JUNE, 3rd, 2021 – On Thursday June 2nd, IndieReader, one of the original review services for self, hybrid and independently published authors, announced the winners of the tenth annual IR Discovery Awards (IRDAs) for 2021. INFERNO OF SILENCE by Tolu’ A. Akinyemi won in the Short Stories category.
IndieReader launched the IRDAs in 2011 to help notable indie authors receive the attention of top publishing professionals, with the goal of reaching more readers. Noted Amy Edelman, author and founder of IR, “The books that won the IRDAs this year are not simply great indie books; they are great books, period. We hope that our efforts via the IRDAs ensure that they receive attention from the people who matter most. Potential readers.”
Past and present sponsors for the IRDAs include Amazon, Reedsy, Smith Publicity and NY-based literary agents Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Judges have included publishers (from Penguin Group USA and Simon & Schuster), agents (from ICM, Dystel), publicists (from Smith Publicity), and bloggers (from GoodeReader).
Inferno of Silence received the following verdict “INFERNO OF SILENCE, by Tolu’ A. Akinyemi, is a collection of the author’s insightful short stories on the social issues men face, from racism to romance. The writing is intellectual and poetic, and the themes give voice to current events and cultural norms.” by IndieReader’s reviewers.
Tolu’ A. Akinyemi (also known as Tolutoludo & Lion of Newcastle) is a multi-award-winning Nigerian author in the genre of poetry, short story, Children’s Literature and essays, which include: 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), Black ≠ Inferior (Poetry, 2021), Never Marry a Writer (Poetry, 2021), Everybody Don Kolomental (Poetry, 2021), I Wear Self-Confidence Like a Second Skin (Children’s Literature, 2021) I Am Not a Troublemaker (Children’s Literature, 2021) and A god in a human body (Poetry, forthcoming – January 2022).
Tolu’ has been endorsed by Arts Council England as a writer with “exceptional talent.”
He is a co-founder of Lion and Lilac, a UK-based arts organization and sits on the board of many organizations. Tolu says “I’m thrilled with my award win and I would like to say a big thank you to IRDA for finding my book worthy of this prestigious award.”