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T-Dot Griots: An Anthology of Toronto's Black Storytellers

by Karen Richardson and Steven Green (editors)

181 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-1347; ISBN 1-55395-631-1; US$18.96, C$24.50, EUR15.60, £10.81

Birthed at the popular open-mic series, La Parole, it's an intimate journey through previously undocumented Canadian experiences, reporting from Toronto's black communities in fiction, poetry, articles, plays and songs.

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about the book      about the author      excerpts      catalogue info

About the Book Birthed at the popular open-mic series, La Parole, T-Dot Griots is an intimate journey through previously undocumented Canadian experiences, reporting from Toronto's black communities in fiction, poetry, articles, plays and songs. The book features contributions by over forty writers of African descent, either raised in or residing in Toronto. The griot is a West African storyteller, traditionally responsible for presiding over all of the important milestones in the life a community. T Dot Griots is a window into the communities occupied by black Canadian artists depicting their experiences living in the African diaspora. The griot carried the important function of preserving the community's history and culture through songs and recitations. Now transported across the Atlantic Ocean, non-traditional methods of expression emerge to document the existence of a little known group of people: the black community of Toronto. Toronto is widely acknowledged as the world's most culturally diverse city. T Dot Griots was produced to portray the rich cultural diversity existing within its African communities. The anthology brings together spoken word poets and PhD's, hip hop artists and playwrights, students and professionals. The book voices issues of racial inequality and immigrant experiences. It illustrates numerous spiritual vantage points and political commentaries. Most of all it is an unapologetically accurate representation of an ever growing canon of writers making Toronto their home, who wish to acknowledge the many facets of African-Canadian identity. Immerse yourself in the words, work and life of East, West and Southern Africans. Plunge into the hybridized dialect of Caribbean natives and descendents. Wade through generations of celebrated cast of Toronto's outspoken voices. Listen to the T Dot Griot tell the tale of the ages in a proudly Canadian style.

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About the Editors and Contributors Editors: Karen Richardson Karen Richardson is a performance poet, event producer and writer. She was creator and host of the interactive La Parole arts series: Toronto's Speech Therapy for the Creative Mind. She has produced a variety of arts showcases in both Toronto and Montreal, beginning in 1998. Such events as Polyphony, Freedom Jam, Mustard Seed, Planted, La Parole and Idiom collectively have featured the works of over one hundred Canadian artists. She has contributed articles to publications including: Cantos Cadre, Unique, The McGill Daily, N'jozi (Buffalo, New York) and the Vincentian (St. Vincent, West Indies). Steven Green Steven Green works in theatre, primarily as a production manager. Credits include,'da kink in my hair (Plaitform Entertainment), rock.paper.sistahz (b current), 3 parts harmony (b current), The Piano Lesson (Obsidian) and The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God (Mirvish). In 2001, he was commissioned to write The Real McCoy for Markham Gateway Public School. T Dot Griots: An Anthology of Toronto's Black Storytellers is both Karen's and Steven's first title as editors. Contributors to T Dot Griots Jesse P. Andrews, Trey Anthony, Femi Austin, Naila K. M. Belvett, Travis Blackman, Sandra Brewster, Wakefield Brewster, Ernest Carter, Afua Cooper, Jacqueline Cohen, Del F. Cowie, Da Original One, Osaze Dolabaille, Tricia Douglas, Jael Ealey, Jabari Elliot, Zetta Elliott, Steven Green, Jaicyea Hamilton-Smith, Seth-Adrian Harris, Cheryl Hazell, heronJonse, Nadia Hohn, Jeddiah Ishmel, Kathleen James, Sankofa Jubba, Hajile Kalaike, Kamau, Jason Kinte, Malik I.M., Yannick Marshall, Weyni Mengesha, Dwayne Morgan, Maki Motapanyane, Motion, Jane Nteyefas, Peculiar I, Kevin Reigh, Karen Richardson, Dwayne Sewell, Adrian Small, Evon Smith, Kwame Stephens, Al St. Louis, Christine Thompson, Asha Tomlinson, Unblind, Wendy Vincent, Melville White, Nana Yeboaa

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Excerpts

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Catalogue Information

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