Hot on the heels of his widely acclaimed 2020 releases, ’Inferno of Silence’ and ’A Booktiful Love’. Acclaimed poet and writer, Tolu’ A. Akinyemi, makes it a hat-trick of poetry wins with the expected release of two books ‘Black ≠ Inferior’ and ‘Never Marry a Writer’ on January 1, 2021.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 21, 2020. United Kingdom—A notable author and poet who has previously received great commendation for his consistency and versatility is about to release his eighth and ninth book. Also, joining other illustrious poets who have authored seven poetry collections.

Tolu’ A. Akinyemi popularly known as ’Tolutoludo’ and ‘Lion of Newcastle’ has achieved great repute as a dominant force in the literary community. Not resting on his oars after his recent releases: A Booktiful Love and Inferno of Silence. And boasting an impressive array of titles that include Dead Lions Don’t Roar, Unravel Your Hidden Gems, Dead Dogs Don’t Bark, Dead Cats Don’t Meow, and Never Play Games with The Devil. His latest releases and unique titles, ‘Black ≠ Inferior’ and ‘Never Marry a Writer’,will hit the bookshelves in January 2021 and will cause a literary storm.

Synopsis of ‘Black ≠ Inferior’:

Black ≠ Inferior is a collection of poems divided into 2 parts. The first part is a collection of thematically linked poems exploring Blackness and the myriads of issues it attracts. The second part oscillates themes—talking about consent, a query of death, a celebration of love among others. In his usual stylistic, this collection deals with weighty matters like race and colourism with simple and clear language.

In Black ≠ Inferior, we see Tolu’ Akinyemi reacting in response to the world, to issues that affect Black people. Here, we see a poet shedding off his burdens through his poems; hence, the beauty of this collection is in the issues it attempts to address. In this collection, Tolu’ wears a coat of many colours—he is a preacher, a prophet, a doctor and a teacher.

We see Tolu’ the preacher in these lines:

‘I wish you can rise through the squalor of poverty
and voices that watercolour you as under-represented.
I wish you can emblaze your name in gold,
and swim against every wave of hate.’

This is a collection of poems fit for the present narrative as any (Black) person who reads this collection should beam with confidence at the end. This is what the poet sets out to achieve with his oeuvre.

‘Black ≠ Inferior’ is available to pre-order: https://tolutoludo.com/shop.html and https://amzn.to/2IZt8bh

Synopsis of ‘Never Marry a Writer’:

OH, THE WEBS WE WEAVE…

For his seventh poetry collection, Tolu’ has turned his attention to that old adage –
no one in a writer’s life may have secrets.
A vibrant, human exploration of the way in which words and deeds connect all of us, and the tiniest movements which span out across continents.

Tolu’ writes powerfully on family, love, loss, and with a scorching curiosity for the world around us. His readers will be familiar with his inimitable style, and this latest collection does not disappoint.

‘Never Marry a Writer’ is available to pre-order: https://tolutoludo.com/shop.html and https://amzn.to/3lMnPdk

“With ‘Black ≠ Inferior’, I wanted to write a book that would resonate and be a mantra for the black community that have been marginalised, and continue to suffer oppression even in recent times.” explains the author. Continuing, Initial feedback has been very positive and I believe this will be one of my best legacy works to the black community and literary community at large.

Kirkus Reviews call the collection “A passionate, inspiring collection that will especially speak to Black readers around the world.”
 
While The Prairies Book Review in commentary says it’s “A celebration of black culture and experience and life in general, the collection makes for an electrifying read.”

D. Donovan – Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review adds, “Poetry readers interested in the fusion of literary ability and social inspection will appreciate the hard-hitting blend of both in Black≠ Inferior, which is recommended reading for a wide audience, especially students of Black experience.”

In conclusion, the author says, “With my other book ‘Never Marry a Writer’ I wanted to write a culturally relevant book and this collection brims with an array of great poetry and excels on all frontiers.”

About the Author:

Tolu’ A. Akinyemi hails from Nigeria and lives in the UK where he has been endorsed by the Arts Council England as a writer with “exceptional talent”.

Tolu is the author of seven outstanding books which includes, Dead Lions Don’t Roar (Poetry, 2017) Unravel your Hidden Gems (Essays, 2018) Dead Dogs Don’t Bark (Poetry, 2018) Dead Cats Don’t Meow (Poetry, 2019) Never Play Games With The Devil (Poetry, 2019) Inferno of Silence (Short Stories, 2020) A Booktiful Love (Poetry, 2020). Two poetry collections, “Black ≠ Inferior” and “Never Marry a Writer” are scheduled for publication in early 2021.

His poems have appeared in the 57th issue (Volume 15, no 1) of the Wilderness House Literary Review, The Writers Cafe Magazine- Issue 18, GN Books, Lion and Lilac and elsewhere.