indian descent, far removed from their realities...I heard them. Reading their novels was a conversation among sisters."<br />
<br />
What I loved about Dionne's article was that she enjoyed reading the pain as well as the success. She learned from the stories of chaos as much as she learned from the stories of perseverance. In the character Michelle, from "Friends with Benefits," I hoped to create the every day Black female in Toronto, in her early twenties, navigating her way through college and hoping to discover personal victory at the end of her journey. I wanted her flaws, her choices, and her mistakes to be something readers could relate to. I also wanted her decisions and the related consequences to be something readers could learn from.<br />
<br />
Far from an erotic novel, the story "Friends with Benefits" carefully explores Michelle's sexuality as an important part of her character, the driving force behind her relationships, yet an obstacle in her daily processes. While writing characters' sexuality is not a strength or common feature in the novels of the Urban Toronto Tales, in this story I believed it to be an important enough element just based on the freedoms Michelle had, and the future she was trying to build for herself. She wanted the comfort and the attention. She craved the support system and oftentimes, this all came under the guise of sexual relationships with the three main suitors of the story.<br />
<br />
Richard (an academic athlete), Jeremy (an old fashioned gentleman), and Darnell (a hustler) represent the various directions she could take her passions, and inspiration from. While trying to finish her college program, she is also trying to find routine and consistency in these men, and try to maintain her self-respect, her personal pride, and also the approval of her parents who were quietly watching her navigate...and ready to pass judgement where they were able to intervene.<br />
<br />
In her article "Black Women Writing History," Dionne Codrington quotes professor Patricia Hill Collins, the chair of the department of African-African studies at the University of Cincinnati, who believes that "Efforts to control black women's sexuality lie at the heart of black woman's oppression." Dionne said that she worried about "who will tell our stories," and I had to agree. Again, in the pursuit of relatable texts and contemporary stories about real life in Urban Toronto, I felt that the character Michelle as a young, single, and upwardly mobile woman had a right to have her relationship story told. It wasn't a story of deep oppression, racial struggle, or feminist sociial pursuits...but it was a story about her heart, learning to love, learning to trust, and also exploring her sexuality through three secure--but different--male friendships.<br />
<br />
"We have moved from the stereotypes of the 19th century, but still have a long way to go," said Dionne. Indeed, this particular story of a Black woman only touches the surface of the social, political, and economic struggles Black females face (and have faced) in comparison to their counterparts of other races. As for this twenty-three year old college student, who she engages with, and the conversations she has, are of utmost importance to her world and who she is becoming. These encounters, these discussions, and these decisions will shape the way she interacts with the world, and the way the world views her as a result.<br />
<br />
I loved the opportunity to pursue love and understand relationships through the character of Michelle, and would hope that this book could serve as a cautionary tale, as well as an accurate reflection of emotion and circumstance for other young woman at a similar point in their lives who need to safely explore ideals and fictionalize the what-ifs without causing actual impact to their personal lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Written by Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's "Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction."Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-2035204503836304422018-10-30T15:52:00.000-07:002018-10-30T15:52:17.782-07:00JCUF VOL 5 NO 1 (2018) - FIRST YEAR: Seeking a "Black College" Experience in Canada through the University of Windsor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBNT__eOl0DbWiTUchnEosaHR8IAL-r_gWUn-PA4s_KwE6vTHWPaHfPINpan6DjEn-0d8090LjS_-_uOlbwRwRkdDV0PGu-6xP5B7JRHnzx89bkvkVkXek6VOHDtEl2Xb7lo2_ijZiFg/s1600/COVER+-+First+Year+copy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBNT__eOl0DbWiTUchnEosaHR8IAL-r_gWUn-PA4s_KwE6vTHWPaHfPINpan6DjEn-0d8090LjS_-_uOlbwRwRkdDV0PGu-6xP5B7JRHnzx89bkvkVkXek6VOHDtEl2Xb7lo2_ijZiFg/s1600/COVER+-+First+Year+copy.gif" /></a></div>
FIRST YEAR (1999) - Freshman year in college is always an intriguing concept for teens. Like many, at that age I watched the television program "A Different World" and marvelled at the Black college experience as a social paradise filled with culture shows, exciting relationships, and academic challenges. Higher education seemed glamourous, and the possibility of being placed in a similar situation like the campus of Hillman College was an amazing concept. Living in Toronto, the option of attending an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) wasn't there. Applying to Spellman University in Atlanta or Howard University in Washington, D.C. were pipe dreams for many of us. Factoring in international student fees, room and board, and applying for student visas were a big process for a Canadian teenager without a strong support system or knowledgeable foundation of the process. Submitting inquiries to other diverse-but-hip schools in the United States like UCLA in California, or Florida State University were possibilities, but not always practical.<br />
<br />
And then there was the University of Windsor. It appeared in event clips on Much Music ("The Nation's Music Station"), in exciting word-of-mouth tales of Sports Weekend, and in party flyers and adjacent teenage fantasies. It was possibly the closest thing we had in Ontario (or across Canada, for that matter) to an "all Black" college, and around the time that I attended this Southern Ontario university, it lived up to its hype in every way possible.<br />
<br />
The novel "First Year" was written during my second year of attendance at the University of Windsor, from 1998 to 1999 while I lived in Windsor, Ontario. Like the majority of Black students on campus, we had left our families and homes in Toronto to move into dorms, bungalows, and old apartment buildings on the lower-income side of town, in exchange for a great education, and even better extra-curriculars.<br />
<br />
It was fascinating. Taking students from Toronto, as far east as Oshawa and far west as Brampton, and integrating us with students from small Ontario farming towns, from other parts of the country, and occasionally a student from across the border in our sister city, Detroit, Michigan. The Black students from Toronto had the opportunity to reinvent themselves and explore current identities, hundreds of kilometres away from home. The infiltration of Americans, fundamentally different than the peers we were used to, added an interesting element and cultural contrast to our behaviours and customs. The social gatherings were intimate, but exhilarating. The campus clubs were the hub of activities and events, and the nationally revered "Sports Weekend" gave us the opportunity to invite our friends from back home to our school environment, and integrate comrades, fun, and freedom into a few days of cultural celebration. Sports Weekend was centred around Caribbean-centric fashion shows, talent shows, and parties. Lots (and lots) of well-attended parties with the top DJs from Toronto and occasionally a special guest performer. For example, during my first year in Windsor we had an exclusive performance from Toronto hip hop artist Kardinal Offishall. This was the era of the phenomenal Howard Homecoming weekend in D.C., and the infamous "Freaknik" in Atlanta...Sports Weekend was our Canadian version of the Black college extravaganza.<br />
<br />
As a teenager entering adulthood, moving away from home was a life-changing experience, as can be expected. There were lessons in independence, paired with academic expectations. There were career aspirations and life goals established, while old childhood friendships were expiring and new adult ones were brewing. It was a change in era, and a shift in reality. The book "First Year" was a fictional look at a University of Windsor-like institution called Essex University, and the drama, challenges, jubilation, and lessons in maturity that took place under these circumstances.<br />
<br />
THE GENERAL THEME OF "FIRST YEAR": A young couple seeking a cultural education and personal independence through a campus community experience<br />
<br />
THE SOCIAL THEME OF "FIRST YEAR": The introduction to independent living and future construction, for first year university students<br />
<br />
Urban fiction can be used as a guideline, a road map, and even as a cautionary tale for young adults preparing to enter post-secondary educational institutions. The importance of higher education is evident across races and across cultures, however, when highlighting specifically appealing elements of the experience, I believe there are elements outside of the classroom that will appeal more to some students than to others. Urban fiction can play a role in making the college experience appealing, by showcasing the day-to-day elements of interaction that can complement the learning experience.<br />
<br />
Whether it's a football team or a great music program, high-tech digital facilities, or environmentally-progressive practices, or maybe it's a strong cultural foundation. In the case of the fictional Essex University in Windsor, Ontario, the setting of the book "First Year," the draw to this campus environment was the social scene and the attendance of others. The main character, Michelle, has an older cousin as well as a childhood sweetheart that attend Essex U, when she finally decides to accept her admission and join them on campus, one semester into the term. A hesitant scholar, Michelle chooses to move away to attend school to be near her boyfriend and the social advances he is making on his own, and avoid the "fear of missing out" as he grows in life experiences, while she remained back in their hometown of Malvern, just east of Toronto.<br />
<br />
The Durham Technical Community College Library's website (in Durham, North Carolina) defines urban fiction as street literature that presents "realistic characters in realistic environments, often focusing on the characters' everyday lives and their relationships with other characters and their urban environment. This focus on realism makes the books easy for readers to understand and relate to or understand." In the definition is the appeal: the realism. The site goes on to define the genre by outlining that: "Not all street lit is based in the U.S., and it includes a variety of cultural, social, political, geographical, and economical aspects. Street lit set in New Orleans will differ greatly from that based in Tokyo, but they will have similar issues."<br />
<br />
Moving away to attend college/university is a process that is similar for all young people leaving home in that they are leaving their parents and oftentimes direct supervision, in an attempt to establish their independence and begin their career training, to build a foundation for their adult lives. This is consistent, however, just like the campus of an HBCU will differ from, say, a small Christian college in the American mid-west, the highlights of each environment will vary. Needless to say, when selecting a school to attend, most prospective students have an idea about the desired campus culture, social scene, and reputation in mind.<br />
<br />
In the case of Essex University, the reputation was that of a "party" school, popular with African- and Caribbean-Canadian students from across the province of Ontario. It was far away from the big city living of urban Toronto, yet so close geographically to the true urban experience of inner-city Detroit. The paradoxes between environments were exciting, and the unique blend of American and Canadian urban cultures made for vibrant social interaction and down-time exploration.<br />
<br />
"First Year" is a love story between high school sweethearts who are forced to mature and trust one another when their relationship and personal boundaries are tested in a new environment. It's a story of career aspirations, and making new friends. It's a story about college life, dorm life, and the balance between attending classes and maintaining a social life. It is what you would imagine any story about the freshman year of college to be about, written from a specific urban and Black Canadian lens.<br />
<br />
Urban fiction, as defined by the Durham Technical Community College Library, contains a few other specific characteristics, that can be found in the telling of this particular college campus story. These characteristics include: (1) fast-paced stories often including flashbacks with vivid descriptions of the urban environment; (2) the street itself as a place where action occurs, with young adult protagonists often in the age range of 19-25; (3) a focus on relationships, including surviving abuse, betrayal by friends, or perhaps plans to take revenge; (4) a focus on name-brand items or the accumulation of tangible wealth; (5) surviving street life and overcoming the street lifestyle.<br />
<br />
It was also noted that street lit can blend with other genres, and contain elements of romance, mystery, or even science fiction, while also covering gritty themes like drugs use, domestic violence, or stereotyped gender roles. Because the characters in this novel are college-aged, they are still figuring out their identity as Black Canadians, as first-generation West Indians, carrying on the Caribbean traditions of their parents, and also as scholars who have been removed from their home neighbourhoods and now placed in an industrial working-class town like Windsor to learn. So while the book resembles "street lit" in detail, it is taking the elements of the Toronto urban environment and lifestyle, and applying these habits and lessons to their new temporary home.<br />
<br />
Throughout the book, they re-visit Scarborough for holidays and school breaks, and there you find contrast and comparison between the campus life and the home life. The goal of "First Year" is to take the common urban fiction issues like drug usage, domestic violence, and "street life," and transfer them to the students on the campus. While the students are not aggressively from the streets, in that they are suffering from limited means or engaging in illicit activities, they are definitely coming from an urban locale, and are forced to challenge their beliefs and habits and upbringing in an environment that is otherwise supposed to nurture them into adulthood.<br />
<br />
A classic urban story, I believe that "First Year" presents in literature what A Different World or the fantasy of attending an HBCU may have presented in television or imagination: an up close look at the "Black" college experience, in an exciting and intriguing manner that reminds you that the experience is much more than just books and assignments, but that there is a greater element of cultural socializing taking place that will also determine the student's success and future movements. Covering the first year of this experience, it allows for the readers to take this snapshot for the specific moment that it is in a college student's life, in hopes that the remaining years of the degree program continue to be progressive, and aimed directly at their imagined success. It is a reminder that higher education has its challenges, but there are also enjoyable elements and important cultural aspects that are equally as crucial to manoeuvring and mastering the process at hand.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Written by Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's "Journal of Canadian Urban Fictoin."Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-10302649714495142792018-10-30T07:34:00.000-07:002018-10-30T09:42:12.635-07:00JCUF VOL 5 NO 1 (2018) - THE WAY WE USED TO BE: Cultural Short Stories About Being a Black Teenager in 1990s Toronto<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4bIArlGRF7uqoPPWVvauugRyrzN-wIrZTI7q2a8RicnlqozSojqUa2cGh8sw-LEwtFJYFXCRAtJDd9FcKnpGlPHoiI-vT2DrCHxr7aaHIzJ95wDPbRLPRfsMBVfQdrqsgKeYBQuipCQ/s1600/COVER+-+The+Way+We+Used+To+Be+copy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4bIArlGRF7uqoPPWVvauugRyrzN-wIrZTI7q2a8RicnlqozSojqUa2cGh8sw-LEwtFJYFXCRAtJDd9FcKnpGlPHoiI-vT2DrCHxr7aaHIzJ95wDPbRLPRfsMBVfQdrqsgKeYBQuipCQ/s1600/COVER+-+The+Way+We+Used+To+Be+copy.gif" /></a>THE WAY WE USED TO BE (1999) - This collection of short stories was written from approximately 1993 through 1997, while I was a high school student and had my eyes and ears open to the events, occurrences, and activities around me. From relationships to drug usage, teen pregnancy, coming of age, and peer pressures, I tried to explore all of the common topics through story. Some of the stories in this collection were written as English class assignments (like "Girlfriend"), while some were exploratory based on real-life scenarios around me. Others were cautionary tales, and some were exercises in fantasy and entertainment. Collectively, the pages of this book were a safe space for me to document what I believed to be the real lives of adolescents and teenagers in the Greater Toronto Area during the 90s. The technology, the terminology, and the mentality clearly articulate that not only were the words crafted by a teenager, but also that the ideals and circumstances were reflective of the time period.<br />
<br />
In the first edition of New Dawn, the OISE/UT publication released in the spring of 2006, editor Rinaldo Walcott outlined the importance of documenting Black Canadian life. He said: "As scholars, artists, and other interested parties, our task is to make sense of, to document, and to engage the terms, conditions and manifestations of Black Canadian life in its broadest possible sense. Since the slave narratives, Black diasporan peoples have been consciously aware of the political importance of documentation."<br />
<br />
The stories of "The Way We Used to Be" were written primarily for entertainment purposes, however, there was definitely an intrinsic need for the specifics of these experiences to exist in print. They felt important. They felt unique. They also felt necessary. There were moments in time that would pass, phrases that would be communicated, and occurrences that would take place that felt needed to be documented. According to author Donna Bailey nurse, the "seeds of contemporary Black literature were sown in the mid-sixties with the novels of Austin Clarke," which also ignited the "concomitant flowering of a self-consciously nationalistic Canadian literature." The seeds were planted in the 60s, however, there is still a need for the stories of Black Canadians to be recorded...in real time. The Canadian national identity changes with each generation, and even the smallest nuances are worth documenting.<br />
<br />
Donna Bailey Nurse was referenced in Leslie Sanders' review of her book "Revival: An Anthology of Black Canadian Writing." In the spring 2006 edition of New Dawn, Sanders pointed out that the "cultural expression of every group has its own richness and complexity." What may be a liberating and familiar story to one teen, may not resonate at all with another. This was the primary focus when the stories of "The Way We Used to Be" were being constructed, realizing that with this particular group of students and readers (Black Canadians, living in Toronto), the specific stories of their lives had yet to exist in literature.<br />
<br />
It was important to document these first-generation Caribbean-Canadian cultural stories, in an attempt to validate and amplify the emotions and daily occurrences, as well as to highlight the unique way in which Black teens experienced high school, in comparison to their counterparts of other backgrounds. In her review of Nurse's anthology, Sanders went on to say: "Born in struggle and adversity, courage and defiance, Black diasporic cultures continually challenge whatever place they inhabit, recognizing the provisional nature of their arrivals and belonging but recognizing, too, that their struggles against racism and oppression have profound resonance beyond themselves."<br />
<br />
THE SOCIAL THEMES OF "THE WAY WE USED TO BE":<br />
<br />
"Babymoms": Dawn gets pregnant at seventeen, in the midst of a tumultuous relationship<br />
<br />
"Bad Man": Lucas fights to save his reputation, surrounding rumours about his sexuality<br />
<br />
"Drink With Me": Mina experiments with drugs, in an attempt to impress her best friend<br />
<br />
"Girlfriend": Latisha's new boyfriend, a drug dealer, forces her to test her character<br />
<br />
"I Got It Like That": Trish vows to end her promiscuity, after making a new acquaintance<br />
<br />
"No Regret": Sara, while away at summer camp, tests her loyalty to her boyfriend Marcus<br />
<br />
"Rahim": Bria fears her boyfriend's new associates, unfamiliar with their lifestyle<br />
<br />
"Run Away": Perrine, a reclusive tomboy, encounters her first romantic relationship<br />
<br />
"The Ex": Malene's possessive ex-boyfriend causes an annoyance as she tries to move on<br />
<br />
"Tie The Knot": Shanita cheats on her boyfriend when presented with an exciting option<br />
<br />
"Tru Playa": Garfield, the school playboy, is challenged when enticed by an older woman<br />
<br />
<br />
THE GENERAL THEME OF "THE WAY WE USED TO BE": Cultural short stories about coming of age as a first generation Black/Caribbean-Canadian teenager in the 1990s, in the Greater Toronto Area<br />
<br />
Over the years, I feared the content was too trivial. I questioned whether or not the themes were still relevant. Logical doubts for any artist, but also inquiries of relevance as I hoped to create socially beneficial documents while also hoping for literary importance. Sherrod Tunstall wrote an article for the Webster Journal in February of 2012 questioning "Urban Literature: Is it Beneficial Reading?" where he also questioned whether or not urban fiction was "real" literature. Noting that the genre is as much defined by the race and culture of the characters, as well as by the city landscape, it is a common discussion amongst literary experts as to whether or not this underground genre is progressive...or simply novelty. Sherrod's conclusion: that the genre of urban fiction has helped a lot of children who live in urban cities to read more, instead of other less desirable activities like playing video games, or catching up in bad company.<br />
<br />
"As a 25-year-old Black, educated man, I find reading urban literature gives readers some insight on where the writer comes from, and what they went through in their own lives. Even the slang, sex, and profanity, it reveals some piece of their environment, while the character is trying to reach his or her goals..." Tunstall said. He continued to state: "These types of novels can be very educational, because they can tell you what's going on in your own backyard." Like many other young adult novels, the author's main focus is to help young people who may be going through what a character is going through. The difference with urban fiction: the language, the subject matter, and the overall culture may not be socially acceptable, or even deemed as potentially destructive in some instances.<br />
<br />
With adult novels: anything goes. With young adult books, you have to be more conscious about the direction you are leading the young mind in. For example, I remember that high school, for many, was a time of experimentation with the consumption and the distribution of recreational drugs and liquor. This is true to the 90s experience, as well as the contemporary one. Looking back at the text of "The Way We Used To Be" it is evident that underage drinking and marijuana smoking were common place. This will be of no surprise to any teenager, but yet many "harsh" realities are not often communicated in young adult literature for fear of the consequences.<br />
<br />
As an adolescent and teenager, I had the opportunity to consume young adult novels filled with pleasantries and difficulties of the heart and mind, but I seldom discovered books that really openly discussed teenage sexuality and other raw and inappropriate misdemeanors. As an adult, I doubt I would create texts with these themes, but as a teenager, it was natural for me to document what I witnessed around me, and what I heard about through social grapevines and word of mouth.<br />
<br />
What is now evident--but not intentional at the time of writing--was the impact of technology and communication on culture, and looking back you can see the difference in behaviour and interaction as a result of their limited options. This urban Toronto Black cultural status and state of mind is also achieved in the text by outlining what group membership consists of, what behaviours look like, and outlining the defined roles amongst the teens, the role conflict, and how these roles are interconnected. Also, looking at the historical traditions of the character's parents (as outlined in the 60s Black Canadian literature of Austin Clarke, for example), and how the contemporary counter cultures challenge them. Hopefully, this book can one day serve as a historical record of this particular moment in time, accurately reflecting the mood and cultural realities of this demographic.<br />
<br />
How does "The Way We Used To Be" differ from other young adult publications? It is my hope that the specific element of first-generation Black Canadian, urban Toronto culture is evident. Through language: the use of Caribbean-inspired phrases and pronunciations. Through norms: the predictable interactions, common rituals, and social stigmas experienced by the characters and their peers. Through shared values, beliefs, and ideologies: what the characters hold to be true, and why, and the conflicting or complimentary elements of their circumstances that they are striving to understand. Most importantly, as a social collective, I hope to explore the cultural values of the teen characters in these novels through their collectively produced symbols and the negotiation of their behaviours and standards. This will differ from urban Winnipeg, to urban Montreal, to urban Halifax. In the particular story, it is intrinsically Torontonian, and hopefully a clear and authentic record of the state of mind and state of culture during this period.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Written by Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's "Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction."Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-38471246250256973872018-10-21T17:00:00.000-07:002018-10-30T09:42:20.030-07:00JCUF VOL 5 NO 1 (2018) - I WISH I NEVER MET HIM: Courting, Relationships, and Commitment for Black Women in Toronto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTFtYxe3U4vhmgDRHlByic5zckKe04mWsyIZ51ifAfGf0sSDlCJbn6wlZvA_9umy00o6vCyGboEkvkK5GwuxpmW_WppV8oiENRBKtSeTRhEaSQ6GZPr_AUmhO-iwXoYrY7iz33AKrrts/s1600/IG+I+Wish+Palm+Trees+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTFtYxe3U4vhmgDRHlByic5zckKe04mWsyIZ51ifAfGf0sSDlCJbn6wlZvA_9umy00o6vCyGboEkvkK5GwuxpmW_WppV8oiENRBKtSeTRhEaSQ6GZPr_AUmhO-iwXoYrY7iz33AKrrts/s320/IG+I+Wish+Palm+Trees+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I WISH I NEVER MET HIM (2011) - It's important to pass on historical moments to the younger generations--this is an obvious fact. Stories of politics, technology, social systems, and traditions are easily discovered in textbooks and documentaries, and we're able to understand previous generations through these documented facts and events.<br />
<br />
Matters of the heart are individual, however, no less important. Relationships and navigating dating rituals are also entities that change with generations and within cultures. What might have been acceptable courting practices in the 60s in Jamaica, for example, may not be reasonable in Toronto in the 90s. Popular dating habits in Chicago in the 80s are definitely going to be different than dating in Ajax in the early 2000s.<br />
<br />
In this particular novel, I chose to explore relationships through a local cultural lens: dating in urban Toronto from the 90s until the early 2000s, and what that might commonly look like. Using the main protagonist as the constant, she reflects on her past dating experiences from her first encounter up until what may be her final commitment.<br />
<br />
Stories of inter-personal relationships are important, especially when communicating lessons of cultural values and standards to the next generation. I wanted to capture the anecdotes, and the common occurrences, the choices presented at various stages of dating, as well as the consequences of situations. Heterosexual relationships were explored through the main character Renee, as well as homosexual relationships with Renee's best friend and first cousin, Vanessa, in her love life.<br />
<br />
THE GENERAL THEME OF "I WISH I NEVER MET HIM": A young woman chronicling relationship advice and personal experiences through journaling.<br />
<br />
THE SOCIAL THEME OF "I WISH I NEVER MET HIM": A cultural look at dating in urban Toronto, from a Black female perspective.<br />
<br />
Toronto is home to the largest group of Canadian-born and Caribbean-born Blacks in Canada, yet ethnic diversity in literature hasn't adequately focused on the African-Canadian or African-Caribbean experience, according to Amoaba Gooden, in "Community Organizing by African Caribbean People in Toronto, Ontario." In this Journal of Black Studies article, published in 2008 in the third edition of Volume 38, Gooden outlines the social groups constructed over the years to provide social comfort, activities, and camaraderie. From the Canadian Negro Woman's Association of 1967, to the student groups at York University, University of Toronto, and Ryerson in the late 60s and 70s, community organizations have historically been a common method of uniting, building relationships, and sharing experiences.<br />
<br />
These social clubs and self-help organizations often struggled to maintain a long-term presence, however they have remained a vital part of publicly uniting on a social commonality. One of the most public of these organizations was the Caribbean Cultural Committee, the founders of the parade formerly known as "Caribana." Despite the need for Black groups to gather to foster cultural community in Canada, Gooden notes that literature tends to focus on the experiences of other ethnic communities like the Italians, Greeks, and Chinese. While their journeys are well documented as Canadian immigrants, there still remains untold stories of the day-to-day activities of Black Torontonians, and a thorough documentation of their social progress over the years.<br />
<br />
The representation is scarce, and Andrea Davis believes this is because "Blackness" has no national relevance in Canada. In her article "We have historically been Rooted in/routed to this place, and we are here to stay: women's voices in Black Canadian literature" (New Dawn, 2006), she indicates that this is why there is difficulty and slowness in articulating a Black Canadian literature.<br />
<br />
As with most issues of "Blackness" in Canada, we look to our American neighbours for examples and research. In the U.S., their literature is also used to represent their position. The ownership of this position, Davis indicates, "demands the negotiation of an intensively conflictural relationship between African-diasporic writers and the region or nation(s) they claim to represent." The conflict exists because while the literature is forced to represent the national Black consciousness, it is also required to critique it.<br />
<br />
"The works of Black women writers in Canada offer us, perhaps, the most critical tools in the reconceptualization of what constitutes a Black Canadian literature, and in the articulation of (an)other kind of Canadianness that can account for both multiple Black and multiple Canadian identities," according to Davis.<br />
<br />
She believes that most of the Black women writing in Canada represent multiple diasporic identities, and must understand that their work is part of a shared literary tradition. She says: "In Canada, where many Black women writers are of Caribbean or African descent twice or three times diasporized--the acts of boundary crossing are multiple and necessary, transgressing not just geography, but also nationality, ethnicity, genre, race, and sexuality."<br />
<br />
Issues of geography, nationality, ethnicity, gender, and race are easily quantified and studied. These are usually characteristics that can be understood and analyzed. When it comes to exploring sexuality and interpersonal relationships, however, from a Black female lens, this of course will be more subjective. That being said: Where can women go to hear their voices in this regard?" How can the Black women who reside in Canada, and want to explore their sexuality in the context of their history and surroundings, do so formally, much like other cultures can by accessing tools and narratives?<br />
<br />
"I Wish I Never Met Him" is an attempt at rooting the Black Canadian female, in a Toronto-specific context, in a few difference spaces and times. Rather than having to explain, or compare and contrast the Black courting experience, this story is a look at one particular woman's fictional journey and what that looks like in the context of her location, ethnicity, and other defining characteristics.<br />
<br />
At the root of this story: a Black woman falling in love, and figuring out what love means to her. I hope that the scenarios are familiar for those who have walked similar paths, and are currently navigating similar thoughts as a part of life in Toronto. From being courted at the Eaton Centre as a young teenager, to meeting potential mates at various events in the city. It is my hope that the language, the processes, the conversations, the dating activities, and even the mentalities are familiar, and that Black females (or other readers) can recognize and appreciate the authentic experience fictionalized in the text, as well as use the circumstances to help navigate future experiences.<br />
<br />
By documenting the otherwise mundane, this book is meant to chronicle the courting activities and make it a part of a common social history for Black Canadians, and their experiences during this particular generation. I imagine that the experiences configured through stories, observation, and speculation may differ quite a bit with the advent of various technologies and levels of communication and connectivity, in the Black culture and global culture. But during the span of Renee's specific Black female experience, this is how she dated, how she explored her sexuality, how she learned about her personal boundaries with men and relationships, and inevitably how she blossomed as a woman and found a way to understand love. Hopefully there is value in connecting these matters of the heart, through a familiar (or at least entertaining, and informative) fictional voice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Written by Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction.Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-67492379662956539242018-10-18T16:18:00.000-07:002018-10-21T09:30:41.823-07:00JCUF VOL 5 NO 1 (2018) - EIGHTEEN: Writing the Black Canadian Childhood Experience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0qUNrHK8PMbPU7LPwn0itrgPliGe4A64_Dqjy7AQQFMnRj6JsjMc0OhYgad8SHy5G98obo6uLDvH1rvs4BjgphRQmrXCoy-4ylVYIBWCrPQVdNRl2bZ1absT5gX2NHLkJU1ECb6mjh8/s1600/COVER+-+Eighteen+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0qUNrHK8PMbPU7LPwn0itrgPliGe4A64_Dqjy7AQQFMnRj6JsjMc0OhYgad8SHy5G98obo6uLDvH1rvs4BjgphRQmrXCoy-4ylVYIBWCrPQVdNRl2bZ1absT5gX2NHLkJU1ECb6mjh8/s200/COVER+-+Eighteen+copy.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
EIGHTEEN (1993) - I have mixed emotions about this novel. It is the longest book I have ever written, and the one that I put the most time into. I started composing "Eighteen" when I was ten years old, on lined paper, with pencil, in a baby blue Finder Binder. I still have that binder, and I still have the character charts, the graphs, and the hand-written architecture of fantasy planning that I engaged in night after night. I eventually graduated onto a word processor, and finally a desktop computer. I transferred the text meticulously, and never lost a word in technical transition.<br />
<br />
Looking back, it was definitely an exercise in narrative assumption, as I took the lives of adolescent bi-racial triplets (their mother was Scottish, their father hailed from Ghana) and tried to project their experiences with identity, school, family, relationships, and growing up...through story. This was my one of my favourite hobbies. This was my entertainment.<br />
<br />
What "Eighteen" lacks in actual structure (at 294 pages long, it covers a span of 5 years of the characters' lives through first-person narrative from each of the three main characters), it makes up for in cultural accuracy through adolescent fodder. I'm somewhat embarrassed to share the immature aspirations of my childhood with a public audience, but always a little nostalgic when I remember how completely legitimate the storylines and character arcs were to me at that time.<br />
<br />
This story represents what I thought life would and should be like; I was able to humour myself for hours and hours on end designing and plotting the hijinks of the Osei triplets and their jovial web of multicultural friendships over their adolescent and teenage years. Until they turned eighteen.<br />
<br />
When I actually entered high school and was faced with a new social reality and constructive creative tools through excellent English classes and keyboard training, the novel came to an end and a new era of shorter stories and controlled structure began. Over the years, "Eighteen" has been edited for grammar and formatting, but I have left the thoughts, the dialogue, and the intention as pure as possible for authenticity sake. It reads and remains in the late 80's and early 90's, and reflects the realities of a young Canadian at that exact moment in time.<br />
<br />
THE GENERAL THEME OF "EIGHTEEN": Siblings coming of age and redefining their identities and friendships as they transition between schools and living environments.<br />
<br />
THE SOCIAL THEME OF "EIGHTEEN": Canadian adolescents learning to navigate culture, identity, and related social expectations and norms.<br />
<br />
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) published an article on the "Narrative Significations of Contemporary Black Girlhood" in 2010 that reminded me of my journey writing, and understanding the book "Eighteen." While finding books now with young Black characters and a multicultural array of friends is commonplace, looking back to the late 80's when my novel was initially conceived, that definitely wasn't the case. The NCTE authors outlined how there were only a "small yet noteworthy number of young adult African-American narratives that have undergone school-sanctioned literary canonization." Therefore, young Black girls (like myself, in 1988 when I began writing "Eighteen") would seldom encounter racially relatable characters in my Canadian classroom, let alone in a similar American classroom. To be an African-American at that time was to at least be partially acknowledged in media. To be a Black-Canadian, it was a reach just to find the American references!<br />
<br />
Those images that did exist outside of the neighbourhood, family, or classroom, were of older Black men and women, often objectified, and/or frequently perpetuated negative stereotypes, according to the authors. From the onset of adolescence [and womanhood], Black children would have to form their identities without literature or positive media to counteract or explain the influence of common exposures to "risk and stress, and changes within a range of contexts such as school, and family." Cultural values were in development at this time, along with figuring out relationships...and schooling of course. The conclusion: that positive, cutting-edge portrayals of expression and identity formation for Black girls (in this particular assessment) were rare, but necessary. They needed these images. They needed something to round out their development, and did not have enough tools to reach for.<br />
<br />
The NCTE article goes on to look at discussions from the 80's about Black females in rap videos, and the Black female experience in general, as "situated within multiple intersecting oppressions (racism, classism, sexism) along with growing tension and victimization". These were the most publicly obvious examples at the time, and the subject of many controversial debates. In the study, the writings of Sharon Flake, Rita Williams-Garcia, Nikki Grimes, and Jacqueline Woodson were analyzed. Black female protagonists in urban settings were observed through their decisions-making abilities, and situational depictions of their demographic. The study found that kinship identity was of utmost importance, as were relationships with boys, sexuality, etc. In these stories, "urban girls came to life," they were multi-layered, and spoke to the Black girls' human experience.<br />
<br />
Before the late 90's era of urban fiction where Black females could see realistic representations of themselves in books, they were forced to compromise by investing in the lives of white characters, and projecting their own wishes and assumptions through fantasies. Looking at the progression of the novel "Eighteen," I can now see how even as the characters came of age, their access to cultural artefacts increased and their opinions on beauty, on acceptance, and their career goals changed with their ability to define themselves. Essentially, this novel served as my own discussion of Black Canadian childhood, and interpreted life as a Black Canadian adolescent, in the absence of reflective texts, programming, and media.<br />
<br />
The NCTE article took a look at the above-mentioned authors and the ways in which they took the time to understand the Black girl's experience and what it meant for the girls who were able to access these books as entertainment, and also as tools for growth.<br />
<br />
In the November 3, 2011 edition of The Guardian, Carlene Thomas-Bailey wrote that urban fiction author Teri Woods (who independently sold over 300,000 copies of her bestselling novel "True to the Game") said that many young Black women continually give her credit for their interest in reading. Woods told Bailey: "I have a lot of young women approach me and say that other that school books, this is the first thing they read cover to cover."<br />
<br />
Teri Woods, and other emerging urban fiction writers in the 90s, noted that their books became popular because they reflected the reality of the Black experience, and that readers could identify themselves with the characters and specifically relate to their stories.<br />
<br />
Authenticity is key, when it comes to urban fiction. Thomas-Bailey's article "Is Urban Fiction Defined by Its Subject--Or the Skin Color Of It's Author" noted that publishing companies have books presented to them that speak very differently to very different audiences for a reason. When urban fiction re-emerged in the late 90's, it was an era when Black authors were choosing to speak specifically to Black audiences, and the "content was shedding light on people who were, for many years, swept under the rug." Teri Woods described: "[Urban fiction is] showing you its world. It's giving you the whole lifestyle. If you want to sweep that exposure under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist, then that is not going to fix this problem."<br />
<br />
While African-American authors and musicians were gaining underground momentum, as well as mainstream exposure for telling their cultural stories through hip-hop and urban fiction (aka "hip hop literature"), in Canada the Black experience was not as widely communicated or accessible. In Cheryl Thompson's 2007 Master's thesis "Situating Hybridity and Searching for Authenticity in Canadian Hip-Hop: How do we 'keep it real?' " she concluded that with the status of hip-hop in Canada at the time, the genre's dominant themes were actually "centred on the lack of definition of the Black, White, and Native Canadian identity, ownership, and how corporate annexation impedes the genre's ability to transcend."<br />
<br />
Dionne Codrington, also navigating her Black female Canadianess through literature noted: "It was only when I read Maya Angelou, however, that I knew I had finally come home," in Concordia University's student publication, The Link, in her 2007 article "Black Women Writing History." With Angelou: "Even thought her portraits of Black women were not always gracious or glamorous, they were real..." continuing to say that "I was a young Montrealer of West Indian descent, far removed from their realities, but I heard them. Reading their novels was a conversation among sisters."<br />
<br />
I can relate to the confessions of Black women from the U.S. and also here in Canada, expressing their love for reading, but the lack of recognition in books. Their appreciation for literature, but their longing for familiarity. So although I now scoff at the amateur construction and naive ideals of my young adult novel "Eighteen," I can also clearly recognize that its innocent composition was an exercise in necessity and survival. An eager reader, regularly tearing through Sweet Valley High, V.C. Andrews, Nancy Drew, Babysitter's Club, and the other popular texts for young girls of my era, I was thirsty for familiarity and had to call on my own creativity to fulfil that need.<br />
<br />
Vanessa Irvin Morris wrote in the University of Pennsylvania's "Scholarly Commons" that urban public librarians were empowered by reading urban fiction, and discovering what their students and patrons read as part of their identity. Reading texts like "Eighteen" helped the librarians as they unpacked, questioned, and transformed their perceptions towards their library patrons, as well as how they began to modify their approaches to professional practice in the library such that they were more invested and involved in community life.<br />
<br />
"I learned how to more gently regard my students' reading habits and effectively apply them to my pedagogical practices in the classroom as a means to encourage pre-service librarians to be active readers of what the patrons read as part of their professional identity," said Morris. Her study was created to understand what could happen when librarians read what the young folks were reading, as a form of "practitioner inquiry to inform their professional practices."<br />
<br />
For librarians and teachers, urban fiction texts like "Eighteen" can be an example of transformative tools, as well as identity-forming guidelines for students. Marcelle Haddix and Detra Price-Dennis in the English Education journal, published by the National Council of Teachers of English (Volume 45, Number 3 in April of 2013) also noted that similar texts can prepare educators from a diversity perspective for critical encounters with literature, to help shape the learning of students.<br />
<br />
The authors noted that written works depicting Black children were helpful, in: acknowledging multiple world views, honouring diverse backgrounds and student histories, and responding to racist ideologies and structures. They stated: "Critical encounters with literature can shape their learning," and that appropriate stories need to be selected to help students "interrogate interplay between race, gender, sexuality, class, language, and to examine how this interplay affects the lives of adolescent learners."<br />
<br />
Students have shown to enjoy the non-standard use of language, familiar "slang," and references to real cities and neighbourhoods, in urban fiction. These texts help students to better understand how their personal histories can influence texts, and also provide "cautionary" tales to young readers, where necessary. Most importantly, the humanizing power of literature was acknowledged and how much it means for self-esteem and identity formation.<br />
<br />
As a young writer, I attempted to form social reality through literature, and understand identity through a range of characters. I didn't have culturally-specific texts to rely on during the years 1988 and 1993 when I was writing, planning, restructuring, and projecting into the characters of "Eighteen." There were a few multi-racial television shows, and occasionally African-American characters in books, but it was the existence of Afia, Naki, and Kwame Osei (the triplets) that made me feel like I wasn't alone as a young Black girl, and that somewhere out there in Toronto there were similar kids doing similar things, and learning practical lessons about life. I learned through them, and through my imagination, as best I could. Looking back I realize that this story is probably more important to me, personally, than it will ever be to any other reader.<br />
<br />
The technology in the text of "Eighteen" is outdated, the music, the practices, and even the city has changed since then. But what remains consistent is the need for self-reflection that other Black Canadian children are most likely experiencing, and the hope that there continues to be enough content and progressive narratives available for them. They deserve to feel confident, valued, and seen...and feel that their experiences are as normalized as possible, to help them get through the most confusing and internally challenging years of their young lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Written by Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction.Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-87438482671451026472018-10-07T06:23:00.001-07:002018-10-07T06:23:51.385-07:00JCUF VOL 5 NO 1 (2018) - CARNIVAL SPOTLIGHT: Exploring Caribbean Carnival's Relevance and Social Implications in Toronto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNilnNeF8XdcQdMQLEND__T7EPbGzY3N8fcKK4gOV1O0XAzRx5bApiAPtNy9RfWbLjKzqZHb_Q1UEoWhccp6AN5Yhiu1yYS77eKDbRv_M-cR_s2TgAe1x-tbvk38fbWmbFZJ8KWgcvor8/s1600/A+CARNIVAL+NOVEL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNilnNeF8XdcQdMQLEND__T7EPbGzY3N8fcKK4gOV1O0XAzRx5bApiAPtNy9RfWbLjKzqZHb_Q1UEoWhccp6AN5Yhiu1yYS77eKDbRv_M-cR_s2TgAe1x-tbvk38fbWmbFZJ8KWgcvor8/s320/A+CARNIVAL+NOVEL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
CARNIVAL SPOTLIGHT (2014) - I wrote this book as a follow up to "Video Light" and the lives of the main characters Delia and Ryan Wright. An admirer of Sister Souljah's writing, I truly appreciated how she would take various characters from her books, and develop them independently at another space in time. I loved the way that readers had the opportunity to follow up with characters later in life, and continue the fictional journey with them in another book. In writing "Carnival Spotlight" I wanted to explore Delia and Ryan's relationship and whether or not it was capable of evolving.<br />
<br />
In 2014, I was also knee-deep in the production and administration of Toronto's Caribbean Carnival with one of the city's larger masquerade bands, and I would often observe the social aspects of mas making and marvel at how unique and niche the experience really was. Participating in Toronto Carnival as a spectator or reveller was one thing, but to live the daily behind-the-costumes routine at the mas camp and band level was an entirely different ordeal.<br />
<br />
My understanding of the passion behind the Caribbean Carnival phenomenon was on high alert, and my curiousity for the implications of being so closely tied to this world was also elevated. I began to realize that my perceptions of the culture, the carnival itself, and its participants was in extreme contrast to the views and ideals of those who were only familiar with the carnival as yet another Toronto event. While I vehemently justified my use of time, finances, and creativity through mas...others questioned the relevance. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take Delia and Ryan, walk them into a mas band and see what happened.<br />
<br />
Through the lens of an outsider--a Jamaican one, at that--I used this novel as a tool to explore how someone without any interaction with the inner-workings of mas would take on the experience. My protagonist, Delia Chinn aka Delia Wright (someone who was decidedly Jamaican-centric in her lifestyle and experience) was lured into the world of Trinidadian-focused music and culture.<br />
<br />
THE GENERAL THEME OF "CARNIVAL SPOTLIGHT": An aging dancer regaining her self-esteem through music and culture.<br />
<br />
THE SOCIAL THEME OF "CARNIVAL SPOTLIGHT" : Exploring Caribbean Carnival's Relevance and Social Implications in Toronto<br />
<br />
I came across an article by Melanie U. Pooch, from the 2016 book "DiverCity--Global Cities as a Literary Phenomenon: Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles in a Globalizing Age" and her take on the Dionne Brand story: "Toronto, What We All Long For." As a global city, Toronto is so multicultural in nature, one would think that the social and cultural expectations between Caribbean-Canadians of Jamaican and Trinidadian backgrounds couldn't be that different.<br />
<br />
Pooch's analysis called Toronto an immigrant city and a role model of social integration. It was the 1976 Immigration Act that served as the catalyst to bring families together again in a new land, boost the Canadian economy, and support the various diasporas as a result. In particular, looking at the Asian and Caribbean immigrants, the author noted that Toronto's cultural industry was key to the economic success of the city.<br />
<br />
Brand's book was noted as a translation of Toronto that "negotiates between the different worlds within a society." Listing code-switching, counter-geographies, and the gaps between immigrant generations as issues brought up through Brand's fiction, I felt as though "What We All Long For" had a few similarities with my intentions when writing "Carnival Spotlight."<br />
<br />
I, too, wanted to highlight the voice of the city's ethnic diversities, specifically between the various island communities. I also wanted to profile African-Canadian vernacular, and perform the "many lingos multi-ethnic Toronto performs." To tell a story of Toronto is to acknowledge that while we all share the city, that our ethnicities by nature make it a location that is filled with many, many sub-cultures, native values, and social objectives at times.<br />
<br />
Melanie U. Pooch mentioned that Dionne Brand's novel was a "zone of contact" in which different languages, cultures, and ideologies intersected. With the immigrant children born in Toronto constantly "translating the city's culture to their parents," it seemed as though even within similar cultures, there were still additional levels of understanding and reality to explore.<br />
<br />
While "Carnival Spotlight" specifically looks at the Caribbean Carnival experience from a Jamaican-Canadian lens, intersecting with a Trinidadian-Canadian focused environment, it does also touch briefly on the ways in which other nationalities also have found a space within the Caribbean celebration, by nature of just being a Torontonian. There is nothing spectacular about this, but the hyper-awareness of the character Ryan (who is also an historian) can't help but notice the ways in which his personal Jamaican upbringing is again in conflict with the Jamaican upbringing of his wife (central to the theme of "Video Light"), and the Caribbean-Canadian folks that she introduces into their lives through carnival.<br />
<br />
A crucial voice in Black/Caribbean-Canadian literature, Brand's view of Toronto and "the experience of Blacks in Canada as oscillating between invisibility and hyper-visibility" is communicated in print in a way that one would almost have to experience first-hand to understand the subtleties and nuances.<br />
<br />
While I respect the creativity and writing processes that allow for writers everywhere to transport and place themselves into spaces and races that are not natural to them, I also strongly believe that there is something to be said for writing specifically about an experience, a culture, and a phenomenon that is directly witnessed from one's own place within the culture. Brand's view of African-Canadian life is honest, because it is real. Not necessarily autobiographical, but still culturally authentic.<br />
<br />
Spending years and countless hours engulfed in the Caribbean Carnival culture and related surroundings, I had to carefully compose this novel to ensure that I was being as objective as possible, while still being true to the experience, the joys, the passions, and the elements of the story that were not necessarily related to "carnival" per se, but just a result of human nature. I believe that it was my position within the carnival environment that allowed me to observe and understand particular occurrences, traditions, and activities. I also believe that it was my position as a Jamaican-Canadian with no familial ties to "carnival" that allowed me to witness the carnival culture also as an outsider, putting the pieces together and participating wholeheartedly as best as I could from my own limited viewpoint.<br />
<br />
My conclusion: that carnival in Toronto is obviously a different phenomenon than Carnival in Trinidad, Carnival in Jamaica, or even Carnival in Ottawa, Ontario or Edmonton, Alberta. I recognize that living in Toronto puts us in a constant position of navigating various cultural lifestyles, traditions, and circumstances that I believe is a great skill that we can expertly transfer no matter where in the world we travel. A true Torontonian is comfortable around Asians, South Asians, Europeans, or those of African descent. It's just how we live, by default. We can recognize the dialects, distinguish between Indian curry and Jamaican curry, and we can often take for granted just how diverse our daily interactions are.<br />
<br />
What does that say about Toronto's Carnival as it happens in this particular book? I let the various characters genuinely speak from their cultural experiences, and I believe the end result that Delia was true to her soul as a dancer, and Ryan was true to his as an academic. The other players in the novel were also true to their origins, their histories, and their positions within Toronto's Carnival hierarchy. As a mother. An expert. A superstar. A performer. All of the individuals in this fictional carnival environment navigated the social experience through their role, as well as their ethnicity. It is my hope that these characters authentically developed as a result of this particular summer in the city, and that readers can empathize with their positions, understanding the effect that this event has on a range of cultures, integrating with their lives from various points of contact within the city of Toronto.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Written by Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's "Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction."Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-81121657260155400142018-10-04T10:34:00.000-07:002018-10-04T10:34:29.664-07:00JCUF VOL 5 NO 1 (2018) - The Value of Kya Publishing's "Urban Toronto Tales" Collection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUFRxbgrdMIVseOc2Ofh8xJEreJ5-GPWdhr3wbcCVrvHydt13DmuhylUajT_CFEOW7V39Jf5xxYTBHkwaE-b8Y0du55oTAOna9BKB8YRfzm-RkQxpfoI3fTnX_wSFBi-35vQyhVwtFak/s1600/JCUF+-+Urban+Toronto+Tales+Edition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUFRxbgrdMIVseOc2Ofh8xJEreJ5-GPWdhr3wbcCVrvHydt13DmuhylUajT_CFEOW7V39Jf5xxYTBHkwaE-b8Y0du55oTAOna9BKB8YRfzm-RkQxpfoI3fTnX_wSFBi-35vQyhVwtFak/s320/JCUF+-+Urban+Toronto+Tales+Edition.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It's been 26 years, and I continue to write and endorse my "<a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/books.html" target="_blank">Urban Toronto Tales</a>" novel and short story collection with the eager enthusiasm of my 14-year-old self, and the dedicated ambition of my 40-year-old self. Self-published out of necessity, these books are written in real-time as I have come of age in the urban locale of Toronto (by way of Ajax and Windsor, Ontario). It's been 26 years, but I still feel the need to defend, justify, and validate the Urban Fiction that has been curated from the depths of my soul.<br />
<br />
I often doubt my literary prowess. I question my artistic merit. I lament that I will most likely never win a Giller, Roger's Trust, or [insert-Black-woman-of-Toronto-award-here] based on my creative abilities. I don't have any best seller lists to brag about or really any other accolades of merit to boast. I went from submitting query letters and manuscript samples to the great publishing houses of North America with 100% confidence...to creating "<a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/" target="_blank">Kya Publishing</a>" as a personal vehicle of expression and hope.<br />
<br />
It's been 26 years, and I continue to write and endorse my "<a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/books.html" target="_blank">Urban Toronto Tales</a>" collection, because I truly believe that somewhere in the adolescent fantasies and young adult realities are a truth about growing up Black in Toronto that means something to someone. Even if that someone is the 12-year-old version of me who would have LOVED to stumble upon a collection like this to work through issues of identity, belongingness, Blackness, Canadian-ness, and womanhood. Even if that someone is a teenage version of me, who would have benefited from reading about other teenagers living in the Durham Region and navigating this diverse and dynamic city from east to west. Even if that someone was an adult me, experimenting with career options, relationships, and friendships, and looking for a Caribbean-Canadian reflection of a similar experience somewhere. Anywhere.<br />
<br />
I'm currently finalizing my tenth novel, even though I have yet to verify if the first nine had any tangible impact...anywhere. I'm clinging to the classification of "Urban Fiction" because I've seen the research indicating that this form of writing really helps young people with literacy and developing positive, lasting reading habits. I have accepted that my position within the Canadian literary landscape might just have to remain one of reclusivity and obscurity, but I so believe in the underlying messaging and intent of these novels that I will continue to produce, and publish, and write, and share them, as long as I am able to construct the fictional characters in my mind.<br />
<br />
Like most writers, my books are an exercise in fantasy, psychology, sociology, and history. Fantasy, because I'm able to take fictional people and hypothetical scenarios and see what happens when you add particular elements together. Like a social experience, the narratives allow me to play with factors that I can't adjust in real life, but still allows me to exercise the outcomes, the conversations, and the predicaments that may occurs as a result.<br />
<br />
The psychological and sociological elements come with the human interaction, primarily. The majority of the "<a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/books.html" target="_blank">Urban Toronto Tales</a>" have a focus on relationships and friendships. Without getting into the areas of mystery, science fiction, thriller, or crime, these novels and short stories stay on the fringes of romance and explore relationships from a variety of angles and personalities.<br />
<br />
The elements of personal change and growth, and pursuing these lanes from various perspectives are entertaining, and at times challenging when forced to ensure that the processes and outcomes are realistic and authentic to the time and space they exist within.<br />
<br />
I view these books a historical reference, because 26 years from now, I may not be able to remember the feeling, culture, mood, language and trends of this moment...but I do want them to exist and live on. "This moment" has occurred steadily for me from I wrote my first novel in 1992 ("<a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/books.html" target="_blank">Eighteen</a>"), up until the present time where I am finishing my tenth novel "Bonafide Toronto Love."<br />
<br />
Each book is written from the perspective of a character that is exactly my age at press time, so I can specifically relate the trends, the life cycle, and the priorities according to the exact moment in time, from an individual at a specific age. While writing outside of your personal demographic is a key challenge of writing, perhaps it is a skill I am too stubborn to develop, to transport myself into another age or city. On a biographical level, I do like to use my books as cultural reference as to what was hot and common at any particular moment in time, and know that it is authentic.<br />
<br />
I love to read the vernacular used in my high school books, like "<a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/books.html" target="_blank">The Way We Used to Be</a>." It entertains me! It's nostalgic for me to remember the issues and thought processes of adolescent girls, when I re-read "<a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/books.html" target="_blank">Eighteen</a>." With the more recent novels, it's still interesting to see the thought processes and happenings of my characters in the present time...while I am still living in this time.<br />
<br />
Self-serving? Possibly! Irrelevant? To some. Necessary? I believe so.<br />
<br />
There is a part of me that can not stop writing, no matter how much I realize that my writing isn't receiving the attention or merit that most authors dream of. I've passed that moment as an artist, where the validation and acceptance is my primary goal. I'm at the point where I simply want my writing to exist in historical context, and mention matters that were important, scenes that were entertaining, and cultural phenomena that were really, really crucial to someone. Even if that someone is...me.<br />
<br />
I've dedicated this edition of the <a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/research.html" target="_blank">Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction</a>--in the most selfish of ways--to my books. I've researched, and brainstormed, and thought about how I could prove to myself that for the past two and a half decades, that my writing had a purpose. TAnd for the decade before that, that 10-year-old Stacey wasn't writing her heart out, for nothing.<br />
<br />
I imagine that somewhere down the line in history, someone, somewhere will care. Perhaps? Someone will be pleased to find a fictional account of what it was like to party in the 90s in Toronto, or attend high school in Pickering. Someone, somewhere, will want to read the language and "slang" of a young person growing up in Toronto in the early 2000s. It is my hope that the words I've written will not exist in vain forever...and I am patient enough to let my work exist digitally, knowing that one day, they may have value that exists beyond my own ego and amusement.<br />
<br />
I have always admired the way our African-American neighbours have utilized the wonders of Urban Fiction. Like most, I was drawn to the genre through Terry McMillan and Sister Souljah. I have yet to dive back to the 1970s Iceberg Slim to get the true, true roots of Urban Fiction, but I do value and appreciate the spirit with which his stories were recorded. I love the relevance they still hold.<br />
<br />
Aside from the most prominent authors, it is difficult to find professional reviews of many Urban Fiction novels. Despite the best selling books from the above-mentioned authors, and the hundreds of other contributions from small presses and independent authors across America, there is still a bit of a void when it comes to research in this area. The Kya Publishing Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction exists as a preliminary attempt to institutionalize the study of Urban Fiction, and to chronicle the academic and social importance of the books, once the reader puts it down.<br />
<br />
Existing research (many studies that will be referenced in this edition of JCUF), declare that the teen protagonists appeal to many teen readers. Despite the sometimes controversial placement of these books in school and public libraries, there has been evidence that Urban Fiction has a high appeal to otherwise reluctant readers, and is a valuable way to connect with young patrons.<br />
<br />
In the "Readers' Advisory Guide to Street Literature," author Vanessa Irvin found that Urban Fiction (also known as "street literature") is a great way to promote library use, and has been helpful with assisting library staff with establishing their credibility by giving them the information they need to knowledgeable guide their young readers.<br />
<br />
Its impact in the United States of America is fundamentally more powerful, based on the number of Urban Fiction authors, as well as the availability of books in bookstores, libraries, street corners, and online. This grassroots promotion and hustling of books has made the Urban Fiction industry in the U.S. an interesting model of entrepreneurship, as well as community independence.<br />
<br />
In an assessment of Canadian writer George Elliott Clark's 2000 book, "Odysseys Home: Mapping African Canadian Literature" Andrea Davis noted that "What black Canadian literature offers is the convergence of multiple African diasporic voices, coming from different ethno-cultural, linguistic and national spaces, but together articulating a deliberately transgressive Canadianness that not only takes cultural differences into account, but also positions the lived experiences of Black Canadians as an essential part of a wider discussion about what it means to live and be in this country."<br />
<br />
Davis mentioned that while African-american literature was defining itself within the American canons, according to "Black nationalist and Black aesthetic traditions," that Black Canadian literature to some extent is is a projection of the imagination, because it is representing various identities within "coherent national narratives."<br />
<br />
The identities represented in the "<a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/books.html" target="_blank">Urban Toronto Tales</a>" are not a specific Black Canadian experience, or Caribbean-Canadian lifestyle, but a combination of what I have observed from my own Black/Caribbean-Canadian lens, and my interpretation of how these events play into the greater narrative of living in this country and the ways in which the cultural context impacts that experience.<br />
<br />
Music has, and always will, play a huge factor in the development and understanding of the mood of my stories, and how I try to convey that mood. A reflection of the urban musical experience--be it hip hop, R&B, reggae, or soca music--the stories often exist within that framework: in the presentation and enjoyment of the music as a root to understanding the culture.<br />
<br />
As a means of understanding the experience, the culture, the music, the race politics, the identities, and the interpersonal relationships, it is just my hope that the Urban Fiction novels of the "<a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/books.html" target="_blank">Urban Toronto Tales</a>" collection can serve as a catalyst for youth to enjoy reading, a reflection in identity construction for young people and young adults, and a documentation of the African-Canadian voice in a specific space in time.<br />
<br />
It's been 26 years, and I hope to continue to write for 26 more, as I age, as I learn, and as I continue to respect the value of story and the importance stories have in how history remembers even the most routine and casual of occurrences. To some of us, it is this experience that make up the beauty of our lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Written by Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's "<a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/research.html" target="_blank">Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction</a>."Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-11448616957803617612017-11-07T15:25:00.000-08:002017-12-22T14:46:54.875-08:00JCUF VOL 4 NO 1 (2017) - "Next Steps for the Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction" by Stacey Marie Robinson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XazT9iRBY0Sy_oPKq56fE6V02oGu6K86nAWCyoiYC44X6MRQu1rSl_-XO2IGWOgVHBqCCStMt7n_ZfRdssCyhWZ4w1ikMv4Z9V7vSs9dHZa6txp28eU596lQ4xFkISPQzHzmqeGYL30/s1600/Urban+Canadian+Writers+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XazT9iRBY0Sy_oPKq56fE6V02oGu6K86nAWCyoiYC44X6MRQu1rSl_-XO2IGWOgVHBqCCStMt7n_ZfRdssCyhWZ4w1ikMv4Z9V7vSs9dHZa6txp28eU596lQ4xFkISPQzHzmqeGYL30/s200/Urban+Canadian+Writers+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
This is the fourth volume of the Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction, which leads me to contemplate the next steps and the long-term vision for this publication as we move into the fifth year for 2018. Next year also marks the fifth year of the Toronto Urban Book Expo. With five years of celebrating urban Canadian literature, and five years of studying it...the next steps have become an urgent and necessary brainstorm.<br />
<br />
I've been institutionalized, admittedly. Years of university and post-graduate thinking have me conditioned to believe that if it doesn't exist in a "research journal" then it isn't legitimized as a topic worth researching, advancing, and documenting. If it can't be verified, corroborated, or if there isn't any statistical information or data to back up the claims...then what is the point of reporting it?<br />
<br />
As a student at Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan), I remember attempting to study Black Canadian Literature, and being faced with the rude awakening that outside of Canada...the resources in this topic were extremely limited. In fact, the resources even IN Canada were extremely limited. It was 2003, and I had hoped to see enough documented processes that would validate my personal aspirations. There were anthologies. There were published novels, and great lecturers and authors in the Black Canadian academic landscape who had committed their lives to the topic as well. Blogs, yes. Personal websites, yes. Passion, plenty. But published research...scarce.<br />
<br />
Now, a university education nearly 15 years ago hardly classifies me as an expert in research or statistics, but as a writer-slash-editor who has dedicated her life to building the genre thus far, I recognize that the research element is an important one that must now be improved upon, and tightened.<br />
<br />
Therefore, the informal brainstorm has led me to the following list of next steps as JCUF embarks upon its fifth year, and for the next five years of its development:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>01) Continue to publish JCUF as an annual online periodical.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>02) Seek funding towards the eventual development into a print publication.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>03) Provide opportunities for additional guest writers, and peer reviews.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>04) Increased marketing/outreach outside of Ontario, and within similar spaces internationally.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>05) Regular review of Canadian authors, and new books.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>06) Increased effort to improve the national discourse surrounding urban fiction.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>07) Additional study of the independent publishing market, and sales impact internationally.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>08) Dialogue with other Canadian niche journals of literature and culture.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>09) Support of Canadian student research and current academic discussion.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>10) Re-define and strengthen JCUF objectives, and measurable impact.</i></span><br />
<br />
I appreciate those of you who have been reading this Journal for the past few years, and those who have taken the time to contribute to its development. I thank you for supporting my publication vision, and I strive to make this Journal less about "my" personal objectives, and more about the overall benefits that it can have for urban Canadian writers, editors, publishers, readers, and of course, academics.<br />
<br />
<br />
~Stacey Marie Robinson, Editor<br />
<br />Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-59162281816927413192017-11-06T10:04:00.000-08:002017-12-22T14:41:09.112-08:00JCUF VOL 4 NO 1 (2017) - Downtown Winnipeg and Urban Culture Across Canada<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQV-lM_L0fKhA29BVT5DHieU3d66-FUBI57vUie_R4aLC6e_1361nURMadSydBqEQ0Xdr2staAiHRcIfglW1Owiod3Ja4p8grrhiftxbx5VcLcJpPQLf3zovWH_XSmL3yAA3i2KLL-eHQ/s1600/WINNIPEG+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQV-lM_L0fKhA29BVT5DHieU3d66-FUBI57vUie_R4aLC6e_1361nURMadSydBqEQ0Xdr2staAiHRcIfglW1Owiod3Ja4p8grrhiftxbx5VcLcJpPQLf3zovWH_XSmL3yAA3i2KLL-eHQ/s200/WINNIPEG+22.jpg" width="200" /></a>The term urban is one that takes on many forms, like many monikers, based on when it's being used and why. It's been both an issue of controversy and celebration at times in the Kya Publishing context, as our use of it is fluid.<br />
<br />
The dictionary definition also goes in two directions. From the Canadian Oxford Dictionary we have 1) of, living in, or situated in a town or city, and 2) designating music, or radio stations playing it, performed by Black artists, especially R&B, hop hop, reggae, etc.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFL3NCH9PRdZWMeXFfcv0vIdIms1DpKe9fugZDWdeHmT7KISU4f-AWpEoYVMkWIT41W-mEXGpqOTP37lgKjjnGPRS3mkNDgLnxK9CAsAdNgdkyJL3x1HTJlwCQP4t4d6RTq2dV3ywFQ8/s1600/WINNIPEG+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFL3NCH9PRdZWMeXFfcv0vIdIms1DpKe9fugZDWdeHmT7KISU4f-AWpEoYVMkWIT41W-mEXGpqOTP37lgKjjnGPRS3mkNDgLnxK9CAsAdNgdkyJL3x1HTJlwCQP4t4d6RTq2dV3ywFQ8/s200/WINNIPEG+14.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Terms like urban planning, urban renewal, and urbanization can be applied to basically any city and its development--that is commonplace. While we as writers claim "urban culture" as a central tenet of our existence, we realize that the majority of Canadians searching for urban anything, are probably searching on a city tip...and less likely on a cultural tip.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Statistics Canada used the term "urban area" to describe towns that had a population of at least 1000, and a population density of no fewer than 400 per square kilometre. More than familiar with the urban landscape of Toronto, both physically and culturally, we thought it best to expand our urban horizons to a densely populated city that wasn't within the borders of Ontario.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGH4o2MW0OJVah746f4Bay8Wm8cVIfEBe3QhSoUqLbsAJtLQUo0XSyRZQbXeRR7Jt7aKn9bEYNUhaekcpveJBUazmkFuiMW6qiMLxkWBitM11r6W1igOZYUmGVy6cNH4GLY0-ogB7CcY/s1600/WINNIPEG+60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGH4o2MW0OJVah746f4Bay8Wm8cVIfEBe3QhSoUqLbsAJtLQUo0XSyRZQbXeRR7Jt7aKn9bEYNUhaekcpveJBUazmkFuiMW6qiMLxkWBitM11r6W1igOZYUmGVy6cNH4GLY0-ogB7CcY/s200/WINNIPEG+60.jpg" width="200" /></a>Admittedly Ontario-centric, as Toronto-based writers we tend to equate our experiences (urban and otherwise) as the Canadian norm. While Toronto is easily the biggest urban area in our country, we would be remiss not to mention the cities of Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton that round out the top 5, population-wise.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Down the list, at number 7 is Winnipeg with a population of approximately 700,000. Much less than Toronto's 5.4 million, but yet still greater than the majority of Canada's other urban centres like Hamilton, Halifax, Saskatoon, and St. Johns. For the sake of our research and cultural expansion, we decided that Winnipeg would be the next space to explore on our journey to fully understand the urban Canadian experience.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z5MCAIvn09k" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
On the agenda: the Winnipeg Public Library, the University of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba, various bookstores, and a general exploration of the city, the culture, tourist attractions, common areas, and the essence of urban (downtown) Winnipeg.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLV46w1g0IG_AEn61KwHjAiXoJcSRNkTq7NLKBVaMfYXzkgMv79Tzs6kr0EhwIBovCTSUIzvnPeXEFIlZlS7ZWm8U6Cz7NB0V245rdAuLd1R3iF143aONNlyyy_7uJGxNG8Q6mwXVmu0/s1600/WINNIPEG+57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLV46w1g0IG_AEn61KwHjAiXoJcSRNkTq7NLKBVaMfYXzkgMv79Tzs6kr0EhwIBovCTSUIzvnPeXEFIlZlS7ZWm8U6Cz7NB0V245rdAuLd1R3iF143aONNlyyy_7uJGxNG8Q6mwXVmu0/s200/WINNIPEG+57.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Our hotel was centrally located, right on Portage in the heart of downtown. Adjacent to the University of Winnipeg, and unbeknownst to us, also in the middle of the most feared part of town. Security personnel, police sirens, and an active street culture greeted us on our first night downtown. It wasn't the tourist-laden Yonge Street we were used to in Toronto, with active storefronts and crowded sidewalks. This was different.<br />
<br />
The home of the Canadian Journal of Urban Research (founded in 1992), the University of Winnipeg is dedicated to the study of urban Aboriginal people, related social issues, and urban issues like homelessness intervention, and downtown planning. With a focus on issues of housing and income inequality, the Journal has a legacy of training policy makers and contributing to the revitalization of Winnipeg's urban areas. One of the the few independent scholarly journals in Canada with a focus on urban culture, the Canadian Journal of Urban Research and the makeup of Winnipeg quickly let us know that Toronto's "urban" and Winnipeg's "urban" could easily mean different things.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXTe58-36bk36PEracuYut5gynbWG2C2JT6tFvP7CoGRKd_yY17C_k1mXwqJIGDv83n51EFwHzeXjkTsVsap3lHdOLxuxyuv5ycJzWBuD5-d8iXGKfv4AEIQ-XUUGps511pMsgPLtGo8/s1600/WINNIPEG+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXTe58-36bk36PEracuYut5gynbWG2C2JT6tFvP7CoGRKd_yY17C_k1mXwqJIGDv83n51EFwHzeXjkTsVsap3lHdOLxuxyuv5ycJzWBuD5-d8iXGKfv4AEIQ-XUUGps511pMsgPLtGo8/s200/WINNIPEG+01.jpg" width="200" /></a>While Toronto, like most densely populated cities, will have to address issues of housing, homelessness, and other social concerns that were brought to our attention in Winnipeg, we realized that the urban "style" and urban "culture" that we were used to representing would take on a different form in this prairie province of Manitoba.<br />
<br />
Yes, there is an undergound hip hop scene in Winnipeg, with hip hop artists and a tangible "street" arts culture...but the underlying commonality in Winnipeg was not so much the "urban culture" as it was the First Nations culture. It was a culture that was underexposed in Toronto, yet everything in Winnipeg. A culture that was so fundamentally Canadian, yet still so foreign to us. Almost embarrassingly so.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPkS305SzsBhwnAszCj84GqAaY5fLzOGyUMIr6wVWPwv3bEY7y2Z56s74Pp26kFV7aN0Tf-gh48tpPxyg-_-xG8QkHD1S4vNA05vS5bYj76KGuVblV-ND89Lf4hB1IY1iQQapiVgiYLc/s1600/WINNIPEG+43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPkS305SzsBhwnAszCj84GqAaY5fLzOGyUMIr6wVWPwv3bEY7y2Z56s74Pp26kFV7aN0Tf-gh48tpPxyg-_-xG8QkHD1S4vNA05vS5bYj76KGuVblV-ND89Lf4hB1IY1iQQapiVgiYLc/s200/WINNIPEG+43.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Maneuvering the bookstores and universities, looking at the courses, and sections, the themes, content, and pervasive cultures brought us to the same conclusion repeatedly: to know urban Winnipeg is to intimately know its Aboriginal culture. Both universities, and also the McNally Robinson bookstore (Canada's largest independent bookstore) had awesome resources dedicated to this culture, as did the Winnipeg Public Library.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn70-hhoQZvuMddIwoMGdBugxj0TzoB62Xi8ZGU8W1t7LcXGHdAirdtPjTzZ9M13zInTE90yP8Ccj2TaUdLGhKLfPGPW7hDJIjcI4672i9jmhqY8tYLSrl0fdt90IxP1qullsw9aufpoY/s1600/WINNIPEG+46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn70-hhoQZvuMddIwoMGdBugxj0TzoB62Xi8ZGU8W1t7LcXGHdAirdtPjTzZ9M13zInTE90yP8Ccj2TaUdLGhKLfPGPW7hDJIjcI4672i9jmhqY8tYLSrl0fdt90IxP1qullsw9aufpoY/s200/WINNIPEG+46.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
In Toronto, we would search for "Black writers" or "urban culture"...but in Winnipeg, this wasn't the case. It wasn't even close. And while we know that "Black" and "urban" are not always interchangeable, coming with our Caribbean- and African-Canadian lens, we were reminded that the definition of urban is not constant at all. It had already taken on an entirely new meaning.<br />
<br />
Winnipeg is unique in that 11% of the population is of First Nations descent, which is vastly higher than the national average of 4.3%. Winnipeg also had the highest percentage of Aboriginal residents for any major Canadian city of over 100,000 people. The highest percentage of Aboriginal residents living off of the reserve. These facts created a new framework for us to view Winnipeg with.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5viulZLpWGdkBEeXnhCLXFqubXr_jo7_4-__wvjhbYeZGGZPaH3is-Nhh3Z9_96tPxQs6dXnTzWxOft6xs4Q3k9ye0NgJ8kuL8oSUILrI1eOQOQvRu86WGHyhAVj5kSLOnJg41T2j5Ic/s1600/WINNIPEG+56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5viulZLpWGdkBEeXnhCLXFqubXr_jo7_4-__wvjhbYeZGGZPaH3is-Nhh3Z9_96tPxQs6dXnTzWxOft6xs4Q3k9ye0NgJ8kuL8oSUILrI1eOQOQvRu86WGHyhAVj5kSLOnJg41T2j5Ic/s200/WINNIPEG+56.jpg" width="200" /></a>As Canadian-born writers of Jamaican descent, in Black skin, and urban cultural spirit, Kya Publishing writers Kamilah Haywood and Stacey Marie Robinson approached this site visit with the optimism and openness for knowledgeable exploration. Having been educated by a Canadian school system 100%, and Canadian citizens to the core...it was a reminder that outside of Toronto's strong cultural influence, were major cities with entirely different realities.<br />
<br />
Yes, Winnipeg and Manitoba celebrate Black History Month, as the entire country does officially since the Government declaration in 1995. Winnipeg hosts many cultural organizations, and a few annual Afric-centered events and gatherings. While the Black community is small, casual conversation and a surface surveillance led to the conclusion that the "Black" impact as a culture wasn't as pervasive as that of the First Nations community. And rightfully so.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZkWABhjB16xVvCAMFoMB_JF_R98znHTRExA_huo8KWT6F2f3N4X3vOVfaogqbB-_izHwUnH7QBDAbrr1B0oAPGJmEUNmtExRno9PYyEYiBT9kYwohOJaocG-5IGjymwqK1U2NpqDsKs/s1600/WINNIPEG+27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZkWABhjB16xVvCAMFoMB_JF_R98znHTRExA_huo8KWT6F2f3N4X3vOVfaogqbB-_izHwUnH7QBDAbrr1B0oAPGJmEUNmtExRno9PYyEYiBT9kYwohOJaocG-5IGjymwqK1U2NpqDsKs/s200/WINNIPEG+27.jpg" width="200" /></a>It brought back the details of a 2015 article from MacLeans Magazine that declared Winnipeg was the most racist city in Canada. Recalling numerous Facebook debates, and online discussion where many African-Canadians objected to this declaration in defense of their own discrimination...it was interesting to note the racial climate in Winnipeg. As mentioned in the article, the city was "deeply divided, ethnically" and also there was obvious (and disturbing!) "sub-human treatment" of the Aboriginal community.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQwzGfRq5GYxhHeDzUMj592t3c1jvMTEm6khPTTRs-fDB4dLOwmg01LnuOArgAoQYgPp5arHZKN6RG4RXLr3MJdug9S9TtPdqzuPY8zjOZqbPm5KFX44n5faqacXN1Eae_RJ0LmJwzns/s1600/WINNIPEG+25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQwzGfRq5GYxhHeDzUMj592t3c1jvMTEm6khPTTRs-fDB4dLOwmg01LnuOArgAoQYgPp5arHZKN6RG4RXLr3MJdug9S9TtPdqzuPY8zjOZqbPm5KFX44n5faqacXN1Eae_RJ0LmJwzns/s200/WINNIPEG+25.jpg" width="200" /></a>Living in Canada with Black skin, Caribbean heritage, and an "urban" soul...both authors expected to feel their race while navigating the city. Surprisingly, the race they felt the most was that of the First Nations people...and the discrimination was overt, and disgusting.<br />
<br />
Derogatory comments. Open glares. Dismissive attitudes. Racially charged statements. For a weekend visit anywhere, to openly witness this type of behaviour was shocking. While experiencing racism as an individual of colour is "nothing new"...this level of overt shunning was appalling.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIGRyHo6Yezzbs8p4d4BzPqatkT5rT4OrV-nNXw5ePaYv3zjFFyxs87qtGi9zh8NIhxcvTKFz_GON44RTAgBg7V95gZlWhbLE8DPtgbKOloysCWdGxZ_ucT7ZC3ZfQVJ9oHpTWBf-798/s1600/WINNIPEG+26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIGRyHo6Yezzbs8p4d4BzPqatkT5rT4OrV-nNXw5ePaYv3zjFFyxs87qtGi9zh8NIhxcvTKFz_GON44RTAgBg7V95gZlWhbLE8DPtgbKOloysCWdGxZ_ucT7ZC3ZfQVJ9oHpTWBf-798/s200/WINNIPEG+26.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The intention was to seek out urban writers, urban culture, writers of colour, and a unique cultural experience outside of Toronto that would reinforce our commitment to representing Canada in our writing and actions. Instead, the journey went straight to the core of our consciousness as we had to reevaluate what we believed our place to be in Canadian society, what we perceived the place of the Aboriginals to be, and how we could reconcile the similarities, the differences...and what this would mean for the way we created and communicated literature.<br />
<br />
Obviously, discrimination exists. Of course, the First Nations communities of Canada have had a less than acceptable history of treatment and equality in our country. These are facts we have always known. However, to FEEL racism against someone else in a way you have never even experienced yourself hit home in an unexpected way.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiicZ57ujzT9RiRYkH0Zz6eUqfNAkwJ574-Fk4QQMAsRA3VQv02KcXOv3QQs0oibPjuKiKkwM1hacx60GrLXpcSy8WsTHhskYv138Zwphl1aa1PcjZe-odspTi7d21EGXV3PytBRCCv-c/s1600/WINNIPEG+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiicZ57ujzT9RiRYkH0Zz6eUqfNAkwJ574-Fk4QQMAsRA3VQv02KcXOv3QQs0oibPjuKiKkwM1hacx60GrLXpcSy8WsTHhskYv138Zwphl1aa1PcjZe-odspTi7d21EGXV3PytBRCCv-c/s200/WINNIPEG+19.jpg" width="200" /></a>The MacLeans article noted that Winnipeg yielded the highest proportions of racist Tweets and online commentary. It mentioned the visible division of the city by the CP rail yard, which led us to explore the city's notorious North End. The part of town that many locals have never seen with their own eyes, or driven the streets of. The part of town where police cars, and trouble roam the streets after dark. Where the commotion is. Where the violence is. Where the name "Murderpeg" originated, due to the fact that this area contains 2 of the 3 poorest postal codes in Canada, and the highest rate of violent crimes as well.<br />
<br />
No shops or enterprise. Prostitution. High rates of suicide. Solvent abuse. Alcoholism. It was called a "bruised generation" of citizens, only two generations removed from the residential schools of the past. A damaged ego. Lack of trust. These were concepts we were familiar with, with a landscape and face we rarely witnessed in Toronto.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityy3SHlhIM4TZmsRzfUoEz47BO-I6yJ11OFUAHPCad5d-t2j3hy7MM90h2MYZYeUKQxSlZy3eaCtcDX_D1lIjCtzpFXpCb7wnuioCsbvbjI8KdolXq8nEm-gc9wM-aOMnEWZqFMhQH30/s1600/WINNIPEG+65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityy3SHlhIM4TZmsRzfUoEz47BO-I6yJ11OFUAHPCad5d-t2j3hy7MM90h2MYZYeUKQxSlZy3eaCtcDX_D1lIjCtzpFXpCb7wnuioCsbvbjI8KdolXq8nEm-gc9wM-aOMnEWZqFMhQH30/s200/WINNIPEG+65.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
And at the shores of the historical Forks, sat a majestic new museum, with a focus on Human Rights. With floor after beautiful floor dedicated to the suffering of women, various ethnicities, and stories of perseverance and rebellion. The Canadian Museum of Human Rights, just a few kilometers from Winnipeg's notorious "North End" packaged the city of Winnipeg in the most perplexing way.<br />
<br />
It was a city of beauty, flat lands, cooler temperatures, and a simple skyline. A city of friendly folks, with deep, deep resentments and anger towards their most influential citizens. A city that barely made the top ten list of Canadian populations, but easily had an impactful history and future.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eHemznmgonYnSRXQkMPIjX0cuoHRnoFVKpHbVXzpu_t2IfmzEavFTxdrMGPKs0CrA4aZ0KXFPdmThLcsQO2bwK-lampb0gA5QtmMdug6QbTYZ-bUqeV2FLvTQ4glu2bgl3Qaz08DztM/s1600/WINNIPEG+41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eHemznmgonYnSRXQkMPIjX0cuoHRnoFVKpHbVXzpu_t2IfmzEavFTxdrMGPKs0CrA4aZ0KXFPdmThLcsQO2bwK-lampb0gA5QtmMdug6QbTYZ-bUqeV2FLvTQ4glu2bgl3Qaz08DztM/s200/WINNIPEG+41.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
What did the city of Winnipeg do for Kya Publishing's vision of urban culture across Canada, and the influence on the writers? It just reminded us of how location and experience is so extremely intimate. How the writers and communicators of each area are strongly influenced by the immediate social concerns and historical influences of their communities.<br />
<br />
It wouldn't be easy to draw parallels between our urban writing, and say, the research of the Urban Studies department at the University of Winnipeg. We were writing about urban culture as a style, and as a culturally-specific set of rules, language, behaviours, and expectations. Our urban culture was definitily urban, both in locale and in spirit...but it wasn't comparable to the urban culture of a city like Winnipeg.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC5YAtt8OTR5PME-BIpLjDYtirq9D9JJ2MFoGTplvyfuArOntdimVrKskaD25OLQsxMAxDFDxxm4SzSnZXniqG3B9AoNZ0ipWVgA2qAQAPzZQploXZHQgFEJf1B4rgp_ougwHiul96dng/s1600/WINNIPEG+61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC5YAtt8OTR5PME-BIpLjDYtirq9D9JJ2MFoGTplvyfuArOntdimVrKskaD25OLQsxMAxDFDxxm4SzSnZXniqG3B9AoNZ0ipWVgA2qAQAPzZQploXZHQgFEJf1B4rgp_ougwHiul96dng/s200/WINNIPEG+61.jpg" width="200" /></a>Chances are, visits to Halifax, and Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Vancouver would also reveal significantly different urban experiences.<br />
<br />
Our working definition of urban, based on how we perceive our Toronto experience to be as Black citizens, and individuals who have grown up in and around the city have a strong Caribbean influence. Musical influence. Behavioural influence, and societal appreciation for African-American culture as well. Our urban looks and feels like a combination of the various influences that we are used to absorbing as Torontonians with access to so many other powerful cultures each day.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrwUFGlNhCEEgdBO0OfJuSiPOKyZ6iT-NoKrAe9Uc0I6IO6Q-J5kZGQGSueoF-VoYgfbOOZNG3WmSrHH3NmLLnxnUopqLiEEodE-hftPAAITg508XXuhAOBQSgXGc5cFHC2jCKcin5MM/s1600/WINNIPEG+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrwUFGlNhCEEgdBO0OfJuSiPOKyZ6iT-NoKrAe9Uc0I6IO6Q-J5kZGQGSueoF-VoYgfbOOZNG3WmSrHH3NmLLnxnUopqLiEEodE-hftPAAITg508XXuhAOBQSgXGc5cFHC2jCKcin5MM/s200/WINNIPEG+02.jpg" width="200" /></a>The urban culture of Winnipeg, is Winnipeg-centric. Looking out from the top floor observatory of the Museum of Human Rights, we couldn't see anything but land, regardless of what side of the 360 degree view we took in. It was a city in the middle of the plains, in the middle of our country, that was still feeling the sensitivities and historical impact of their divisions. Out loud. Still trying to reconcile between the strong and spiritual First Nations presence, and the rejuvenating urban presence of the residents.<br />
<br />
In just a few days, we found ourselves deeply touched by the experience, in awe at our ignorance to some of the most commonplace realities of Winnipeg life, and inevitably flying back to Toronto with a new appreciation for our abundantly diverse urban culture...yet with a sadness for the citizens of the North End, and the verbal and cultural abuse they experienced daily.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmUBtcAiV-Llj-fNwBzQK2oALX7ySETlkGus6hLItG1jx9Ql8V2xbv50QS0o4L71tR73E5FlDAudIgmd8hYVKNLhqOpw4QF6hZnjxJHt3Q5oG5MwUWb9p_BDY-EK_K8YiuYanP-mqZYQ/s1600/WINNIPEG+67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmUBtcAiV-Llj-fNwBzQK2oALX7ySETlkGus6hLItG1jx9Ql8V2xbv50QS0o4L71tR73E5FlDAudIgmd8hYVKNLhqOpw4QF6hZnjxJHt3Q5oG5MwUWb9p_BDY-EK_K8YiuYanP-mqZYQ/s200/WINNIPEG+67.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Just as we explored Winnipeg, we look forward to exploring other areas of our country, and the intricacies of their makeup. Until then, we can hardly claim to represent "urban Canada" because even using the divisive word "urban" itself still doesn't compare to how dramatically different the urban experience is from one town to another. We will specify our Toronto-ness. Our Black-ness. Our Caribbean-ness, and all other signifiers that make the urban Toronto experience what it is, in the majority of cases.<br />
<br />
We will not forget what we saw, and what we felt in Winnipeg, and we will remember that when we write from a Canadian perspective, that it is much, much deeper than we could have ever imagined. We will strive to make the writing and communicating of these experiences a standard...regardless of the location in this country, that we still deem to be the best in the world.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Written by Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction.<br />
<br />Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-32238831685001770212017-11-05T07:22:00.000-08:002017-12-22T14:39:10.913-08:00JCUF VOL 4 NO 1 (2017) - The Harlem Book Fair and the Seattle Urban Book Expo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFIKNEfIG7aek2kGU736GMPV1OZCtkkwHJ7vDMyvVR5wZThMP7_cKdYM6XlPS97H-AHjMtX2neyS2nIc4RBRYxEouTS9F4bv5HJmffTRRyBPlaKBtuAkOkg1640__ojCEI9sXr1uZlY4/s1600/Harlem06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1097" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFIKNEfIG7aek2kGU736GMPV1OZCtkkwHJ7vDMyvVR5wZThMP7_cKdYM6XlPS97H-AHjMtX2neyS2nIc4RBRYxEouTS9F4bv5HJmffTRRyBPlaKBtuAkOkg1640__ojCEI9sXr1uZlY4/s200/Harlem06.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Harlem is the heart of Black American arts and culture, and just stepping foot on 135th Street, you can feel the history, the soul, and the vibrancy of the community. As the host of the country's largest Black book festival--the <a href="http://www.harlembookfair.com/" target="_blank">Harlem Book Fair</a>--it is the perfect setting for literary celebration, cultural investigation, and community gathering.<br />
<br />
All of the literary greats have had a presence at this event, from Cornel West and Maya Angelou, to Terry McMillan and Walter Mosley. With a mission of creating "access to the transformative power of reading by celebrating, encouraging, and promoting literacy and literacy awareness through public programs, community participation, corporate partnerships and in-school programs that broaden and strengthen the vitality of the African-American community" it is a must-see event for any Black writer or cultural enthusiast.<br />
<br />
Kya Publishing visited the event in July of 2017, to experience the culture, speak with the participating authors, gather new reading materials, and gain deeper understanding of the value of the cultural-specific book fair to the Black and "urban" writing community.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbzI2yOYnvxovIhTmpXwSMl0KVxvG3Te3p40cVOoRn9oQrMdQIxTAK6yedvMp6LK2mXbQOR4MiHVqQaUKuODKJL-UrQdLf6QEYW4QkS1mytcbyKF2CTECx0qoNiNNbt7FTftpb3h9neU/s1600/Harlem26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1097" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbzI2yOYnvxovIhTmpXwSMl0KVxvG3Te3p40cVOoRn9oQrMdQIxTAK6yedvMp6LK2mXbQOR4MiHVqQaUKuODKJL-UrQdLf6QEYW4QkS1mytcbyKF2CTECx0qoNiNNbt7FTftpb3h9neU/s200/Harlem26.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
An outdoor festival with a musical stage, food vendors, and books and writers-a-plenty, the Harlem Book Fair took place on an ideal New York summer day that felt rich with the culture and spirit of the city. To the backdrop of a live jazz band and various performances, spoken word artists, author readings, and guest speakers, the intersection of 135th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard in uptown New York was bustling with activity. The event began in 1998, and was founded by Max Rodriquez who is also the publisher of the <a href="http://www.qbrbookreview.com/" target="_blank">QBR/Black Book Review</a>.<br />
<br />
Dozens of vendor booths, ranging from the elaborate to the no-frills, aligned the road, bookmarked by the <a href="https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/schomburg" target="_blank">New York Public Library's Schomburg Centre for Research in Black Culture</a>, as well as other Harlem landmarks. There were Israelites distributing promotional materials for an upcoming community event, authors without stationary vendor booths who shared their literature from backpacks, and community members and supporters visiting with those on display.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2Uu_A1Z7woZoGnglS0xX7pA7KIAP7-Wm4uOvsnmwKSy8UUFZbA3WIXQmuxl6NZmFCYbFQcsQJg5MWB4w_F_oTYk0sVvoGnivzjI_IqMlt82BSW24j_HSO_-lkDw9nje2_McMfP22HGc/s1600/Harlem18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1097" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2Uu_A1Z7woZoGnglS0xX7pA7KIAP7-Wm4uOvsnmwKSy8UUFZbA3WIXQmuxl6NZmFCYbFQcsQJg5MWB4w_F_oTYk0sVvoGnivzjI_IqMlt82BSW24j_HSO_-lkDw9nje2_McMfP22HGc/s200/Harlem18.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
It felt like how a Black book fair should feel. The aroma of food on the grill, and the sounds of brass instruments made it sound like how a Black book fair should sound. A sensory experience made it easy to want to learn about the texts and artists.<br />
<br />
The literature? The authors presented a range of works varying from tales of romance, to three-hundred page deep historical fiction from scholars and life-long writers. Mystery stories, children's books...it was all there. Careful investigation of the books and products made it evident that it wasn't so much the specific books that made this event such an important one, but it was the collective presentation of the books, and the spirit of the location and legacy that made that particular venue so special.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cG87BLwEcrs?rel=0&controls=0" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
A month later, August 26 in Seattle was the 2nd annual <a href="https://southseattleemerald.com/2017/08/06/urban-book-expo-founder-returning-swagger-to-seattles-writing-scene/" target="_blank">Seattle Urban Book Expo, hosted by founder Jeffrey Lee Cheatham II</a>, a children's author and community mobilizer on the west coast. This particular platform was created for urban authors to showcase their works, to provide a place for urban literature in the Seattle community, and a location for Seattle's cultural folk to gather and communicate with one another.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2vTAHlaUgNOKah1BgnhysG5ZNcOgf2mxryzwOB8-IY28PLytKDi8b158zjenq-MyZf41UiCQ1PIQ7bRECQgi5eY-AG3QUevQMvlUnqlnWJwtLYzRoSBiuFW7hhNjYNA6PlS4qym3yrI/s1600/18882041_1909415999300593_5378735454365826203_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="552" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2vTAHlaUgNOKah1BgnhysG5ZNcOgf2mxryzwOB8-IY28PLytKDi8b158zjenq-MyZf41UiCQ1PIQ7bRECQgi5eY-AG3QUevQMvlUnqlnWJwtLYzRoSBiuFW7hhNjYNA6PlS4qym3yrI/s200/18882041_1909415999300593_5378735454365826203_n.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
Born and raised in Seattle, Cheatham is an expert on the ever-changing face of the city's social construction, and the access and availability for individuals to meet up and share. There are no predominantly "Black" or particularly "urban" neighbourhoods in Seattle, there are reportedly few urban cultural-specific night clubs or events, and there isn't a radio station to project the music and sounds that this demographic would appreciate.<br />
<br />
With approximately 350 attendees and over 20 authors (including Omari Amilli, Key Porter, Amber Racks Kemp, Kenneth Thomas Senior, Sharon Black, Deon Abdullah, Kamari Bright, James D. Macon, the Seattle Escribe collective, Gui Chevalier, Zackery Driver, Stacey Marie Robinson--representing Kya Publishing--Aramis Hamer, Nyrel Ausler, Freddie McClain, and Natasha Rivers aka "N. Marie") the book fair was filled with opportunity for dialogue and book sales.<br />
<br />
Cheatham presented two events leading up to the Book Expo, including a panel discussion at the local Seattle Public Library, as well as an author showcase. The enthusiasm for the event gains momentum with each mention and appearance, and it is becoming the cornerstone of his development of the urban book industry in Washington, as well as a means to socialization with his peers and community.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-Xa_-bMlyuJwdkdDPDO6lxqizl-3mxExk7R_-T370Lq6AFPV9YcTYwNXcdCK422eiAAHNUAt6Mp-6BujEz7zgHg2cPTuMcGys7isOzugEsgACLaZhtbaZQz5r7IXuSeHTifHjKFdIbI/s1600/20170826_175739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-Xa_-bMlyuJwdkdDPDO6lxqizl-3mxExk7R_-T370Lq6AFPV9YcTYwNXcdCK422eiAAHNUAt6Mp-6BujEz7zgHg2cPTuMcGys7isOzugEsgACLaZhtbaZQz5r7IXuSeHTifHjKFdIbI/s200/20170826_175739.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
With circulating journalists, patrons who were eager to ask questions and exchange contact information, one could feel the need for the event, as well as the enjoyment of all participants. The live DJ playing the best of American rhythm and blues gave it the essence of cultural celebration as readers lingered, authors chatted, and the hours flew by on one of Seattle's only cultural-specific events for the year.<br />
<br />
The commonalities between the legendary book fair in the heart of Harlem, and the fresh book fair in Seattle's historical Washington Hall? It was the feeling. The sense of belonging. The essence of self-empowerment as independent writers and publishers proudly presented their texts to the world. The recognition that both events were the culmination of months of planning, and years of vision, all while starting in finishing in just a few brief hours.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcamCGRpWfzxg3-cFR34cioAwgj2ISJ9FGYrEt71KBwRI0rc1b-B4sTYV43Ncmt_NZViYKjOZRbsejvgkJsDUyEEfs2nVmd6_QdNlTUW9GSWFRs024bE8sB2LMoWXd4gW5STs9LbIT9gw/s1600/20170826_193642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcamCGRpWfzxg3-cFR34cioAwgj2ISJ9FGYrEt71KBwRI0rc1b-B4sTYV43Ncmt_NZViYKjOZRbsejvgkJsDUyEEfs2nVmd6_QdNlTUW9GSWFRs024bE8sB2LMoWXd4gW5STs9LbIT9gw/s200/20170826_193642.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Strong elements of cultural authenticity anchored these events, and the celebration of literature and identity simultaneously. It was evident that these book fairs in Harlem, Seattle, and across the continent represent an integral part of the writer's identity, as well as the community's well being through honouring and celebration the tradition. There is social cohesion, and an ongoing recruitment of new attendees and new participants.<br />
<br />
The book fairs claim spaces, and shape new traditions. They support individuals and bring them into a larger community of like-minded artists. The live music adds an element of a familiar shared cultural experience, and the food and community involvement is reminiscent of family gatherings and intimate memories.<br />
<br />
Self-organization. Mass mobilization. These events--whether historical or emerging--are a reminder that this sub-section of cultural writing exists, and is consistently building and creating spaces for its permanent influence.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bjEdRu9zoDU" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
Written by Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction.<br />
<br />
<br />Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-77705776072668625752017-11-04T16:37:00.000-07:002017-12-22T14:45:33.369-08:00JCUF VOL 4 NO 1 (2017) - The 2014 Toronto Urban Book Expo, Event Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCQ05I5kxA9XabPd4lQmkBFm9ZhtGO3r2XNGK64Cn8AZO3RWAC86xpOKmu5JEmce_Pm357H8a-sfe3TwLS5VZXQIMYxGv2x8KJdaAdO6L_D69nGu0itHq9Lr14P0Y0z59tmthbfmGUSg/s1600/UPLOAD+Toronto+Urban+Book+Expo+-+2014+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="1600" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCQ05I5kxA9XabPd4lQmkBFm9ZhtGO3r2XNGK64Cn8AZO3RWAC86xpOKmu5JEmce_Pm357H8a-sfe3TwLS5VZXQIMYxGv2x8KJdaAdO6L_D69nGu0itHq9Lr14P0Y0z59tmthbfmGUSg/s320/UPLOAD+Toronto+Urban+Book+Expo+-+2014+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Inspired specifically by a trip to Houston, Texas, to attend the <a href="http://www.nationalblackbookfestival.com/" target="_blank">National Black Book Festival (NBBF)</a>, the Toronto Urban Book Expo (TUBE) began as a concept of duplication. The owner of the NBBF, Gwen Richardson, was approached by Kya Publishing's Stacey Marie Robinson, and asked if she was interested in expanding her brand north of the border. Ms. Richardson graciously declined, as she had her hands full with her annual Book Festival. Hosting over 100 authors each year, the NBBF has become a staple in the urban/Black book fair circuit, with steady growth and positive national awareness.<br />
<br />
While there were dozens of similarly-themed book fairs across the United States, there was nothing comparable in Toronto or Canada for black and urban authors to gravitate towards--the conversation didn't end there. Ms. Robinson and Ms. Richardson continued to chat, and Ms. Richardson was more than happy to provide recommendations, tips, and an overview of the development of her book fair. This was 2010, and the beginning of TUBE's planning.<br />
<br />
Notes multiplied, ideas spawned, and eventually (after an exploratory 2013 <a href="https://youtu.be/xr7F9w-RqRY" target="_blank">panel discussion at the Toronto Public Library entitled "Defining Canadian Urban Fiction</a>," the inaugural Toronto Urban Book Expo took place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Malvern Branch of the Toronto Public Library (TPL). A call was put out to local authors via word of mouth and social media, and details were coordinated with the branch librarian, Joanne Bainbridge.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zQTtzMzzzRe555bEZQ0mHc2WPF5oVsDh59jrwSYuuVja9dJWWfIEeXY5sR1Q90zr6Rh1VxpytfP6ZLHrJaHVi1k2SBl3311POlHm9dqZK8DrU1P0xqvxosMvqTeGmZD8pHWSqNLloog/s1600/TUBE+2014+-+Display.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zQTtzMzzzRe555bEZQ0mHc2WPF5oVsDh59jrwSYuuVja9dJWWfIEeXY5sR1Q90zr6Rh1VxpytfP6ZLHrJaHVi1k2SBl3311POlHm9dqZK8DrU1P0xqvxosMvqTeGmZD8pHWSqNLloog/s200/TUBE+2014+-+Display.JPG" width="200" /></a>A small event, there was a modest but steady stream of friends, supporters, library patrons, and curious onlookers for the duration of the four hours.<br />
<br />
Sean Liburd, writer, and owner of Knowledge Bookstore was present to speak, and share his wisdom on urban fiction and cultural literature. Entertainment expert and event producer Ian Andre Espinet spoke about his experiences within the industry, and his views on urban culture. Reggae artist and CHRY 105.5fm staff member Mel Dube shared her perspectives on urban culture. Author and cultural expert Dalton Higgins also shared his views on the connotations of the word "urban," as well as provided the keynote address for the afternoon. The four selected cultural experts were interviewed by journalist Angela Walcott:<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H8B6POdrYyY" width="560"></iframe><br />
Remarks were shared from event coordinator Stacey Marie Robinson, as well as from event host Keishia Facey, while MC Brenton B provided the musical soundtrack to the day's event. The additional participating authors each spoke to the gathered folks about the books they had on sale, their experiences in publishing, and the inspiration behind their individuals works.<br />
<br />
These featured authors also included:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Three representatives from the "7 MasterMinds" including Lloyd Richards, Maurice Burnside, T. Peter James, Amatus Forsac, Fitzroy Grossett, Curline Bennett, and Angelita Barnswell<br />
<br />
Representatives from "Basodee: An Anthology Dedicated to Black Youth" featuring Mutendei Nabutete<br />
<br />
Author John Robinson Jr.<br />
<br />
Author Matthew L. Taylor<br />
<br />
Children's Writer Angelot Ndongmo<br />
<br />
Author Stacey Marie Robinson<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenP1ZVajMDTSseUXK_oqivWTYW1-eeDWA1Qfkxon8s0JFX6olbXCgvFBLx8qscyOV_lRqBL-9lDoYlVtFA2igmXHYCk6tySmeWuMpjWT6Q5GJWpJ1gfRuXGAL4f1_kc1pUZVtxSRsdcQ/s1600/TUBE+2014+-+Display2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenP1ZVajMDTSseUXK_oqivWTYW1-eeDWA1Qfkxon8s0JFX6olbXCgvFBLx8qscyOV_lRqBL-9lDoYlVtFA2igmXHYCk6tySmeWuMpjWT6Q5GJWpJ1gfRuXGAL4f1_kc1pUZVtxSRsdcQ/s200/TUBE+2014+-+Display2.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
The informal gathering was an introduction to many for this type of event in Toronto. While Liburd's <a href="https://www.knowledgebookstore.com/" target="_blank">Knowledge Bookstore</a> and other landmarks in Toronto like <a href="https://www.adifferentbooklist.com/" target="_blank">A Different Booklist</a> and various branches of the TPL had hosted many book launches, celebrations, and author gatherings, this particular event was specifically dedicated to "urban" fiction and culture. This was indeed a first.<br />
<br />
Through discussion, peer-to-peer connections, and attendee feedback, it was determined that the model of TUBE and the intent behind celebrating urban fiction, authors, and culture was something worth continuing to pursue. A participant survey was collected and collated, with plans set in motion to continue the tradition the following year.<br />
<br />
With the support of Joanna Bainbridge, and the TPL communications staff, and the Kya Publishing team of volunteers and event facilitators (Telisha Ng, Angela Walcott, Brent Kitson, Camille Ramnath, Jackie Beckford, Jenelle Diaz, Keishia Facey, Kevin Williams, Marsha Mohammed, Pam Robinson, Pat Diaz, and Rea Ganesh), the formula was established. The mission, ignited by the enthusiasm and inspiration of the African-American writers in Houston, Texas, was now going to become a reality in Toronto for years to come.<br />
<br />
EVENT PHOTOS POSTED <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/KyaPublishing/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1864169797151927" target="_blank">HERE</a>...enjoy!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-20728003519287006612017-11-03T16:39:00.000-07:002017-12-22T14:45:44.655-08:00JCUF VOL 4 NO 1 (2017) - The 2015 Toronto Urban Book Expo, Event Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKwjfkJttjGwWXI5ay8olBHOOGB2jgU5de9cLA3SYSKUzvpXn52FbRkn4TXyx5bIgaSXi9t75v07YdGmu_jOV9kx0MZhFUpCbG29tTlAw1iuWsWzXMar07nX-xWKiV2QlsCqEIuk7rwo/s1600/KYA_frontad_tube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="310" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKwjfkJttjGwWXI5ay8olBHOOGB2jgU5de9cLA3SYSKUzvpXn52FbRkn4TXyx5bIgaSXi9t75v07YdGmu_jOV9kx0MZhFUpCbG29tTlAw1iuWsWzXMar07nX-xWKiV2QlsCqEIuk7rwo/s320/KYA_frontad_tube.jpg" width="320" /></a>For year two of Kya Publishing's Toronto Urban Book Expo (TUBE), the group of writers expanded, and again gathered at the Malvern Branch of the Toronto Public Library. As a part of the Library's Black History Month celebration, the event took place on Saturday, February 28, 2015.<br />
<br />
Participants and attendees both saw a nice increase, over the year. Many of the same Toronto-based authors returned to set up vendor tables in the auditorium, as well as friends and associates who had heard about the event over the months. The group of authors included:<br />
<br />
Akwasi Afriyie<br />
Simone DaCosta<br />
Bernadette Hood<br />
Mutendei Nabutete<br />
Kamilah Haywood<br />
Matthew L. Taylor<br />
Randall Mitchell<br />
Kwame Osei (representative)<br />
Nadine Chevolleau<br />
Angela Walcott<br />
Jennylynd James<br />
Lavern Lewis<br />
Stacey Marie Robinson<br />
<br />
Also participating were the Black Starline Readers book club, who were treated to a special Q&A session with urban fiction author <a href="http://www.kyapublishing.com/kamilahhaywood.html" target="_blank">Kamilah Haywood</a>.<br />
<br />
For this edition of TUBE, there were giveaways added: a gift card to Chapters, a Kobo e-reader, a few books, as well as donated Raptors swag. Included was Toronto's DJ Majesty to officially provide the urban musical soundtrack to the afternoon, as well as video coverage by OSC Photography.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGqVSaJcUIXNPEKKiXpf-kTWycpcvzbFPuJ5HKct7d0aIiA0IvgHmgOmsew0b5P8y6QEXoaaAdpGfJA6SzowkeoVWjh8D0vctRcZd_FLn9cqR52-13efu53lHsdtBzwwMhimA5S3mEDA/s1600/Angela+BOOK+COVER+PROMO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1401" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGqVSaJcUIXNPEKKiXpf-kTWycpcvzbFPuJ5HKct7d0aIiA0IvgHmgOmsew0b5P8y6QEXoaaAdpGfJA6SzowkeoVWjh8D0vctRcZd_FLn9cqR52-13efu53lHsdtBzwwMhimA5S3mEDA/s200/Angela+BOOK+COVER+PROMO.jpg" width="194" /></a>Word was spreading. Interest was gaining momentum, and there was a supportive crowd of approximately 150 throughout the afternoon, who came to visit with their friends, purchase reading materials, and learn about the various projects on display.<br />
<br />
With the same concept, the conversation had now changed. What would the following year bring? Perhaps Kya Publishing could bring sponsors on board. Perhaps guest authors, and celebrity appearances? Authors and visitors alike were beginning to feel invested in the process, and were eager to share their feedback, opinions, and well wishes for the future of TUBE.<br />
<br />
Unlike the previous year, this year there were no formal presentations or guest speakers. Instead, the music played and set the urban ambiance for the day, refreshments were served, and there was a relaxed atmosphere for conversation, socializing, and education about urban fiction.<br />
<br />
The momentum was tangible, as well as the need for writers to gather in a culturally specific space to celebrate the inspiration for their words, as well as project their hopes for the future of their literary careers.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3wWgdnvn42m-h4ufvPAh9dWT35Dnwfb2gwEAmQscnqE3BWUWt-4NGrOFcm62CHSMHugkbka47KbxrIySyn7dS1SPycgBDraBjex5oUF9Edy1OR30EkhUOzUZ3Bi61qGLazoto8PALfY/s1600/IMG_5420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3wWgdnvn42m-h4ufvPAh9dWT35Dnwfb2gwEAmQscnqE3BWUWt-4NGrOFcm62CHSMHugkbka47KbxrIySyn7dS1SPycgBDraBjex5oUF9Edy1OR30EkhUOzUZ3Bi61qGLazoto8PALfY/s200/IMG_5420.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
As a special treat, children's authors Angela Walcott and Simone DaCosta also featured book launches as a part of the festivities.<br />
<br />
By now, most of the authors are acquainted with one another. Having connected on the literary circuit in town, the energy of support and mutual respect was evident. Everyone wanted to do well with their writing pursuits, and everyone wanted to ensure that the visibility of their efforts continued.<br />
<br />
At this stage, there were advertising dollars invested, postings across the internet, and media interviews sought out to help spread the word. Kya Publishing's vision was becoming more defined, and the steady growth was evident.Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-5531257697143930662017-11-02T08:14:00.000-07:002017-12-22T14:46:00.027-08:00JCUF VOL 4 NO 1 (2017) - The 2016 Toronto Urban Book Expo, Event Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5l7uD7yADLspoN0c3fm4yyKoF0IlbErOEgrOprqoRcBU7EZPs6WxdSHLA71puGH5HQZyfu-AJkvW7Yd24iFu6Scs69lat2BsSlZdeZzRgOGWrkq1iuOTnHppBA66iFNjGSRXXGip1Rto/s1600/TUBE2016+Hashtag+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5l7uD7yADLspoN0c3fm4yyKoF0IlbErOEgrOprqoRcBU7EZPs6WxdSHLA71puGH5HQZyfu-AJkvW7Yd24iFu6Scs69lat2BsSlZdeZzRgOGWrkq1iuOTnHppBA66iFNjGSRXXGip1Rto/s320/TUBE2016+Hashtag+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There was a unique energy to the third installment of the Toronto Urban Book Expo (TUBE), held on Saturday, February 13, 2016 at the North York Central (NYCL) branch of the Toronto Public Library. Having outgrown the capacity available in the Malvern Branch auditorium over the previous two years, the NYCL provided a new auditorium space, breakaway rooms for additional programming, and an increase in awareness for new library patrons and community folk.<br />
<br />
An added incentive for authors from out of town, who had expressed interest in participating in the event in response to online marketing: the NBA All-Star Game was to take place in Toronto the same weekend. The focus on urban fiction and culture of TUBE resonated specifically with African-American authors, Caribbean-based authors, and urban fiction writers across the continent. Many reached out to Kya Publishing following the 2015 event, with hopes of expanding their readership across the border and gaining international supporters.<br />
<br />
Registration was overwhelming both from urban writers, and urban cultural organizations, independent business owners, and small publishers. In total, 50 vendors were participating in an awesome display of community creativity and support.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12JGICecSICY2jH6-z30lsmxP96YTFgYLGLVGZGaRqXEmNrLx1TMdgXpaOJlkXKpjEz2gghWwSDpUcpKJYU00gu5doj5PtSNtlGBcIy0uktitgL9du6XhvPbay-9ndRu2NMuu0dx86-w/s1600/TUBE81.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12JGICecSICY2jH6-z30lsmxP96YTFgYLGLVGZGaRqXEmNrLx1TMdgXpaOJlkXKpjEz2gghWwSDpUcpKJYU00gu5doj5PtSNtlGBcIy0uktitgL9du6XhvPbay-9ndRu2NMuu0dx86-w/s200/TUBE81.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The added incentive of the festivities of the All-Star weekend brought an added energy to the travelers. There were many noted urban celebrities in town, a plethora of special events, and an overall feeling that Toronto was the "place to be" for urban entertainment aficionados. DJ Majesty provided a free special urban mix CD for all attendees, and there were giveaways again from Kya Publishing's favourite brands: The Toronto Raptors, Chapters, and Kobo.<br />
<br />
The energy was fantastic, with attendees reaching approximately 350 throughout the afternoon. Conversation, promotional opportunities, and community exposure felt incredibly positive for participants and visitors alike. There was an auditorium hosting the majority of the vendors and authors, the main hallway was where the businesses and reception desk were staged; one breakout room hosted children's authors with live readings, crafts, and treats, while the second breakout room was designated for presentations and readings from participating authors.<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x4jCF9jUhq8" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
For photos from the 2016, and contact information for the participating vendors/authors, please visit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/KyaPublishing/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1864765877092319" target="_blank">Kya Publishing Facebook Page</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Vendors included:</b><br />
<span style="color: purple;">DJ Majesty</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Guernica Editions</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Northridges
Publications</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Riddim Fit</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Roots to Curls</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">The Fold</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Toronto Public
Library</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Up North Naturals</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<b>Canadian Authors:</b><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Adrian Sterling</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Akwasi Afriyie</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Andre Nicole</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Angela Walcott</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Angelot Ndongmo</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Ava Knight</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Brentt Hood</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Dalton Higgins</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Jaden Amber Taylor</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Janine Carrrington</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Jennylynd James</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Josephine Casey</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Kamilah Haywood</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Kareative Interlude</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Kebrina Morgan</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Latania Christie</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Lavern Lewis</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Makini Smith</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Robert Small</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="color: purple;">Simone DaCosta</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<b>American Authors:</b><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Chase
Monet</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;">Christopher Signal</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;">Dominique Pequet</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;">Ebony Stroder</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;">Fanchon Stylez</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;">J. L. Cheatham</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;">Jalissa Monique Brown</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;">Jedah Mayberry</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;">Jessica Tamara</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;">Kamesha Shropshire</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;">Queen Rella</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple;">Sammodah
Speaks</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;">Sheila L. Brown</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="color: purple;">Tawanda Amos</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-36311848799459564822017-11-01T14:02:00.000-07:002017-12-22T14:46:10.197-08:00JCUF VOL 4 NO 1 (2017) - The 2017 Toronto Urban Book Expo, Event Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrw0coMYTeW1juSddNrGwWb_Y_gTysOd_SV2xvbKu6oQjSTUtrCAJtRqZSRHTyg2mQhpTFd96JSSIVhyeGRSihw1FbSXBBaS1ob7MdIiowQoWnaBRExb7TuRRRQsUd4_kjndykh3gI2A/s1600/TUBE+2017+-+Official+Flyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrw0coMYTeW1juSddNrGwWb_Y_gTysOd_SV2xvbKu6oQjSTUtrCAJtRqZSRHTyg2mQhpTFd96JSSIVhyeGRSihw1FbSXBBaS1ob7MdIiowQoWnaBRExb7TuRRRQsUd4_kjndykh3gI2A/s320/TUBE+2017+-+Official+Flyer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
With the news that the North York Central branch of the Toronto Public Library was going to be under construction for most of 2017, Kya Publishing embraced the opportunity to continue to feature their event in the heart of North York, adjacent to the Library in the beautiful <a href="http://www.tocentre.com/" target="_blank">Toronto Centre for the Arts</a>. A generous sponsorship through <a href="http://www.northyorkarts.org/" target="_blank">North York Arts</a> provided the spacious atrium/hall area for participating vendors of the Toronto Urban Book Expo to set up tables, present their books, and communicate with one another.<br />
<br />
The sub-zero temperatures of the February weekend when the 2016 event was held was re-evaluated, when Kya Publishing organizers noted that most of the visiting American authors would not get to fully enjoy and appreciate the beauty and vibrancy of Toronto at that time of year. For many, it was their first trip to Canada, and Toronto specifically, and it seemed unfair to have them remain in hotel rooms and malls to escape the cold. An August event date was determined, and the holiday weekend of the annual <a href="https://carnival.to/" target="_blank">Toronto Caribbean Carnival</a> was selected as a suitable time to schedule the Book Expo.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI992qN8mmiH2mFId9Eti3w8OE9D22It3Q1OVlwmN4Wi8AWRnpK0nGcXJbt2WZqxWCTaxaS6b_StyV-PRtApPSGigTOMxGzCpQ1vIGXLqyIb1zum2E8mtaGUFcXatsfr9mMPYi6DJZ2Qg/s1600/Screenshot_2017-08-08-11-46-38%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1440" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI992qN8mmiH2mFId9Eti3w8OE9D22It3Q1OVlwmN4Wi8AWRnpK0nGcXJbt2WZqxWCTaxaS6b_StyV-PRtApPSGigTOMxGzCpQ1vIGXLqyIb1zum2E8mtaGUFcXatsfr9mMPYi6DJZ2Qg/s200/Screenshot_2017-08-08-11-46-38%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Much like the excitement, tourist-friendly events, escalated international profile, and increase in tourists that the previous years' NBA All-Star Weekend provided, the Carnival weekend also allowed for visiting authors to experience the best of Toronto's urban culture and entertainment, as well as bring additional people to the city of Toronto who could potentially attend TUBE.<br />
<br />
The increase in travelling American authors could not be ignored by Kya Publishing's coordinators. The previous year had participation from American authors growing exponentially, and their presence was a benefit to writers and readers alike. Authors from the U.S. outnumbered Canadian authors for the 2017 event, and the reach was expanding.<br />
<br />
While the previous year brought mainly travelling authors from urban centres close to the border like Ohio, Michigan, and New York, the 2017 installment had writers flying in now from the south, like Florida, and Texas. There were many familiar faces, as about half of the attendees had participated in the 2016 far...but there were also many new faces. A joy for authors to network, exchange contact information, and build on the already established urban writing network.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwniJ_N0TYa-EciCc6xu-s7rIDokC5XBdL-aotoEgPp6CJE_rGcsQT9wGUz5dObrCkRI06al7EgWCyVzohb4I76edZIyO0rDL8DAYeLFJUORJakiQN0tbxiu_T2-DM6SQNkkTKYLPqmYk/s1600/Screenshot_2017-08-06-18-19-23%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1444" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwniJ_N0TYa-EciCc6xu-s7rIDokC5XBdL-aotoEgPp6CJE_rGcsQT9wGUz5dObrCkRI06al7EgWCyVzohb4I76edZIyO0rDL8DAYeLFJUORJakiQN0tbxiu_T2-DM6SQNkkTKYLPqmYk/s200/Screenshot_2017-08-06-18-19-23%25281%2529.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
Again, DJ Majesty was present to provide the urban musical soundtrack to the afternoon's event. Held on Sunday, August 6, it was a new day of the week, as well as the first time TUBE had been held without the co-sponsorship and additional communications support from the Toronto Public Library. Consistent was the partnership established with the Novotel North York Hotel, who had graciously provided discounted accommodations and other perks (free breakfast, parking) to Book Fair attendees. The familiar location made it a comfortable return for many American visitors, and a less-hectic alternative to the downtown hustle and bustle for the holiday weekend.<br />
<br />
The staff of the Toronto Centre for the Arts, and the volunteers from North York Arts were amazing. On hand to help set up the event, and escort authors to their tables, while helping them unload from awaiting cars was a fabulous addition to the festivities, remarked upon favourably by all respondents to the follow-up survey.<br />
<br />
The venue: stunning. High ceilings, detailed flooring, and the broad windows and designs that only a Centre for the Arts could bring made for an elegant setup, and spacious grounds to browse and chat about the range of books that were available for purchase.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyhpmgT1kPJx9H918Ex4PqkQqkFzG4JXAOMWkcE44GvHMo7ThLuxfPcbzW3wJG2kDObgjcIfe18IoJDi73EC3nIVeH1T7omTlxWPziN1RHLqFhxtRNBhVE2k0DcsHQLpDk3CVwhEsydw/s1600/Screenshot_2017-08-09-09-26-25%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1436" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyhpmgT1kPJx9H918Ex4PqkQqkFzG4JXAOMWkcE44GvHMo7ThLuxfPcbzW3wJG2kDObgjcIfe18IoJDi73EC3nIVeH1T7omTlxWPziN1RHLqFhxtRNBhVE2k0DcsHQLpDk3CVwhEsydw/s200/Screenshot_2017-08-09-09-26-25%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Attendees ranged from aspiring authors, community members, family and friends of the vendors, to arts professionals from the city. Traffic began slowly, increasing as the afternoon continued on, however, the notable lack of participants was evident, in comparison to past Expos being held within an open library.<br />
<br />
Spirits were positive, nonetheless, as the authors and attendees shared projects and aspirations, and the city outside the doors of the TCA prepared for another day of carnival festivities.<br />
<br />
A follow-up survey determined that the majority of authors preferred the switch from February to August, and recommended that the event remain during Carnival weekend so they could maximize their marketing potential, participate in surrounding events (which was a bonus to visiting authors), and also to be a part of the bigger cultural celebration...in their own way. They were pleased to announce suggestions and their hopes for the following year--they were invested in the process, and the Kya Publishing vision.<br />
<br />
The afternoon affair was a great exercise in execution for the organizers of TUBE, who were increasingly gaining visibility in the Canadian book media, were expanding their advertising reach, and were also mastering the preparation and execution for the vendor services and volunteer roles, with each additional year.<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vGd3oZpQwpE" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Moving into the fifth year of TUBE, the overall impact that writers were hoping to have on the city, the response from book professionals and community members, and also the execution and management of the Expo were now reaching a place of comfort and experience. TUBE 2018 would be a new challenge, to take the lessons, feedback, and objective of the Book Expos of the past, and channel them into an improved version of the book fair, beneficial and productive for all involved, in all capacities.Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-33874352045109494742016-10-13T20:12:00.000-07:002016-10-13T20:12:53.044-07:00JCUF VOL 3 NO 1 (2016) – Children’s Author J.L. CHEATHAM<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-CA">This edition of the Journal of Canadian Urban
Fiction is dedicated to the writers who have committed themselves to sharing
diverse stories and celebrating children from all backgrounds through literature.
We take a brief look at their history, their inspiration, their favourite
children’s titles, and ask them to share some advice for aspiring authors.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">CELEBRATING CHILDREN’S AUTHOR J.L. CHEATHAM<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"> </span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEl8IX4ER1HlhVrw31qLJiTUk4SjMr7ydxRReAvapLx4DiQQYLl0zHENG7eu5hsUFeMn2NQwLWNqYZZv8PbkPfdYTlahfJffYpi0_sDOvtSJLOm8l-QoVTlkZN5hX1wHQeWhdvQQH_qgk/s1600/_DSC0688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEl8IX4ER1HlhVrw31qLJiTUk4SjMr7ydxRReAvapLx4DiQQYLl0zHENG7eu5hsUFeMn2NQwLWNqYZZv8PbkPfdYTlahfJffYpi0_sDOvtSJLOm8l-QoVTlkZN5hX1wHQeWhdvQQH_qgk/s200/_DSC0688.JPG" width="154" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1) How long have you been writing
children's literature, and what first inspired you to write this genre of
books?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="yiv4419065938gmail-normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-CA">I started writing children's
literature in 2013, and what inspired it was a trip to a bookstore with my
daughter. In the children's book section, there weren't a lot of books with
black characters on the cover, which inspired me to pursue writing books.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2) How does your personal culture
influence your writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="yiv4419065938gmail-spellingerror"><span lang="EN-CA">Fredrick</span></span><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><span class="yiv4419065938gmail-normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-CA"> Douglass said, "It's
easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." This explains
my mission as a writer. In my community, I want to create stories that show us
in quality, positive storylines</span></span><span lang="EN-CA">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3) What do you remember about
children's books when you were growing up, and how to you hope to change the
experience with your audience?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="yiv4419065938gmail-normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-CA">What I remember about the children
books I grew up reading (The Giver, Goosebumps series) was how powerful the
creativity was with the </span></span><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">story-</span><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">telling</span><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">. As well as the
relatability of the characters. My hope to present the same opportunity of
involvement for my readers. I want them to desire to join the world, which are
created with my books</span><span lang="EN-CA">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6D_N2Ja4zQxLtyH2SEWhC5nmohN8ZpHR5UZ5DH6__NRu9oopZSN_SQDupAxmJu7UGJPzCIZ02fWK69n4FA9xVmhsy3E-rcr9MrXygRrAs_-BEMR7TsP85p3WF1GVWv7HSrnasgLwYqs/s1600/Why+is+Jane+So+Mad+JL+Cheatham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6D_N2Ja4zQxLtyH2SEWhC5nmohN8ZpHR5UZ5DH6__NRu9oopZSN_SQDupAxmJu7UGJPzCIZ02fWK69n4FA9xVmhsy3E-rcr9MrXygRrAs_-BEMR7TsP85p3WF1GVWv7HSrnasgLwYqs/s200/Why+is+Jane+So+Mad+JL+Cheatham.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>4) Who is your favourite
children's author, and why?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My favorite author is R.L. Stine because of the originality of his work and the creativity of his books.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">5) What is one piece of advice you would </span></b><b><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">give to an aspiring children's author, based on your experiences thus far?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Learn
how you want to see the world and write about how it can be created.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>CONTACT<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>EMAIL: </b>jlcheatham2@gmail.com</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SOCIAL MEDIA:</b> @jay_elcheatham2</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>FACEBOOK:</b> Jeffrey Lee Cheatham II</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>PHONE: </b>204-646-8268</div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-21313917221534434542016-10-13T19:59:00.002-07:002016-10-13T20:07:21.570-07:00JCUF VOL 3 NO 1 (2016) – Children’s Author ADRIAN STERLING<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-CA">This edition of the Journal of Canadian Urban
Fiction is dedicated to the writers who have committed themselves to sharing
diverse stories and celebrating children from all backgrounds through literature.
We take a brief look at their history, their inspiration, their favourite
children’s titles, and ask them to share some advice for aspiring authors.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">CELEBRATING CHILDREN’S AUTHOR ADRIAN STERLING<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVUA8J3HlUcmk5rSMxIwYRGGMG1nFBtcX7VHc2a2jE36vmWeaCseEE1t-xpP2pRdTynjjCuK6fiD7OKCqY1fN7Dl3JTYQtfxoEeGzAxHfWOPG5orRWmJHzL5gMPcO_VPd2CMgPoEBomc/s1600/agez+pic+10+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVUA8J3HlUcmk5rSMxIwYRGGMG1nFBtcX7VHc2a2jE36vmWeaCseEE1t-xpP2pRdTynjjCuK6fiD7OKCqY1fN7Dl3JTYQtfxoEeGzAxHfWOPG5orRWmJHzL5gMPcO_VPd2CMgPoEBomc/s200/agez+pic+10+.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1) How long have you been writing
children's literature, and what first inspired you to write this genre of
books?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA">My name is Adrian
Sterling and I mostly write and draw comic books. I have been an artist almost
my whole life, but decided to take it serious as a career only about 3 years
ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2) How does your personal culture
influence your writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA">I was always fascinated
with art as a child and even developed my own style with influences from urban
art and Japanese manga.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3) What do you remember about
children's books when you were growing up, and how to you hope to change the
experience with your audience?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA">What I remember about
children's books while growing up is that they could be silly, funny but also
be used to teach children valuable lessons. I once read a children's book about
black people and it uplifted me and educated me about the self-worth of all
black people. My books incorporate all these things, the comedy, the urban
based art and the educational part to teach and to bring about awareness on a
variety of issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8rK5GIkL3gDeaZTK2TG8G4NNSAj53Mn7teduPBsvwQMEx4y5j_-hC8mRudBQ9sTZC0QsVsMNi1qXcnFcn7wZfcOA2QHvzYphrKqhXk1KI3Dh6qOHJ1PJ8-9_wumNUTw1BEmCVoNaqA0/s1600/Cash+Collection+Front+Page+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8rK5GIkL3gDeaZTK2TG8G4NNSAj53Mn7teduPBsvwQMEx4y5j_-hC8mRudBQ9sTZC0QsVsMNi1qXcnFcn7wZfcOA2QHvzYphrKqhXk1KI3Dh6qOHJ1PJ8-9_wumNUTw1BEmCVoNaqA0/s200/Cash+Collection+Front+Page+copy.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>4) Who is your favourite
children's author, and why?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA">Growing up my favorite children's author would have to be Robert
Munch. As a child I was always attracted to picture books, or books with bright
colors. Robert Munch's books had great art and his stories were usually silly
and comedic. His books made me laugh the most, and I didn't realize it back
then but humour is a very important thing in life for me.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>5) What is one piece of advice
you would give to an aspiring children's author, based on your experiences thus
far?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For all aspiring children's authors, the only piece of advice I give to them is, if you get stuck, don't give up. Based on my own experience it can be frustrating a demotivating when you get stuck in a particular area. My advice is don't give up, stay positive, keep pushing, and ask questions when you don't know the answers. In my case, I got stuck when I couldn't find out how to get my book published, but I asked questions, and talked to people, and when I least expected it, everything fell into place. The same will happen for all aspiring authors so long as they keep working hard, have perseverance, and stay humble.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>CONTACT<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>EMAIL: </b>newagez959@gmail.com</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SOCIAL MEDIA:</b> @AgezComics</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>PHONE: </b>647-739-8733<b> </b></div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-58761440194095886722016-10-13T19:21:00.002-07:002016-10-13T19:21:51.036-07:00JCUF VOL 3 NO 1 (2016) – Children’s Author ANGELOT NDONGMO<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-CA">This edition of the Journal of Canadian Urban
Fiction is dedicated to the writers who have committed themselves to sharing
diverse stories and celebrating children from all backgrounds through literature.
We take a brief look at their history, their inspiration, their favourite
children’s titles, and ask them to share some advice for aspiring authors.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">CELEBRATING CHILDREN’S AUTHOR ANGELOT NDONGMO<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbzs889AlZtWgwSnJrlwYTW8WpHmKhb_hSN_RcsnlYtC7nd-H4oRjxAzFuLo9_Q5exAobK4Rtt00cA97tBzgseJ4Hdxw_rlu0VzRgGYPooANo2E9qhMoeCxpq_2ireJjT-EcHg2lzC0o/s1600/Author+-+Angelot+Pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbzs889AlZtWgwSnJrlwYTW8WpHmKhb_hSN_RcsnlYtC7nd-H4oRjxAzFuLo9_Q5exAobK4Rtt00cA97tBzgseJ4Hdxw_rlu0VzRgGYPooANo2E9qhMoeCxpq_2ireJjT-EcHg2lzC0o/s200/Author+-+Angelot+Pic.JPG" width="130" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1) How long have you been writing
children's literature, and what first inspired you to write this genre of
books?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
I have written the
majority of my life! I was a book addict. Reading and writing stories/ideas
that came to my mind is what I did for fun; never once thought to become an
author. Sure, I squeezed in time for friends, but I was always carrying my
latest read in case there was ever any down time (on the bus, waiting for a
friend at the mall, etc.). Publishing my work happened in 2008 when I was part
of Knowledge Bookstore's book club. The owner, Sean Liburd, expressed enjoying
my reviews I would leave on their website of all the books we covered. He asked
me: "When will you write your book?" The rest, as they say, is
history! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2) How does your personal culture
influence your writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
My culture is one of
the main influences as to why I write today. My own lack of cultural exposure
growing up (not many options at the time) is the catalyst for my tenacity
throughout the process of publishing. Young children need to be exposed to
culture early on so they can grow with a love and/or appreciation for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3) What do you remember about
children's books when you were growing up, and how to you hope to change the
experience with your audience?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
I remember the
various fun, magical, or adventurous journeys they would take me on. I realize
now more than ever that the stories we read shape our expectations, teach us
how we fit in to the world, and blast open our imaginations! I had great
stories growing up, so my goal is to provide something equally enjoyable that
features children from the community as the main characters and enrich their
experience even more. My goal is to offer stories that educate or offer humour,
or intrigue, etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>4) Who is your favourite
children's author, and why?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXYKpuSBw54VWdWns9Y2X-Sp-e1-GxHTpyONBW_C3N3up7iYenndIClPi-fADba2f_nAN4kiBrapnHgn-w5wqXs5jkCHwVIEr-EyvcKrrFKQb2_iJliCrhCOpTbn3_lgo12P5QZ35xlc/s1600/Author+-+Angelot+Book.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXYKpuSBw54VWdWns9Y2X-Sp-e1-GxHTpyONBW_C3N3up7iYenndIClPi-fADba2f_nAN4kiBrapnHgn-w5wqXs5jkCHwVIEr-EyvcKrrFKQb2_iJliCrhCOpTbn3_lgo12P5QZ35xlc/s200/Author+-+Angelot+Book.JPG" width="197" /></a></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
There are a lot of
authors I love, so I will select just one: Itah Sadu ~ Christopher Clean Up
Your Room!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
Not only do I love
the story, I love and admire what she has accomplished with her work! Very
inspiring.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>5) What is one piece of advice
you would give to an aspiring children's author, based on your experiences thus
far?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #cd232c; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Don't
give up no matter what, no matter how long it takes! </span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #cd232c; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Find
your team of believers that will push you to go on and keep climbing the stairs
to success...there are no elevators!</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>CONTACT<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>WEB</b>: <a href="http://www.lovingmeseries.com/">www.lovingmeseries.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>FACEBOOK:</b> Loving Me Series<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SOCIAL MEDIA:</b> @AngelotNdongmo<o:p></o:p></div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-6927413005064217542016-10-13T18:21:00.001-07:002016-10-13T19:24:58.268-07:00JCUF VOL 3 NO 1 (2016) – Children’s Author SIMONE DACOSTA<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-CA">This edition of the Journal of Canadian Urban
Fiction is dedicated to the writers who have committed themselves to sharing
diverse stories and celebrating children from all backgrounds through literature.
We take a brief look at their history, their inspiration, their favourite
children’s titles, and ask them to share some advice for aspiring authors.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">CELEBRATING CHILDREN’S AUTHOR SIMONE DACOSTA<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZSBY1oua5QrTL7nSIXPEU-RcZQxDdDk41IMpU1y6_ttRAEnXVmi7UA8Y0y7DPr2aHt7uMq6yvBGMmgnjJZmPefMeY9I9Zm2rZT8FI0gQFmSuR3Iw1H3PfHZ4oG1LJ7g6mqvxiuIdhIc/s1600/Simone+DaCosta.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZSBY1oua5QrTL7nSIXPEU-RcZQxDdDk41IMpU1y6_ttRAEnXVmi7UA8Y0y7DPr2aHt7uMq6yvBGMmgnjJZmPefMeY9I9Zm2rZT8FI0gQFmSuR3Iw1H3PfHZ4oG1LJ7g6mqvxiuIdhIc/s200/Simone+DaCosta.jpeg" width="112" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1) How long have you been writing
children's literature, and what first inspired you to write this genre of
books?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
About 5 years. My inspiration
is Dr. Seuss and the many classical books he wrote. I love that some of his
books are nonsensical but also very unique, comical, and entertaining. Kids
gravitate to stories that are funny and make them laugh—kids love to be
entertained. I try to adapt the same policy when writing children's books. I
was also inspired to write children's books because growing up as a child I
rarely saw a character that looked like me. Come to think of it, I don't
remember seeing any....I am sure if there were characters that resembled me, I
would have enjoyed reading even more so, and I would feel a sense of belonging
knowing that the author thought about me by putting a Black character in a
book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2) How does your personal culture
influence your writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has a great deal of
influence due to the lack of characters of colour that are being represented in
children’s books. I, for one, would love to see more characters that look like
myself and other ethnic groups in children’s books. Characters in children's
book should represent all races and nationalities, so each child can identify
with the character(s).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3) What do you remember about
children's books when you were growing up, and how to you hope to change the
experience with your audience?<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
I remember racing to the library after school, and spending most of the late afternoon there engulfed in reading a funny, entertaining, and delighted children's book. I was entertained and intrigued every time I picked up a book and read it. Such books had me hooked, wanting more. Most of the time, I lost track of time being at the library so long. I often raced home (good thing I did not live too far from the library) just so I would not get in trouble for going home late! I prefer not to change my experience...my experience and relationship with books was a good one. I actually hope to continue on with this experience. I also hope that when I write a children's book, my book(s) will have that effect on a child, and if it does that would mean I have done something right and exactly what a book should do: make a child interested, wanting more!<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALkCF8UD20eIfDDj2vaSVIZgZYy9qTz8-UjMNeUyqXD0BZMIzv4Do7RHFqberTgXjvhYphwBJ7HWO6EGnfzyIgJxKCCZH7gkSrRB6LsXblDwryzBNbyZean6xRZFdTloky6BwcsdpsSY/s1600/Simone+I+Am+Beautiful+Cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALkCF8UD20eIfDDj2vaSVIZgZYy9qTz8-UjMNeUyqXD0BZMIzv4Do7RHFqberTgXjvhYphwBJ7HWO6EGnfzyIgJxKCCZH7gkSrRB6LsXblDwryzBNbyZean6xRZFdTloky6BwcsdpsSY/s200/Simone+I+Am+Beautiful+Cover.jpeg" width="160" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>4) Who is your favourite
children's author, and why?<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I don't know if I have one, but if I had to pick I would say Dr. Seuss and Judy Blume. I have a thing for Judy Blume's books...and her books have a thing for me (smile)!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>5) What is one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring children's author, based on your experiences thus far?</b><br />
<br />
Hmmmm…the children's writing
business is not an easy one. Writing for kids lit takes a lot of work, time,
and patience. If writing for children is what you love and aspire to do, then
that should be enough. It makes your writing journey all the merrier if you
become successful!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>CONTACT<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>EMAIL: </b><a href="mailto:simonedacosta86ca@yahoo.com">simonedacosta86ca@yahoo.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>PHONE:</b> 416-998-7770<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>WEB</b>: <a href="http://www.simonedacosta.com/">www.simonedacosta.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>FACEBOOK:</b> DepictingTheWriterInYou<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SOCIAL MEDIA:</b> @simonesblognet<o:p></o:p></div>
<b>BLOG:</b> <a href="http://www.simonesblog.com/">www.simonesblog.com</a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-14421265983697790632016-10-02T17:53:00.002-07:002016-10-13T17:37:18.622-07:00JCUF VOL 3 NO 1 (2016) – Children’s Author JADEN AMBER TAYLOR<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>This edition of the Journal of
Canadian Urban Fiction is dedicated to the writers who have committed
themselves to sharing diverse stories and celebrating children from all backgrounds
through literature. We take a brief look at their history, their inspiration,
and their favourite children’s titles, and ask them to share some advice for
aspiring authors.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">CELEBRATING CHILDREN’S AUTHOR JADEN AMBER TAYLOR<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunLUdFPesNjrp7yevsPA4aLCN34EysYnPhJKnuH7zUcX4h4KD0idqYIrcF58RMXTQgJNblR2_HxzFJjuVgLPRFAPSLG1Vo6fxOmzq2JpuRE4d2PUEXK3dHROqbxULFOdWS4eMbhft1WY/s1600/Jadenpr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunLUdFPesNjrp7yevsPA4aLCN34EysYnPhJKnuH7zUcX4h4KD0idqYIrcF58RMXTQgJNblR2_HxzFJjuVgLPRFAPSLG1Vo6fxOmzq2JpuRE4d2PUEXK3dHROqbxULFOdWS4eMbhft1WY/s200/Jadenpr.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1) How long have you been writing
children's literature, and what first inspired you to write this genre of
books?<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I started writing cartoon children's books when I was in first grade, instead of doing my homework. I've always enjoyed telling funny stories; making a book was a fun way to tell those stories to everyone. Instead of retelling the same thing over and over again to people, I can just say: "Here, read this!" and that was very exciting. I started Prissy Little Chloe two years ago, and ever since then I've been writing books for the series.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2) How does your personal culture
influence your writing?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Personally,
my influence comes from my love of puppies! I have a rambunctious little
terrier and I write about all the trouble she gets herself into.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3) What do you remember about
children's books when you were growing up, and how to you hope to change the
experience with your audience?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My
favorite children's book series is the Robert Munsch books. I love the
illustrations and mostly how funny they were to me (my favorite is Moira's
Birthday).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUBOH7U3lX_MajYWkSyxyd_WQDv1lETQHftTBcfFXcMXEnrn6wQ8pIxKwBppLA9ekkmxiI1wjhwnwajQ2-Z1G6P0SW6rnRfxVrRr5Ajpz_ZHs-tOrn22a8pIgAVcpU1VGUc5WH3_9xuw/s1600/My+Prissy+Puppy+Chloe+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUBOH7U3lX_MajYWkSyxyd_WQDv1lETQHftTBcfFXcMXEnrn6wQ8pIxKwBppLA9ekkmxiI1wjhwnwajQ2-Z1G6P0SW6rnRfxVrRr5Ajpz_ZHs-tOrn22a8pIgAVcpU1VGUc5WH3_9xuw/s200/My+Prissy+Puppy+Chloe+Cover.jpg" width="133" /></a><b>4) Who is your favourite
children's author, and why?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My
favorite children's author is Jeff Kinney of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. I
love his cartoon style and his sense of humor (my favorite is The Long Haul).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>5) What is one piece of advice
you would give to an aspiring children's author, based on your experiences thus
far?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My
advice to aspiring authors is to just get your book out there! Today, anyone
can publish a book on Amazon; the first thing I tell aspiring authors is to
open up a Word document and just start writing. If there's anyone wants to know
how to publish their books on Amazon.com, feel free to email me at <a href="mailto:jadenambertaylor@gmail.com" target="_blank">jadenambertaylor@gmail.com</a>.
I'm always happy to help!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>CONTACT JADEN<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">EMAIL: </span></b>jadenambertaylor@gmail.com<b> </b><b><span lang="EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-91914094602670244032016-10-02T17:33:00.005-07:002016-10-02T17:33:59.168-07:00JCUF VOL 3 NO 1 (2016) – Children’s Author ANGELA WALCOTT<i>This edition of the Journal of
Canadian Urban Fiction is dedicated to the writers who have committed
themselves to sharing diverse stories and celebrating children from all backgrounds
through literature. We take a brief look at their history, their inspiration,
and their favourite children’s titles, and ask them to share some advice for
aspiring authors.</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">CELEBRATING CHILDREN’S AUTHOR ANGELA WALCOTT<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfPxKhR4YkzOSKW95mFY4NdsJ8yTbqsBd7o8LCvEL50Y5km3B0qyXhJo2Fx5S26GotLO-QHUZQoAq48smfPUF2vKgxa8OPBc6KQr5leTt5AdPaV0qnzzJZLZlMBc3u0BnPC_7zqrIlR8/s1600/Headshot+-+Angela+Walcott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfPxKhR4YkzOSKW95mFY4NdsJ8yTbqsBd7o8LCvEL50Y5km3B0qyXhJo2Fx5S26GotLO-QHUZQoAq48smfPUF2vKgxa8OPBc6KQr5leTt5AdPaV0qnzzJZLZlMBc3u0BnPC_7zqrIlR8/s200/Headshot+-+Angela+Walcott.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>1) How long have you been writing
children's literature, and what first inspired you to write this genre of
books?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
About
three years now. I was first inspired to write children's literature after
taking a writing course—many ideas started to come forth. I knew I had to
document them somehow, and children's literature became a natural pathway for
me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2) How does your personal culture
influence your writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I try
to write what I know from a cultural perspective while incorporating a broader
world view into the storyline.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3) What do you remember about
children's books when you were growing up, and how to you hope to change the
experience with your audience?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I found
it difficult to locate characters that resembled me. Literature that focused on
young Black girls navigating through life in urban Toronto was virtually
non-existent as well, so I hope to expand the scope of children's literature
from that perspective so that is more representative of Black Canadians.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3a3ZCWhcifWzbTlXBM6Jvu5n8aedGaJ4-yabZRnnSxakXYZRf8yc1P6y3DI-EePOqPq-1l7FKQGyYGhRGFbI662EIV2kTXSCkVLfupH1FKnBDZO6wqDxDG0_T_PrDZxIXPkjHlJCVZs/s1600/Angela+BOOK+COVER+PROMO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3a3ZCWhcifWzbTlXBM6Jvu5n8aedGaJ4-yabZRnnSxakXYZRf8yc1P6y3DI-EePOqPq-1l7FKQGyYGhRGFbI662EIV2kTXSCkVLfupH1FKnBDZO6wqDxDG0_T_PrDZxIXPkjHlJCVZs/s200/Angela+BOOK+COVER+PROMO.jpg" width="194" /></a><b>4) Who is your favourite
children's author, and why?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That's
a tough one…it's a tie between Dennis Lee (author of Alligator Pie) and Maurice
Sendak (Where The Wild Things Are) because their bodies of work are so
imaginative.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>5) What is one piece of advice
you would give to an aspiring children's author, based on your experiences thus
far?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Write
honestly and with confidence. Believe in yourself but above all believe in your
story and remember that there is a storyteller that exists in each and every
one of us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">CONTACT ANGELA:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">EMAIL: </span></b>northwordpublishing@gmail.com<b> </b><b><span lang="EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">PHONE: </span></b>416 476-8305<b><span lang="EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">WEB: </span></b>www.northwordpublishing.com<b><span lang="EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">FACEBOOK: </span></b>NorthwordPublishing<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SOCIAL MEDIA: </b>@northwordpub<b> </b></div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-6187285929284615042015-02-28T03:46:00.000-08:002015-03-08T08:57:51.474-07:00JCUF VOL 2 NO 1 (2015) - "The History of Urban Fiction" by Stacey Marie Robinson<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjunB4ref6iShdKXTOov4LE1NHzvvNejquVOv1YMfrTDfexbYQwe6pAki_l8WSepPjPzfGJxSNiT6mVUJPl7DYu97UGm1HN95t9lk8k4xkkgppD9Qo37qyTILlsb-qmRsjJjjdfH6UpR0Y/s1600/JCUF+Logo+-+smallest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjunB4ref6iShdKXTOov4LE1NHzvvNejquVOv1YMfrTDfexbYQwe6pAki_l8WSepPjPzfGJxSNiT6mVUJPl7DYu97UGm1HN95t9lk8k4xkkgppD9Qo37qyTILlsb-qmRsjJjjdfH6UpR0Y/s1600/JCUF+Logo+-+smallest.jpg" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-no-proof: yes;">The term “urban” exists with some underlying controversy,
at times. When using it, one must have </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">full
recognition of its geographical, cultural, and racial significance. So taking
the task of classifying—and even claiming—an entire genre of fiction is also a
challenge in itself. While “Urban Fiction” exists and has been used as a
classification of Canadian literature in various circumstances, it is the goal
of Kya Publishing to highlight “Canadian Urban Fiction” as a culturally
specific style of writing and content that reflects not only a genre of
fiction, but also a sub-culture of readers and writers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
definition of urban that I am working with is a positive one, although some
believe it to have negative connotations as a code word of sorts to “mask”
discussion of Black culture. Rooted in its literal meaning being “of the city,”
I believe urban (in terms of fiction) is reflective of a style of culture:
music, clothing, attitude, and a mentality of the streets … be they hard
impoverished streets, or the trendy city streets of a bustling metropolis. The
commonality being its link to urban popular culture, its ideologies, codes of
conduct, values . . .and yes, more often than not it is a reflection of
Black/African-American/Caribbean-Canadian culture. Given the demographics of
Toronto and our diverse living proximity and sharing of cultural activities, we
can also throw a variety of other cultures into the mix of what makes Canada
“urban.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Now,
this may not be the same for our counterparts south of the border. Just as
their culture is unique, so is the way they present it, and celebrate it. So
while Urban Fiction in American may be more on the “street” side than the
“Caribbean culture” side … it is still rooted in the need to depict a
particular community authentically, and keep the writing and the characters
true to their origin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">In
the Canadian context, Canadian Urban Fiction is just as relatively new as urban
culture. Just like music, clothing lines, and radio licensing, we have
witnessed the emergence of a lucrative and internationally powerful recognition
of our status. Add a successful basketball team, chart-topping recording
artists, successful choreographers and videographers, and there’s an industry
that has been steadily on the rise for the past 20 years, and quickly reaching
domination in various categories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Black-
African- and Caribbean-Canadian writers have been winning awards, topping
bestseller lists, and making noise in the Canadian literary scene for decades.
Greats like Dionne Brand, Lawrence Hill, and Austin Clarke have cemented their
place as voices and historians of the Black Canadian culture through their
words, storytelling, and artistic talents. To define their writing by race
alone would be an injustice to the universal nature of their stories their
words, and craftsmanship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">In
the emergence of Canadian Urban Fiction, I would not classify the works of <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">a</a></span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><a class="msocomanchor" href="file:///F:/Kya%20Publishing/JCUF/VOL%202%20NO%201%20-%202015/JCUF%20-%20VOL%202%20NO%201_%20edited%20-%20February%202015.docx#_msocom_1" id="_anchor_1" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_1">[a1]</a><!--[endif]--> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span lang="EN-CA">‘George Elliott Clarke’, of an ‘Afua Cooper’, or of a ‘Rosemary Sadlier’
as “urban” or of that genre. I believe their legacy is that of an inaugural
nature, and of foundation. It is beyond classification, by these narrow
confines.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">It
is the generation just following these legends that were raised by the “urban
culture” of the nineties and beyond, that Kya Publishing is capturing almost
specifically: the generation that birthed the term urban, and was exposed to
the emergence of the “BET (Black Entertainment Television)” culture, the change
and monetizing of hip-hop culture, and the diversification of its racial
impact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">I
cannot personally speak for the American tone, or the British tone to urban
writing, but I will claim that the Canadian tone is infused with an American
influence, Caribbean and African presence, and a multicultural awareness that
only Toronto/Canada can bring. It is less gangster, more cultural; less street,
and more city; less explicit, and more authentic. I will claim the Canadian
interpretation of Urban Fiction to be gritty, real, raw, and a familiar interpretation
of our various ethnicities and cultural values.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">As
a publisher, I strive to be a communicator and supporter of urban literary content,
through ensuring that we as writers are all like-minded in our descriptions and
creations of the urban Toronto/Canadian caricatures that will stand the test of
literary time and permanency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Historically,
Urban Fiction has been popular with teens and twenty-somethings, as a gritty
introduction to literature and real life experience, much like youth-focused
television programming, music, and magazines. It made the reading experience so
personal, that the very life they were living, music they were listening to,
clothing, and speech patterns they were familiar with, found themselves into
literature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Not
unlike most books, the experiences reflect reality. However, it wasn’t until
the introduction of Robert Beck aka Iceberg Slim, that the realities of the
“streets” and the urban underworld of sorts, were celebrated in literature.
This manifested as urban pulp fiction in the 1970s, and while widely
circulated, it is difficult to find professional reviews of this content and
its originators.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Other
literature of the time by African-American authors focused more on culture,
racism, slavery, and striving for equality…featured autobiographies, and less
about drugs, gangs, and street as the urban pulp fiction was highlighting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Writers
like W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T Washington, and Frederick Douglass spoke to the
meaning of the Black American presence, and issues of people of African descent
living in the U.S. Political in nature, and rooted in change and awareness,
there was another movement of writing in the 70s that was more mainstream than
the gritty street literature of the inaugural Urban Fiction writers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">This
was not the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s-1940s … this was a different tone
altogether, with a high appeal to otherwise reluctant readers. These books were
defined by socio-economic realities, and very culturally specific.
Neighbourhood specific. This was not speaking about the plights of
African-Americans everywhere … this was talking about the life of a particular ‘hood
at a particular time. This was refuting the dominant, intellectual literature
culture. This was Urban Fiction, and it began to stand as a genre on its own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">There
was no mainstream acceptance, and arguably still isn’t. Urban Fiction authors
became accustomed to self-publishing their words, and independently marketing
their efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">While
the 1990s did see a surge in popularity with writers like Omar Tyree, Terry
McMillan, and the likes … their books soon transcended the urban framework, and
became staples of African-American literature, much like their predecessors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Today’s
Urban Fiction authors came up with a different hustle to the game--an urgency
to publish these tales by-any-means-necessary to keep the texts current, and frequent.
In their own communities, Urban Fiction writers and publishers have built and
sustained a thriving industry of hundreds of novels, authors, and its own
infrastructure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Through
the Journal of Canadian Urban Fiction</span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><a class="msocomanchor" href="file:///F:/Kya%20Publishing/JCUF/VOL%202%20NO%201%20-%202015/JCUF%20-%20VOL%202%20NO%201_%20edited%20-%20February%202015.docx#_msocom_2" id="_anchor_2" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_2">[a2]</a><!--[endif]--> </span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">,
we will continue to explore this genre of writing, the historical and future impact,
and the writers that are dedicated to its growth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #cc00ff; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stacey Marie Robinson is the founder of Kya Publishing, a writer, and
communications specialist. Contact Stacey at: stacey@kyapublishing.com.</span></i></div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="msocomtxt" id="_com_2" language="JavaScript">
<!--[if !supportAnnotations]--></div>
<!--[endif]--></div>
</div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-64515508220403464152015-02-28T03:45:00.002-08:002015-03-08T08:58:50.723-07:00JCUF VOL 2 NO 1 (2015) - "The 1990s: The Golden Era of Urban Fiction" by Kamilah Haywood<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpz5hZA6Vfn2GdBLHq2uG0yySJyfN1LnlDBxFywoMnWn1wytTsHyBo1dKd2WimAwFo5PKiGUvOQ18HALlDZ78IuGSy4XJ0MCzNJtiKvjWFeZa5q4G1Nyc3Y4M-OODE7mSFzDb1mtUfLy4/s1600/KAMILAH+-+BYRONSTUDIOS-KamilahHaywood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpz5hZA6Vfn2GdBLHq2uG0yySJyfN1LnlDBxFywoMnWn1wytTsHyBo1dKd2WimAwFo5PKiGUvOQ18HALlDZ78IuGSy4XJ0MCzNJtiKvjWFeZa5q4G1Nyc3Y4M-OODE7mSFzDb1mtUfLy4/s1600/KAMILAH+-+BYRONSTUDIOS-KamilahHaywood.jpg" height="200" width="153" /></a></div>
<i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">“Did
you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s laws wrong, it learned to
walk without having feet.” -- Tupac Shakur<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">It’s
funny how time has flown by, but the issues in the urban community seem to remain
the same. The 1990’s—that some refer to as the “Golden Era” of hip-hop—was the
birth of an era of truth --a forbidden truth.
A truth that you could smell, taste, touch and see if you lived it but,
if you were not from that truth … you had no way of understanding what was
happening. It was inevitable for storytellers to emerge and speak this truth to
reach the masses. They rose from the concrete, so to speak, with talents and
stories to express truth and wisdom, from a place greater than their own. It
did not matter what form that truthful message was released in, or the method that
was used to reach the masses—the darkness of that truth had to eventually come
to light. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
global oppression that some black people were experiencing created a shift in
enlightenment. The late 1970’s and early
1980’s birthed hip-hop, a unique form of expression that emerged from
oppressive low income communities that many blacks resided in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">There
are five components of hip-hop: 1) B-Boying, 2) MC-ing, 3) Graffiti, 4) DJ-ing,
and 5) Knowledge, Culture and Overstanding (as defined by the Zulu Nation). The
1990’s continued to shape and mould the art form of hip-hop through MC’s like Tupac
Shakur, with his album “Me Against the World” to Mobb Deep’s album “The
Infamous” to Nas’s album “Illmatic” to name a few classics. These and many
other hip-hop MC’s were able to craft lyrics/poetry about their experiences
growing up in the “concrete jungles” and it was a form of storytelling that
exposed their living conditions, in poverty.
Hip-hop gave many black people in these circumstances a voice, when the
rest of the world was not trying to hear what they had to say. The physical shackles had been removed, but
the mental prison was now on the mind and still is today for many, who continue
to live in these conditions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">These
oppressive conditions isolated some black people from the norms like others in
society. This oppression whether evident (in the physical) or not, marginalized
some black people, and continued to try and hide the oppressive truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
creativity of hip-hop also began to inspire other talents in other creative
forms used to express the oppression and tell the stories that was being pushed
under the rug … and still is today, to some extent. Urban Fiction was one of those forms of
expression that emerged first in the 1970’s, with a graphic tale from Iceberg
Slim’s story, Pimp. A new type of
literary fiction had emerged and the stories continued to surface in the
1990’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Hip-hop
music was graphically telling stories of the lost children in the streets on
records, while Urban Fiction authors were creating characters and plots, and
also unraveling graphic stories of what was happening in these oppressive low
income communities. It was very
difficult to bring this type of manuscript to corporate America/Canada to get
published, and it still isn’t any easier today … but the story, regardless,
will and <i>has</i> to be told. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Author’s
like Sista Souljah, Omar Tyree, and Teri Woods went against the odds and
created novels that will always be used as references to the Urban Fiction
reading community. <i>The Coldest Winter
Ever, Flyy Girl, and True to the Game</i> are ground breaking novels that
exposed the stories that were situated in these oppressive black communities.
These three authors had the hustle, ambition, and talent to fight for a place
in the literary world whether accepted or not. They clearly exposed that black
people have a story to tell to the world—and the literary world—no matter how
they try to hide that truth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Activist
Sista Souljah is a true revolutionary Urban Fiction author of our time. Her writing career began first as a featured
rapper debuting on Public Enemy albums in the early 1990’s, and she eventually
released her own album “<i>360 degrees of
Power</i>.” Her music videos were banned
by MTV because of the “black power” messages she was portraying in her work. In
1992 when the Los Angeles riots occurred, she made a comment that is still
talked about today when racial/political debates surface. Sista Souljah said “If black people kill
black people every day, why not have a week that we kill all white people?” Her message spoke loud and clear; she was and
is for the voices of black people ‘by any means necessary’, and her work
continued to portray that. Sista Souljah realized that some oppressed black
people needed a voice. In 1999 her debut Urban Fiction novel, “<i>The Coldest Winter Ever</i>”, sent chills down the spines of readers everywhere,
with her raw and explicit tale about the life of Winter Santiaga’s story in the
streets. If you were not from Brooklyn,
New York, you immediately <i>felt</i> like
you were walking through the toughest parts of the neighbourhood, watching this
young girl’s story unfold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
door had been opened and the gateway to the enlightenment of Urban Fiction
storytelling had begun. Sista Souljah,
Omar Tyree, Terry McMillian, and Teri Woods all proved that Urban Fiction was a
new literary genre and a force to be reckoned with. These best-selling novelists
proved that no matter how many doors the corporate world closes in your face,
if you keep fighting, hustling and working, the path of truth will shape itself
while appearing right in front of you. The economic corporate agenda in our
society today—or yesterday—has nothing to do with the creative talents of
individuals in our world, no matter how these agendas may try to keep them
oppressed and without a voice. The story will always be told and these stories
will always crack through the concrete with lights to shine in the dark places
they’ve been silenced to live in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">“Darkness cannot drive darkness,
only light can do that. Hate cannot
drive hate, only love can do that.” ~ Martin
Luther King Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #cc00ff; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Kamilah Haywood’s Urban Fiction novel “Concrete Jungle” is
available at Amazon.com; she can be reached at kamilah@lffpublishing.com.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-57702622070235285362015-02-28T03:43:00.003-08:002015-03-08T09:00:38.186-07:00JCUF VOL 2 NO 1 (2015) - "The 'British Perspective' on Urban Fiction" by Sam Hunter<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaEcjXbzr_kNGwExanx5kv3jG3heBpkC7OgxbnA3m9o7cf6vfR2C3EF_FnfxGhpA2gD7zYOYiJW2qPp_qvPK4S9peEBJ43n8wG_E4pbRkQLzJMMSYc_nLL1YjwqbsNZibkJT40xYHwos/s1600/sam+hunter.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaEcjXbzr_kNGwExanx5kv3jG3heBpkC7OgxbnA3m9o7cf6vfR2C3EF_FnfxGhpA2gD7zYOYiJW2qPp_qvPK4S9peEBJ43n8wG_E4pbRkQLzJMMSYc_nLL1YjwqbsNZibkJT40xYHwos/s1600/sam+hunter.jpeg" /></a></div>
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A door opened to her right. A shaft of light sliced into the darkness.
The shadows behind the glass moved rapidly.
A wave of fear gripped Nia as she saw the deep black silhouette of a
handgun appear in the doorway. Time
stood still for Nia as she realized the aim of the handgun had fixed itself
firmly on her. <span style="color: #cc00cc;">“Are you afraid to die? Or do you wanna live forever?”</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The deep guttural voice filled the room briefly
and then faded into nothingness as if the walls of the room had completely
absorbed it.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Her heart was beating so hard it was the only
other sound she could hear in the room.
She felt it beating so fast her chest could barely contain it and she
couldn’t swallow. Before she had time to
react she saw the white hot muzzle flash and retort of the weapon as it fired.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It’s no coincidence there’s a line from Tupac’s
‘Only Fear of Death’ in the opening chapter of my novel ‘Book One’. In fact, the pages are littered with
them. Because in my mind, hip-hop is the
soundtrack to Urban Fiction and Tupac is the figurehead of hip-hop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">For as long as I can remember, I was trying to
find the right story to tell. I’d write
a few pages and nothing seemed to click.
But back then I’d yet to fall in love with hip-hop. That didn’t happen
until I was studying American history at university.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Studying Malcom X, the Civil Rights struggle,
and the Black Panther Party laid the foundations. I remember not being able to stop reading
‘Malcom X’ by Alex Haley. I sat and
devoured the book over several shifts at my part-time job. And then something
about a Tupac lyric on the track ‘Pain’ just had me focused on hip-hop. There
was no turning back. I went on to complete a research master’s degree in
hip-hop history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">You could say that ‘Book One’ was the
culmination of my studies. Not long after I finished studying, I was struck by
an idea to bring it all together. I had
a flash of inspiration and discovered a passion for this story that would
enable me to follow it all the way through to publication. From that moment it was on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">They say write what you know. For most people
that’s their experiences, set in their surroundings. For me it was different;
you won’t find any Britishness in my work. I listen to U.S. hip-hop and enjoy
the old school graffiti masters of the New York subway. What I know is hip-hop
and how Black Power bled right through into the hip-hop generation. I took
that, threw in some conspiracy, the sexy heat of Miami, and turned out a book
that will get every hop-hop fan thinking ‘what if?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I’ve written some other novellas, they’re still
part of the ‘Makaveli’s Prince’ series, but they’ve been a break, a chance for
me to get things together for ‘Book Two’. I’ve been exploring the genre a
little further with characters and storylines which branch away from my central
focus on historical conspiracy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I can’t speak on the Urban Fiction scene in
Britain because I’ve always had a solitary creative process. When I do link up with other authors and
readers it’s always been online and there, the U.S. contingent dominates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What I do know is the internet has been great
for putting me in touch with my readers around the world. Hearing from them has been the best experience
I’ve had as a writer. And I’m sure it’s going to stay that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #cc00ff; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Sam Hunter is the author of the “Makaveli’s Prince” book series.
Connect with him on Twitter @_SamHunter. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-11751091800620898492015-02-28T03:42:00.003-08:002015-03-08T09:08:26.678-07:00JCUF VOL 2 NO 1 (2015) - "Black Canadian Children's Authors" by Nadia Hohn<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSrjaUDX3mdmszo2uLBiVA3WQZjYgkbcyWueE1TdEYwfvI4XNplB3W7z-9ceXjhOzVTNRJEIw3NE2IkDIUHDeRQuVNF7IOno74sn8UajZ1RIntSKUag4OtTIudDkdeUsAp-MGDdcTCHc/s1600/51dH8zbo6EL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSrjaUDX3mdmszo2uLBiVA3WQZjYgkbcyWueE1TdEYwfvI4XNplB3W7z-9ceXjhOzVTNRJEIw3NE2IkDIUHDeRQuVNF7IOno74sn8UajZ1RIntSKUag4OtTIudDkdeUsAp-MGDdcTCHc/s1600/51dH8zbo6EL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Though
statistics indicate only 2% books published in the United States in 2013 were
about Black children, there are still writers who are writing about our
experiences. The numbers in Canada are a
lot less with many writers of African descent going the self-published
route. Here are some examples of great
Canadian books in all of the genres for children and young adults: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">1) Angelot Ndongmo - <i>Loving
Me</i> and <i>Boy, I Am Loving Me<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">2) Shauntay Grant - <i>Up
Home</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">3) Jody Nyasha Warner - <i>Viola
Desmond Won't Be Budged"<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">4) Rosemary Sadlier - <i>The
Kids Book of Black Canadian History</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">5) Nadine Chevolleau - <i>Stop
Kissing Me, Mommy!</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">6) Janet Campbell - <i>Purpose
Finds His Gift</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">7) Angela Walcott - <i>I Want
To Be<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">8) Simone Da Costa - <i>Emily-Rose's
Day at the Farm</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">9) Dirk McLean - <i>Play
Mas'! A Carnival ABC</i> and <i>Curtain Up:
A Book for Young Performers</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">10) Adwoa Badoe - <i>Anansi's
Pot of Wisdom</i> and <i>Nana's Cold Days</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Early years (0-5 years old)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">From
their skin to their hair to their smile, Brampton-based author Angelot Ndongmo
helps young readers to appreciate themselves with the series <i>Loving Me</i>. Through clever rhymes, Angelot celebrates the
wonderful things about being a little girl in <i>Loving Me</i> which is self-published.
Angelot received a great response from parents and kids. When the author
was asked if she could make one just for boys, she wrote <i>Boy! I Am Loving Me</i>!</span><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Poetry<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
<i>Up Home</i>, Nova Scotia-born poet
Shauntay Grant remembers her summers visiting North Preston, Nova Scotia. Vivid
images of picking blueberries, going to church, and being with her cousins and
grandparents make you feel like you are almost there.</span><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Advanced Picture Book (6-9 years old)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Viola Desmond Won’t be Budged</span></i><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> by Jody Nyasha Warner is based on a true-life civil rights
hero from Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is
1946. When Viola Desmond decides to go
to the movies in New Glasgow, after her car breaks down and has to be fixed
overnight, she is faced with the segregation law that whites and blacks could
not sit together, even though she already paid for her ticket. The next series of events change history with
Viola at the centre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Middle Grade Novel (9-12 years old)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Christopher
Paul Curtis tells the story of Elijah who is the first child in his family to be
born free in Buxton, Ontario. When a
thief steals his friend’s money, money to buy a family’s freedom from slavery
in the southern United States, Elijah is in hot pursuit on a dangerous journey.
But will he ever get back home? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Young Adult Novel (12-16 years old)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Set
in Toronto, <i>Harriet’s Daughter</i> by
Marlene Nourbese Philip is the story of friends. Margaret is born in Canada of Barbadian
parents. Her new best friend Zulma has
arrived from Tobago and misses her homeland.
Can a Margaret’s game of the Underground Railroad, where she is the
conductor Harriet, get Zulma any closer?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #cc00ff; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Nadia Hohn is a Canadian children’s
author and educator; she can be reached at nadialhohn@gmail.com.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616408968493373744.post-63071098390094852852015-02-28T03:41:00.002-08:002015-03-08T09:02:53.693-07:00JCUF VOL 2 NO 1 (2015) - "NAACP Image Awards Maintain Standard of Excellence in Literature" by Gwen Richardson<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJKT_gZqx_vIClqPalL6xZLhWvpM5pakk6-4q4Gsb92qb0Brppz0YR_qUtI-g82t2NKzYRnEsxMJjdSXdcrQSzMFdNSK4iCW6mBhiefJXZW_QLDEAgSTQdLh_vF9kXHgf8FLAP6hza5s/s1600/me_redcarpet1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJKT_gZqx_vIClqPalL6xZLhWvpM5pakk6-4q4Gsb92qb0Brppz0YR_qUtI-g82t2NKzYRnEsxMJjdSXdcrQSzMFdNSK4iCW6mBhiefJXZW_QLDEAgSTQdLh_vF9kXHgf8FLAP6hza5s/s1600/me_redcarpet1.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">African-American authors rarely receive
national recognition for their work. There are a few, like novelists Terry
McMillan and Walter Mosley, whose profiles have been raised due to movie
adaptations. And a few others, like <i>NY Times</i>
reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson, who achieve national
breakthroughs for historical or non-fiction work. But the most consistent,
high-profile, annual recognition bestowed upon Black authors are the NAACP
Image Awards nominations for outstanding literary work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was fortunate to
receive one such nomination this year for my recently released book, <i>101 Scholarship Applications: What It Takes
to Obtain a Debt-Free College Education</i>. This was not only my fifth
published book, but it was a book that I originally had not intended to write.
Its publication resulted from two years of research I conducted to ensure that
our daughter, who is now a freshman at North Carolina Central University, had
no college loan debt upon graduation.
After receiving numerous inquiries from other parents, I felt the most
efficient way to distribute the information was by compiling it in a book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In September of last
year, I received an email from the Image Awards announcing that the nomination
process for the literary awards had begun. As co-founder and national
coordinator of the National Black Book Festival, I often receive these types of
notifications, which I distribute to authors within our network. As I scanned
the list of categories, I noticed one titled “Instructional,” and I decided to
submit my book, which was released later that month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Awards Committee
requires applicants to submit 15 copies of their books for review, plus a
processing fee of $215.00. The
competition was tremendous, and there was no guarantee of success. Since my
books are self-published, the fee and the cost of printing the books was an
additional personal expense, but I decided to take a chance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As it turned out, it
was the best $215.00 I’ve ever spent in terms of a return on my investment.
When the nominations were announced in December, my book was among them. The
NAACP Image Awards provides tickets to the festivities for all nominees and a
guest, but they do not cover travel expenses. However, I viewed the nomination
as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and decided to make the trip to Los
Angeles for the two-day affair on Feb. 5 and 6.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The event did not
disappoint and was well beyond my expectations. Nominees were treated like
winners throughout the Image Awards, receiving free access to the women’s
brunch, two red carpet opportunities, non-televised awards on Thursday evening,
televised awards on Friday, and the after party featuring Chaka Khan as the
musical performer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The menus were first
class with open bars throughout both days.
The nominees hobnobbed with television and movie celebrities, who were,
for the most part, accessible and friendly. Photographers from national and
international publications took red-carpet photos of all nominees who attended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The literary awards were
announced on Thursday evening and there were eight categories: Fiction,
non-fiction, instructional, children’s, debut author, young adult/teens,
biography, and poetry. To my surprise,
there were only a few of the literary nominees in attendance, but the
excitement was electric. Those who won (I was not among them) graced the stage
with heartfelt acceptance speeches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Although the Image
Awards celebrated its 46<sup>th</sup> anniversary this year, the literary
honors were first launched 22 years ago in 1993, with only one category for
outstanding literary work. Their
expansion to eight separate categories, with five nominees for each, represents
an opportunity for authors to receive honors for something many would do for
free. Indeed, most writers pursue their craft for years without compensation.
Writing is a passion which compels them, in hopes that the end users will
either be entertained or informed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If not for the
efforts of the NAACP Image Awards, African American authors would have few
opportunities to receive national recognition for their literary works. With
the thousands of books now published by Black authors every year, the Image
Awards play a major role in maintaining the standards of excellence in
African-American literature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #cc00ff; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gwen Richardson is a Houston-based entrepreneur and author.
Information about the author and her books can be found at:
www.gwenrichardson.com. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Kya Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240124671352908518noreply@blogger.com0