By Neil Armstrong
Half-Court Trap by Kevin heronJones tells a very compelling story about rivalries, friendships, how misguided pent-up feelings can lead to unfortunate circumstances, and ways to redeem one’s self – all are important life lessons imparted in this young adult fiction.
heronJones, a youth basketball coach, author, journalist, actor, lecturer and award-winning performance poet, uses the game of basketball to explore important themes among these young players.
Here is a synopsis of the book: “Fall ball is starting up and Nigel knows he’ll make the team. He’s a good player, he works hard and he respects his teammates, the game and his coach. But at tryouts, the last person Nigel wants to see is there – Number 5 from a rival team who got the best of Nigel last year on the court by calling him “fatboy baller.” When his rival becomes his teammate, Nigel gets set on revenge. But is it worth sacrificing the team’s shot at the championship?”
It is within sports that we meet Nigel, his parents and siblings, his teammates, Coach Shabaka, the coach’s daughter Kiya, his rival, Denham, and Denham’s parents. heronJones deftly uses the dialogue among the players to situate the conflict between Nigel and Denham, gullible friendship and the consequences of actions.
Also tackled are the issues of fat shaming, peer pressure, parental conflicts and the importance of collegiality.
The author gives the main characters the latitude to make mistakes, realize their missteps and make amends for their actions. heronJones develops the familial relationships of Nigel and Denham to provide readers with a window into the impact that families can have on their members. The parents can learn from their children too.
Published by James Lorimer & Company Ltd. in 2021 as part of its sports stories series, Half-Court Trap will spark discussions among young readers and between them and their parents, coaches and mentors.
Other books written by heronJones to read
In 2005, I AM a Child of the SUN, was published by the author’s company, PoeticSoul Publishing.
“This book of poetry asks and responds to the many questions that drift in and out of the young Black mind. It presents the reality of being a Black child in the 21st century. I AM a Child of the SUN is more than just an arbitrary collection of poems. It is a work of art, which contains essays, narratives, social commentaries, rants and editorial in poetic form. The poems chronicle the maturation of a young Black mind into a confident spiritual being,” notes a description of the book.
A description of another book, Telephone Love – Poems, Verses & Songs, published in 2008, also by PoeticSoul Publishing, notes that, “Love is meant for the elevation of intertwined spirits and the descending of such is nothing less than tragedy. With Telephone Love, heronJones offers up a fresh look at love, relationships and everything they encompass.”
Check out heronjones.com to find out more about Kevin heronJones
Here are some other books from my reading list
Rainbow Milk, a novel by Paul Mendez, published by Doubleday in 2020
“An essential and revelatory coming-of-age narrative from a thrilling new voice, Rainbow Milk follows nineteen-year-old Jesse McCarthy as he grapples with his racial and sexual identities against the backdrop of his Jehovah’s Witness upbringing,” notes a synopsis of the novel.
Paul Mendez is a London-based novelist, essayist and screenwriter of Jamaican heritage. Born in 1982 and raised Jehovah’s Witness in the English West Midlands, Mendez disassociated himself from the Witnesses while still a teenager. In 2020 Dialogue Books published Rainbow Milk in the U.K., where it was featured in The Observer’s prestigious Top Ten Debut Novels list and was short-listed for the Gordon Burn Prize.
Check out www.paulmendez.co.uk
Una Marson by Lisa Tomlinson, part of the Caribbean Biography Series published by the University of the West Indies Press in 2019.
Una Marson’s work embodied anti-colonialism, anti-racism, feminism, class politics and pan-Africanism in the first half of the twentieth century. Her poetry and dramatic work symbolically ushered in a new era in Jamaica’s literary landscape and her efforts in championing early Jamaican literature, as well as her avid support for Caribbean writers in Britain and the region, made her a key proponent of the development of a national and West Indian literary canon, states the book’s description.
Lisa Tomlinson is a lecturer in literary and cultural studies at the Institute of Caribbean Studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. She is the author of The African-Jamaican Aesthetic: Cultural Retention and Transformation across Borders.
The Caribbean Biography Series from the University of the West Indies Press celebrates and memorializes the architects of Caribbean culture. The series aims to introduce general readers to those individuals who have made sterling contributions to the region in their chosen field – literature, the arts, politics, sports – and are the shapers and bearers of Caribbean identity.
The other individuals featured in the series are Beryl McBurnie, Earl Lovelace, Marcus Garvey and Derek Walcott.
Can You Hear Me Now? How I Found My Voice and Learned to Live with Passion and Purpose by Celina Caesar-Chavannes published by Random House Canada in 2021.
Celina Caesar-Chavannes had already broken boundaries as a Black woman in business when she decided to get into politics. But, in 2015, when she became the first Black person elected to represent the federal riding of Whitby, Ontario, she hadn’t really thought about the fact that she was headed for a place that was not designed for someone like her, notes a synopsis of the book.
Celina Caesar-Chavannes is an equity and inclusion advocate and leadership consultant, and a former Member of Parliament who served as parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and to the Minister of International Development et la Francophonie.
A Different Booklist Cultural Centre’s February 2022 Virtual Programming
All events are listed on Eventbrite for registration.
Tuesday, February 1
2:00-3:00 p.m.
Michael Lashley in conversation with William Ging Wee Dere, author of Being Chinese in Canada: The Struggle for Identity, Redress and Belonging. Presented at the beginning of Chinese New Year and Black History Month.
Many in multicultural Canada feel the issues of cultural identity and the struggle for belonging. Although Being Chinese in Canada is a personal recollection and an exploration of the history and culture of Chinese Canadians, the themes of inclusion and kinship are timely and will resonate with Canadians of all backgrounds.
Thursday, February 3
10:30-11:30 a.m. – Joanne Hillhouse
Joanne Hillhouse, The Jungle Outside. HarperCollins – a children’s book illustrated by Danielle Boodoo Fortuné (Audience: Primary Students)
Set in the Caribbean, The Jungle Outside tells the story of Dante and his grandmother, Tanti, as they explore Tanti’s garden. At first reluctant, Dante soon comes to realise the adventures that await him outside and we follow them as he climbs trees, tastes fruit, and finally notices the nature around him.
Beautifully illustrated by Danielle Boodoo Fortuné, this book is a visual feast which will feed the imagination of young readers. It encourages children get outside and explore, to look at things differently, and to face their fears.
Thursday, February 10
7:00-8:00 p.m.
Opal Palmer Adisa (editor), 100+ Voices for Miss Lou: Poetry, Tributes, Interviews, Essays. The University of the West Indies Press.
Host: Lisa Tomlinson
Free
100+ Voices For Miss Lou is a tribute to the Honourable Louise Bennett-Coverley. It celebrates the Jamaican poet, author, storyteller and ambassador whose influence impacted people globally. The book is the realization of an idea that Opal Palmer Adisa had several years ago and includes poetry, tributes, interviews and essays from over 100 contributors.
Friday, February 11
“Walk a Mile in My Shoes”
6:30-7:30 p.m.
TRENT is the author of How Sneakers Saved My Life: My Entrepreneurial Journey (Book 1) and How Sneakers Ruined My Life: The Entrepreneurial Journey That Shifted My Mental State
Host: Itah Sadu
Ticketed
In his memoir, Trent captures in two books his journey as an entrepreneur but also as a young man who made mistakes, learned from them, sought help when he needed it, and continues to strive. Trent also uses his books as teaching tools to share with youth and budding entrepreneurs some of the pitfalls of business but also to educate them on the reality of some of the transactions and terminologies they will encounter.
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
7:00-8:00 p.m.
Sumaiya Matin, The Shaytan Bride. A Bangladeshi Canadian Memoir of Desire and Faith
Host: Gayle Gonsalves
Ticketed
The true story of how one Muslim woman shaped her own fate and escaped her forced wedding.
The Shaytan Bride is the true coming-of-age story of a girl navigating desire and faith. Through her journey into adulthood, she battles herself and her circumstances to differentiate between destiny and free will. Sumaiya Matin’s life in love and violence is a testament to one woman’s strength as she faces the complicated fallout of her decisions.
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Launch of the book, Welcome to Blackhurst: An Iconic Toronto Neighbourhood, a book published by A Different Booklist Cultural Centre.
Ticketed
Thursday, February 17
7:00-8:00 p.m.
Toufah Jallow, author of TOUFAH with Kim Pittaway, in conversation with Sarah Onyango
Ticketed
An incandescent and inspiring memoir from a courageous young woman who, after she was forced to flee to Canada from her home in The Gambia, became the first woman to publicly call the country’s dictator to account for sexual assault—launching an unprecedented protest movement in West Africa.
Friday, February 18
7:00-8:00 p.m.
“Two Poets in Conversation and Performance”
Lillian Allen, Make the World New selected with an introduction by Ronald Cummings. Wilfrid Laurier Press & Charles C. Smith, Searching for Eastman: A Performance Poem. Mawenzie House.
Host: Ronald Cummings
Free
Make the World New brings together some of the highlights of Lillian Allen's work in a single volume. It revisits her well-known verse from the celebrated collections Rhythm an’ Hardtimes, Women Do This Everyday, and Psychic Unrest, while also assembling new and uncollected poems. Allen's poetry is incisive in its narration of Black life and its call to create new and different futures. Her work highlights the need for radical intersectional change as a process of social transformation.
searching for eastman is a multidisciplinary performance?a choreopoem?in four acts, based on the interpretation of four of Julius Eastman?s compositions?evil nigger; prelude to st joan; stay on it; and gay guerrilla. Making use of different artistic forms?poetry, theatre, music, dance, video, and digital?it is inspired by the African griot tradition, the Harlem Renaissance (eg the work of Langston Hughes with jazz and Kurt Weil), and the Black Arts movement (eg Amiri Baraka?s work with Sun Ra).
Tuesday, Feb. 22
"Construction as Elevation: Design and Development"
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Abigail Moriah welcomes live from Barbados architect Jemala Haynes.
Ticketed
Thursday, February 24
7:00-8:00 p.m.
Canute Lawrence, Pathology of a Pandemic. FriesenPress. Presented in collaboration with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.
Host: Gayle Gonsalves
Free
Pathology of a Pandemic is a collection of poems that was written during the onslaught of the novel corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic. Teenagers, young adults, and mature adults will find this book of poetry captivating because the voice in each poem is different from the others ranging from a deceased grandmother, a physically disabled person, to the never ending passion of those who stand against all types of oppression, discrimination and systemic racism.
Friday, February 25
8:00 p.m.
AFRICANTHOLOGY: Perspectives of Black Canadian Poets
Host: Greg Frankson
Ticketed
Truth spoken plainly and powerfully is difficult to dismiss and impossible to ignore. Edited with purpose by Greg Frankson, AfriCANthology: Perspectives of Black Canadian Poets brings together some of Canada's most influential dub, page, and spoken word poetic voices and gives them space to speak freely about their personal journeys in piercing verse and unapologetic prose.
Monday, February 28
"Construction as Elevation: Design and Development"
7:00-8:00 p.m.
Jahanne Bobb welcomes Kevin Talma.
Ticketed
Some other book events
The Harriet Tubman Institute and the Centre for Feminist Research at York University present the launch of the book Appealing Because He is Appalling: Black masculinities, colonialism, erotic racism, edited by Tamari Kitossa, Brock University, and published by the University of Alberta Press on Tuesday, February 8, 5:00 pm - 6:30pm. Panellists are: contributors are Dennis O. Howard and Kemar McIntosh, and poet Ryan Burke. Moderator: Elaine Coburn
Nia Centre for the Arts will launch Griot: Six Writers Sojourn into the Dark, a celebration of a new anthology by six emerging writers from its Black Pen programme on Thursday, February 10, 6:00-8:00 p.m.https://niacentre.org/events/griot-book-launch/
