January 1, 2021. United Kingdom—A notable author and poet who was endorsed by the Arts Council England as a Writer showing exceptional promise has proven that the Global Talent Visa scheme (Previously known as Exceptional Talent Visa) that attracts top-talent to the United Kingdom has been a resounding success for his exploits since earning the endorsement of the Arts Council England.
Tolu’ A. Akinyemi popularly known as ’Tolutoludo’ and ‘Lion of Newcastle’ was declared the winner of the poetry category at the ‘Best Indie Book Award’ 2020 for his widely acclaimed poetry collection titled ‘A Booktiful Love’. Since releasing his first collection of poetry ‘Dead Lions Don’t Roar’ in August 2017, Tolu’ has achieved great repute as a dominant force in the literary community. Boasting an impressive array of titles that include Unravel Your Hidden Gems, Dead Dogs Don’t Bark, Dead Cats Don’t Meow, Never Play Games with The Devil, A Booktiful Love and Inferno of Silence, with two new releases, ‘Black ≠ Inferior’ and ‘Never Marry a Writer’, scheduled for January 2021.
Tolu’ says of the win: “This is a remarkable and booktiful way to end the year 2020 for me. It’s great to see that my work is getting great recognition within literary circles far away in the United States. I believe this is a sign of better things to come and this would spur me on to continue to write phenomenal books that would resonate with my readership.”
“I’m super delighted with my win.” Also, I want to say a big thank you to the judges and the organisers of the Best Indie Book Award for finding my book worthy of the win.
The annual Best Indie Book Award® (or BIBA®) is an international literary contest recognizing outstanding achievement by indie authors. Entries are limited to independently (indie) published books, including those from small presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors. All submissions must be written in English.
Synopsis of ‘A Booktiful Love’:
A Booktiful Love is a collection of poems that deal with the entirety of human experience in its various forms. Didactically rich, the poems explore ideas ranging from love, relationships, and patriotism to marriage, morality, and many other concepts pertinent to daily living.
Given its variety of themes, what unifies the poems in this collection is the simplicity and ambiguousness of language which the poet employs. The poems draw their strength from their clarity and meaning.
These are poems with a purpose. Poet Tolu’ A. Akinyemi didn’t shy away from this fact, as he wrote in the poems “Writers” and “Write for Rights.” The poet’s philosophy is evident in this collection. To him, a writer is saddled with the responsibility to use his words to teach, preach, and fight for freedom.
He writes:
“Let’s change the world, one writer at a time,
Write those words till the world gets it right.”
Another special attribute to this collection is the poet’s experimentation with words. This is clear right from the title. The poet identifies himself as a creator of words. The reader is obliged to travel into the mind of the writer in each poem, to understand how his mind works. As readers approach the end of this collection, they not only become engrossed in its didactic richness, but also will appreciate the uniqueness of the poet’s style and the sense of responsibility he carries.
‘A Booktiful Love’ is available to pre-order: https://tolutoludo.com/shop.html and https://amzn.to/2JkaYkJ
About the Author:
Tolu’ A. Akinyemi also known as (Tolutoludo & Lion of Newcastle) is an award-winning Nigerian author of nine books in the genre of poetry, short story, and essays 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), “Black ≠ Inferior” (Poetry, 2021), and “Never Marry a Writer” (poetry, 2021).
Tolu’ has been endorsed by the Arts Council England as a writer with “exceptional talent” and he is the Co-Founder of Lion and Lilac Arts, a UK based arts organisation.