A Review of Half-Court Trap and Some Reading Suggestions

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 21^st 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

https://www.yorku.ca/tubmandev/event/book-launch-appealing-because-he-is-appalling-black-masculinities-colonialism-and-erotic-racism/

 

 

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/

 

Human Rights Advocate and Gender Expert, Dr. Glenda Simms, Remembered

By Neil Armstrong

Photo credit: Ewart Walters  Left to right: Michelle Simms (daughter), Glenda Simms, Merle Walters (her speechwriter), and Daisy Gordon (a friend)

 

The late well-known feminist Dr. Glenda Simms, a distinguished educator, cross-cultural psychologist and advocate for gender and racial equality, is being remembered as a trailblazer in Canada and Jamaica.

 

Just days before she passed away in Ottawa on December 31, 2021, Simms

was celebrated for her advocacy for women at a Kwanzaa event in Toronto. 

 

At “Kujichagulia – Ring Your Bell For bell hooks – A Tribute to bell hooks,” organized by a Different Booklist Cultural Centre: The People’s Residence on December 27, Jean Augustine – the first African-Canadian woman to be elected to the Canada’s House of Commons as a Member of Parliament – spoke of Simms’s daughter, Michelle, informing her of the educator’s illness. Simms, 82, was reportedly ailing with Lou Gehrig's disease and dementia.

 

Akua Benjamin, a retired professor, former director of the School of Social Work at Ryerson, activist and former president of the Congress of Black Women (Toronto Chapter), said Simms was among the vanguard of Black women advocating for social justice in Canada and should be commemorated in the future. 

 

These accolades were shared at the virtual event held to celebrate bell hooks, African American author, professor, feminist and social activist who passed away on December 15 in Berea, Kentucky, in the United States.

 

Simms was appointed the president of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in 1990 and served until 1996. 

 

Upon her return to Jamaica, she became the executive director of the Jamaican Bureau of Women’s Affairs from 1996 - 2005. This resulted from her attendance at the Beijing Conference on the Status of Women where she was part of the Canadian delegation and made contact with the Jamaican delegation led by Cabinet minister Portia Simpson Miller whose portfolio included women’s affairs. She was also the CEO of Simms Consulting in Jamaica.

 

Before her trailblazing work in Jamaica, Simms broke new ground in the fight for gender equality and social justice in Canada.

 

“As a former national president of the CBW [Congress of Black Women], I mourn the passing of our sister Glenda Simms. As a past national president, she showed leadership which guided the formation of the CBW as a truly national organization. She was an energetic and formidable advocate for the issues affecting Black women and their families,” says Augustine.

 

She says nationally, Black women cheered Simms’s leadership to the Status of Women Canada.

 

Augustine says she witnessed Simms’s advocacy as she pushed to ensure that the voices of women from non-governmental organizations were included at the tables of the 1985 UN Conference on the Status of Women in Nairobi, Kenya.

 

“Glenda’s work and advocacy for and on behalf of women would be long remembered. May she rest in peace,” says the former minister of state (multiculturalism and status of women).

 

“Dr. Glenda Simms was a formidable presence in Canada and Jamaica. I remember hearing her speak on many occasions, including a conference hosted by the National Council of Jamaicans and was blown away by her passion, boldness and commitment to giving voice to Black women and so many others,” says Adaoma Patterson, president of the Jamaican Canadian Association.

 

“She inspired me and other young Black people to own our space, not be afraid to speak out against injustice and work together to make things better for our community. I remember her telling many of us she hoped one day we would become prime minister. Dr. Simms has left a remarkable legacy that must not be forgotten and needs to be shared with current and future activists. The Jamaican Canadian Association extends our sincere condolences to her family.”

 

 

Simms emigrated to Canada in 1966 to take up a teaching job in Fort Chipewyan, northern Alberta, an isolated area where children had never seen a Black person and did not speak English. She knew very little about the culture of the country’s Indigenous peoples but as someone who grew up in Malvern, St. Elizabeth, she could relate to their economic circumstances.

 

A graduate of Bethlehem Teachers College, Dr. Simms became an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Nippising University College of North Bay, Ontario. In 1972, she received her Bachelor of Education and in 1976, her Master of Education from the University of Alberta. Between 1977 and 1980 she was assistant professor at the University of Lethbridge, teaching educational psychology and native education. For five years, she was head of the Indian Education Department at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College of the University of Regina.

 

From 1982 to 1987 she was the president of the Congress of Black Women. A founding member of the Afro-Caribbean Association, she was also a member of the Women’s Advisory Committee on Affirmative Action to the Treasury Board of Canada, a member of Phi Delta Kappa, a board member of the National Organization of Immigrants and Visible Minority Women and a member of the Psychologists Association of Alberta, among others.

 

Dr. Simms was the recipient of several awards, including the Black Achievement Award for contributions to public policy, and was the holder of honorary doctorates from the University of Alberta, Queen’s University and the University of Manitoba.

 

In 2014, she received the Order of Distinction from the Government of Jamaica for outstanding work in gender development.

“Dr. Simms was a champion for women’s rights and she worked tirelessly to end all forms of gender based violence and discrimination,” wrote former prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller in a Facebook post on January 1.

She noted that Simms “travelled to every parish to educate men and women about improving gender relations and ending gender based violence. She was strong in her conviction that the way to end gender based violence was to create a better understanding between women and men.”

In a Facebook post, Olivia “Babsy” Grange, Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, says Dr. Simms was “a trailblazing figure in the fight for women’s rights.”

Grange noted that during her time at the Bureau from 1996 to 2005, Simms started the consultations toward the development of the National Policy on Gender Equality, revitalized Parish Advisory Committees, established the National Gender Advisory Committee and developed public education initiatives on gender-based violence.

“Dr. Simms never stopped advocating for women’s rights and for the removal of barriers that prevent women and girls from achieving their full potential. She gave dedicated and passionate leadership to her cause and has been a trailblazing figure in the fight for women’s rights. She will be missed,” says Minister Grange in the January 3, 2022 post. 

Photo credit: Sonia Godding Togobo   Sacred Women International's Sacred Women Training participants commune with members of the St. Elizabeth Women Ltd., founded by Glenda Simms, in Jamaica

After leaving the corporate sector, Dr. Simms became a farmer in Malvern at what she called her “shamba,” an East African word for a cultivated plot of land; a farm or plantation. 

She founded the organization, St. Elizabeth Women Ltd, in 2008, which grew into a total of seven groups operating in communities such as Santa Cruz, Malvern, Southfield and Stanmore.

"We are promoting sustainable development in our communities by helping these women to develop the economy at the grass-roots level through farming horticulture and craft," Simms told the Gleaner in a news report in 2011. 

The group had a membership of more than 250 and was involved in empowerment workshops geared towards the personal development of its members. The St. Elizabeth Women Ltd had started the process of community renewal and impacted the lives of girls and women through a process of education and empowerment. 

 

In 2017, Sacred Women International (SWI), founded by Aina-Nia Ayo’dele, held the culmination of its Sacred Leader Training with the women of SEW in St. Elizabeth. She has reposted a video on her Facebook page of that gathering “in honour of warrior woman Glenda Simms.”

 

SWI is an organization that inspires individuals to realize their highest vision, live with purpose, and influence change in their families, communities and throughout the world.

 

Dr. Simms is survived by her three children -- Michelle, Emil and Shaun – and grandchildren.

 

 

Veteran Black Artist Appointed to the Order of Canada

By Neil Armstrong

Photo contributed     Robert Small, executive director of LEGACY Enterprises, has been newly appointed a Member of the Order of Canada

A Toronto artist who has documented the lives of Black Canadians through posters for almost 30 years has been named to the Order of Canada.

 

Robert Small, artrepreneur of Legacy Enterprises, is the creator of the annual Black History Month Legacy posters. 

Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, announced today 135 appointments to the Order of Canada. The new appointees include 2 Companions (C.C.), 39 Officers (O.C.), 1 honorary Member and 93 Members (C.M.).

Appointments are made by the governor general on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada.

Small has been appointed to the Order “for his long-standing commitment to highlighting the accomplishments and contributions of Black people in all sectors of Canadian society.”

“I am so honoured to be named to the Order of Canada. To be mentioned among such famous Canadians and join other notable Canadians of African descent is truly an honour and a historical achievement for myself and others to come,” says Small.

In 2019, Small told me that he was primarily buoyed by the community’s response to his Legacy posters noting that every year he is energized to do it again for the following year because of the reactions of people.

 

“For me, that’s always been an energy booster in that regard and knowing that my posters are having an impact in the school system.” 

 

Small also enjoys doing it knowing that his children “will grow up knowing that their father did something that very few have accomplished.” 

 

When he created the first poster in 1995, the artist just wanted to get his name out there where anywhere he showed his artwork people would mention the work of Ugandan-Canadian artist David Kibuuka.

 

He said people also alluded to the work of Jamaican-Canadian photographer, Michael Chambers, and so he thought about being in the middle ground between both of them.

 

Their work inspired him and today he considers both men his role models. 

 

Small also had a student loan to pay off for his studies at the University of Windsor so that was further motivation to get his name out in the community.

 

To create the annual poster, he takes recommendations from the community, chooses community stalwarts but also tries to have a balance of males and females, diverse fields that they represent, “as well as the diversity with respect to gender but also with respect to which part of the country they’re at.”

 

He usually features people based on their accomplishments from Ontario and Nova Scotia because his posters are very popular in those provinces.

 

A few years ago, he indicated that he would do some research on western Canada, the Maritimes and the Yukon Territory to find people whom he could feature on future posters.

 

Small acknowledged that his poster has withstood the years, noting that when he started there were several other posters promoting Black History that apparently are no longer around.

 

Initially, he called it ‘The Official Black History Month Poster’ but decided to change the name because of these competing posters, and when in 2007 the Bank of Montreal wanted to put his poster in every branch across Canada.

 

“I was having problems with the name itself because it was too long to say in an interview,” says Small, noting that it was too convoluted and he was having problems with the term ‘black.’ 

 

“Because if I asked ten people randomly what does black mean, ten black people will come up with ten different explanations. So I just felt that I was calling my book markers ‘Legacy’ at the time because ‘legacy’ can only fit on the book marker so I decided why don’t I call the poster ‘legacy’ and it will be fitting because I’m actually benefitting from the legacy of calling it The Official Black History Month Poster while I’m still alive.”

 

It also happened at about the time he became a father so he thought it was really a legacy to leave to his two daughters.

 

Over the years, several Black Canadians have been featured on Small’s posters including Denham Jolly, Fred Upshaw, Ekua Walcott, Beatrice Massop, Marci Ien, Ginelle Skerritt, Minnijean Brown-Trickey, Kike Ojo-Thompson, Jully Black, Michael Lee-Chin, Dudley Laws, Charles Roach, Sherona Hall, Afua Cooper, d’bi.young anitafrika, Trey Anthony, Pamela Appelt, Avis Glaze, Sandra Whiting, among many others.

 

Among the new appointees to the Order of Canada are other Black and/or Caribbean Canadians such as Neil Devindra Bissoondath of Québec “for his contributions to Canadian literature through his groundbreaking examinations of multiculturalism and diversity,” and Justice Hugh L. Fraser of Ottawa “for his transformative contributions to Canadian sport as an internationally recognized expert in sports law and as a former Olympian.”

Jackie Richardson of Thornhill, Ontario, received an honorary appointment “for her contributions as a Canadian jazz legend, and as a leader and mentor to young performers in her community” and Bruny Surin of Montréal, Quebec has been appointed “for his excellence in track and field, for supporting student-athletes and for promoting healthy lifestyles across the province.”

Also included among those appointed are leading experts in the study of racism and anti-racism, educators and authors Carol M. Tator, a former president and executive director of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, and Frances Henry, professor emerita at York University, both of Toronto.

Tator is recognized “for her advocacy of social justice, and for her commitment to identifying and dismantling systemic racism in Canadian society” and Henry “for her groundbreaking contributions to the study of racism in contemporary democratic society.”

"Canada is defined by the people that make up this great country. These most recent nominees to the Order of Canada are shining examples of the commitment and outstanding contributions Canadians have made to the well-being of communities throughout this land, whether it be social, environmental, scientific, economic, cultural or related to mental and physical health. To all of the nominees, congratulations and thank you," says Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada.

The new appointees will be presented with their insignia at investiture ceremonies to be held on future dates.

“The Order of Canada is one of our highest honours. Created in 1967, it honours people whose service shapes our society, whose innovations ignite our imaginations and whose compassion unites our communities.

“More than 7 500 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order of Canada. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and have taken to heart the motto of the Order: DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM ("They desire a better country"),” notes the website of The Governor General of Canada about the Order of Canada. 

 

Since its creation in 1967—Canada’s centennial year—more than 

Some New Books to Add to Your Reading List

By Neil Armstrong

Every year, there are new books written or edited by emerging or established Black authors in Canada. Some are self-published and have their genesis in the COVID-19 pandemic; others are from independent and major publishers.

Over the last couple years, independent Black-owned bookstores in the Greater Toronto Area have seen a tremendous amount of books by local Black authors.

Miguel San Vicente, co-owner of A Different Booklist, is so impressed with the ownership he sees coming out of these new works that he expects more Black writers to be getting awards and making an impact on the literary scene.

“You cannot have that amount of writing going on without it producing excellence. That is a very positive thing that I see happening.” 

To encourage it this year, the bookstore has a promotion on its website listing some local authors and “we’re encouraging people to buy local and we giving a 10% discount on these titles by local authors,” says San Vicente.

Alongside his wife, Itah Sadu, they have been the co-owners of A Different Booklist since 1999. The store was opened in 1995 by Wesley Crichlow, a professor at University of Ontario Institute of Technology who specializes in Black LGBTQ criminology, critical equity, and diversity studies. 

A Different Booklist showcases “the literature of the African and Caribbean diaspora, the Global South and all the major publishers and small presses.” 

In Brampton, Sean Liburd, founder and co-owner of Knowledge Bookstore, says there are tonnes of books coming from Black Canadians from 80+year-olds to 8-year-olds. 

“It’s been a little bit overwhelming at times because there are so many emails.”

Liburd says the only issue he has with some of them is that while it is easy to publish a book, there are people who don’t think about the small things, such as using staples in the middle of their children’s book.

“They’re not thinking about the liability in children hurting themselves with those staples,” he says, noting the importance of editing too.

His advice to new authors is to do their due diligence first by speaking to people that are in the business and try to understand it, but he noted that there are many writers who are very personal about their work and do not want any advice.

“It makes it difficult because then you have to say no. There are great concepts but when things are not done in a certain way then you absolutely have to say no,” says Liburd, noting that there is only so many authors he can take.

“We would love to take everyone but there is only so much shelf space.” Liburd is looking for books that fit into the store’s mandate and has a major focus on children.

Knowledge Bookstore, founded on December 18, 1997 will celebrate its 24^th anniversary this weekend. The bookstore started for him and his wife, Carolette, “as a dream realized and continues to awaken the minds of our customers with our large assortment of children, history, religious, Caribbean, African and Black Studies titles.” 

 

Since September this year, several writers have launched their books via Zoom, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or at in-person events. Their writings cover issues of racism, identity, culture, body image, self-actualization, Black masculinities, colonialism, and education. 

 

Here are some new books to consider adding to your holiday reading list. 

Ameliya Disappears by Angela “Punky” Stultz

Angela “Punky” Stultz, a Jamaican author and American best book non-fiction finalist based in Toronto, has written a new children’s book, Ameliya Disappears, which takes readers on a journey into Caribbean folklore through the adventures of little Ameliya.

Stultz draws on her own experience as a child growing up in Jamaica and working in the Caribbean. Ameliya disappears into the world of “ghost story,” of women foretelling things to come -- all in the lilting dialect or patois of Jamaica. This imaginary tale touches on life issues –bullying and physical abuse, with messages that encourage prevention, overcoming and resilience. 

It is the story of a little girl, who lives with her grandmother and stumbles on her grandmother’s age-old secret, which allows Ameliya to tackle the issues of social injustice that she sees in her neighbourhood.  

Ameliya Disappers is independently published. On September 11, Stultz held a virtual international launch of this book and her non-fiction, Signs and Wonders: Sojourn in the inner city, published in 2019.

Half-Court Trap by Kevin heronJones

Brampton-raised author, Kevin heronJones, launched his new novel Half-Court Trap with an Instagram Live reading and interview with radio host Brother Kofi Sankofa on November 27. 

The issues of male body image and rivalry come together in Half-Court Trap, set in racially diverse Brampton, Ontario. Thirteen-year-old Nigel is teased and belittled at home because of his weight, so an opposing player’s trash talk enrages him and he vows revenge. When his enemy becomes a teammate, Nigel plots to make him look bad and get him off the team. As Nigel finds out more about his rival, he not only learns empathy but comes to a new perspective on himself and acceptance of his body shape. 

Kevin heronJones is a youth basketball coach, author, journalist, actor, lecturer, and award-winning performance poet. He has numerous spoken word recordings and his poetry book titles include Vision, I AM a Child of the SUN and Telephone Love. He lives in Milton, Ontario. 

 

Publisher: James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers

 

Aina-Nia Ayo'dele and Mosa McNeilly at the launch of Self: An Inner Journey to Re-Membering Your Power at The Diner's Corner restaurant in Toronto on October 17, 2021

SELF: An Inner Journey to Re-Membering Your Power by Aina-Nia Ayo’dele is the first of a tablet series of five.

 

“Self comes from my own journey to remembering my power and the wisdom I have shared with students and audiences across the globe,” writes Aina-Nia Ayo’dele in the author’s note.

 

“ The inner journey to oneself is filled with mystery, memories known and unknown and challenges that come with the unearthing of these five questions, which speaks to authentic living. Yet, such bliss is truly Re-Membering Your Power.

 

1.    Who Am I?

2.    How did I come to be who I am?

3.    Am I really who I think I am?

4.    What is my purpose on this planet at this time?

5.    Am I living my purpose?”

 

Aina-Nia Ayo’dele is an ancient wisdom teacher, leadership coach and spiritual liberation activist on a mission to influence individual and institutional change by inspiring everyone to Re-Member their Power. A well sought-after public speaker and spiritual teacher, Aina-Nia is an accomplished leader in the community, corporate and public sectors. 

The book launch was held on October 17 at The Diner’s Corner restaurant in downtown Toronto. www.aina-nia.com

 

High School Here I Come: Preparing for the Journey by Marcella Penny Kowalchuk

Do you remember your experience of high school? Wish you had some way to prepare for this experience? High School Here I Come: Preparing for the Journey, is an engaging, thoughtful book that parents, family and teachers can share with the students in their lives to help them get ready for this adventure. Topics include: family expectations, relationships with friends, learning to navigate the high school setting, social activities, well-being and safety, confidence, quiet strength, and faith.  Each section has activities and reflective questions to help students think about their values and beliefs and how they can address situations that arise as they advance through their high school years. With practical wisdom and insights from workshop participants, High School Here I Come: Preparing for the Journey is a must-have book that offers guidance on the choices and decisions that students will encounter in the days ahead. 

 

Marcella Penny Kowalchuk is a HR consultant and speaker.

 

Publisher: ‎ Live Life Happy Publishing. It was published in September.

 

Broken Kola-Nuts on Our Grandmother's Grave by Unblind Tibbin

 

Kheper’s inheritance cannot slip between his fingers. Grandma’s voice carries us through the family’s origins, retracing both the physical and spiritual realms. 

The Ikin (kola nuts) are ancient divining tools that connect the family to their ancestors. They enable the ancestors to live through the family. 

The art of storytelling, as perfected by Grandma, is alive and well. How can the broken kola nuts be put back together? 

This tale brings forth the first step of this great and wonderful journey.

Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

The book will be launched at Nile Valley Books on Saturday, December 18, 5:00-7:00 p.m. at 1921 Gerrard St. East and will feature Afikan drumming, dance, spoken word and storytelling by some of Toronto’s most spiritually in tuned artists. There will also be a Q&A with the author.

Nohsakhre Ibrahim, who, in 1986, started selling books as a mobile carrier, opened Nile Valley Books in February 1999.  It specializes in “diverse Afrocentric & multicultural literature, resources, & culturally theme products and gifts.” 

 

How Sneakers Saved My Life: My Entrepreneurial Journey and How Sneakers Ruined My Life: The Entrepreneurial Journey That Shifted My Mental State, an autobiography by Trent

 

In his double-book autobiography, Trent, the owner, founder and CEO of Exclucity, one of the biggest premium sneaker boutiques in Canada, documents the trials and triumphs that he has experienced thus far in his path to success. 

 

“Despite the many obstacles he faced he was not discouraged from working toward and achieving his ambitions. As a young Black man growing up in Montreal, he was met with many roadblocks, from lack of educational support to varying vocations and being nearly homeless. Through these challenges, street culture and urban streetwear remained consistent. The balance for Exclucity was established,” writes Elo Igor, a social worker, about How Sneakers Saved My Life.

 

How Sneakers Ruined My Life is a story about struggle and pain but also about grit, grind and refusing to give up, even in the face of certain defeat – a lesson we all can learn from.

 

Published by Exclucity

 

 

Appealing Because He Is Appalling 

Black Masculinities, Colonialism, and Erotic Racism, edited by Tamari Kitossa

Transnational perspectives on Black men as objects of sexual desire, fear, and loathing. 

This collection invites us to think about how African-descended men are seen as both appealing and appalling, and exposed to eroticized hatred and violence and how some resist, accommodate, and capitalize on their eroticization. Drawing on James Baldwin and Frantz Fanon, the contributors examine the contradictions, paradoxes, and politico- psychosexual implications of Black men as objects of sexual desire, fear, and loathing. Kitossa and the contributing authors use Baldwin’s and Fanon’s cultural and psychoanalytic interpretations of Black masculinities to demonstrate their neglected contributions to thinking about and beyond colonialist and Western gender and masculinity studies. This innovative and sophisticated work will be of interest to scholars and students of cultural and media studies, gender and masculinities studies, sociology, political science, history, and critical race and racialization. 

Contributors: Katerina Deliovsky, Delroy Hall, Dennis O. Howard, Elishma Khokhar, Tamari Kitossa, Kemar McIntosh, Leroy F. Moore Jr., Watufani M. Poe, Satwinder Rehal, John G. Russell, Mohan Siddi 

Among the chapters are these two:

• Chapter 6 by Kemar McIntosh titled “Carrying Corporeal Narratives: Weighing the Burden of Antiqueer Representations in Jamaica”

• Chapter 8 by Dennis O. Howard “‘7 Eleven’: Dialectics of Jamaican Popular Music Culture and Hegemonic Masculinity”

 

Photo contributed       Tamari Kitossa, Associate Professor of Sociology, Brock University

Tamari Kitossa is Associate Professor of Sociology at Brock University. He studies the convergences of race, racism, and criminalization. He is a contributor to and co-editor of African Canadian Leadership. 

Publisher: University of Alberta Press

 

Andrew B. Campbell will release Book 2 of his Teachable Moments with DR. ABC series in January 2022. Look out for it.

 

 

I am looking forward to seeing a high school friend’s book about our alma mater whenever he decides to publish it. I edited the manuscript and it brought back so many memories.

 

There is another book on the horizon that I was involved in editing but that will be revealed in 2022 when it is released.

 

This holiday season, please support these independent, Black-owned  bookstores: A Different Booklist, 777-779 Bathurst St., Toronto; Knowledge Bookstore, 177 Queen St. West in Brampton; and Nile Valley Books, 1921 Gerrard St. East, Toronto. 

 

 

* Thank you to Itah Sadu for her wonderful help in making my editing of some of these books possible.