Tolu' A. Akinyemi

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Tolu A. Akinyemi - The Lion of Newcastle
Tolu Akinyemi, aka The Lion of Newcastle, holding some of his books.
Tolu' A Akinyemi holding some of his books.

Tolu A. Akinyemi is a multiple award-winning Nigerian writer and poet best known for his poetry collection, Dead Lions Don't Roar.[1][2][3]

Early life and education[edit]

Akinyemi was born Tolulope Adeola Akinyemi in Ado-Ekiti. He has a degree in Economics from Ekiti State University and a master's degree in Accounting and Financial Management from the University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.[4]

Career[edit]

Akinyemi moved from Nigeria to the UK in 2010 and has since published twenty-one books.[5][6][7][8] He released his debut book of poetry, Dead Lions Don't Roar, in 2017.[9]

Akinyemi released Dead Dogs Don't Bark, his second book of poetry and third book in 2018.[10] It was followed by Dead Cats Don't Meow, which was released in April 2019 and featured a multi-national book tour of the UK and Nigeria.[11]

Akinyemi's books have been released both in print and online. His poems have been analysed as being "poetry of uplift" by the journal of English Studies in Africa.[12]

Tolu’s poetry collection, Everybody Don Kolomental, has been used as a teaching resource to engage with medical students in discussions about mental health and well-being at the University of Benin/Teaching Hospital, Edo-State, Nigeria.[13]

Also, his poem, Everybody don Kolomental, was read and analysed as a case study by Professor Kingsley Oalei Akhigbe, Professor of Psychiatry, in the 293rd Inaugural Lecture Series at the University of Benin, on the topic, Kolomental and the Elephant in the Room - Our Mental Health.[13]

Akinyemi is also a performance poet and has headlined at Great Northern Slam, Crossing The Tyne Festival, Feltonbury Arts and Music Festival, The Havering Literary Festival.. He was the guest poet at Havering Libraries Black History[14] Month event in October 2021 and has previously headlined at Woolwich Centre Library National Poetry Day event in October 2018; guest poet at The Stanza - an evening of poetry, spoken word, comedy, and live music on the Open Mic which held on the 31st of August 2023. He was also a guest poet at the Ndi Igbo North East England (NINEE) Black History Month.[15]

On the 25th of October 2023, Lion & Lilac, a literary organisation which Akinyemi co-cofounded organised a poetry event in celebration of the Black History Month.[16][17] Tolu was the headline performer, along with other talented poets and music artistes.

In September 2023, Tolu Akinyemi kicked off his inaugural poetry tour across the Northeast of England, commencing at The Cooking Pot in Baba Yaga House, Whitley Bay. This was followed by an enthralling performance at Poetry Jam, hosted at the Waddington Street Centre in Durham, alongside several other noteworthy venues across the region.

He was endorsed as a writer with exceptional talent by the Arts Council England.[18][19]

Honours and awards[edit]

In 2020, he won the Best Indie Book Award for his poetry collection, A Booktiful Love.[20] His collection of short stories, Inferno of Silence, won the 2021 IRDA Discovery Award[21] for short stories and Next Generation Indie Book Awards (2021) for Best Cover Design (Fiction).[22]

Philanthropy[edit]

Since 2017, Akinyemi has donated a percentage from the proceeds of his books to charity. He supported the Age UK Northumberland's friendship line campaign with £1000.[23][24][25]

Bibliography[edit]

Year Title Publisher ISBN Genre
August 2017 Dead Lions Don't Roar: A Collection of Poet Fic Wisdom For The Discerning The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-9998159-0-5 Poetry
April 2018 Unravel Your Hidden Gems T & B Global Concepts Ltd 978-1-9998159-9-8 Nonfiction
September 2018 Dead Dogs Don't Bark T & B Global Concepts Ltd 978-1-9998159-2-9 Poetry
April 2019 Dead Cats Don't Meow – Don't waste the ninth life T & B Global Concepts Ltd 978-1-9998159-4-3 Poetry
August 2019 Never Play Games With the Devil The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-9998159-6-7 Poetry
May 7 2020 Inferno of Silence   The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-02-9 Short stories
May 8 2020 A Booktiful Love The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-00-5 Poetry
January 1 2021 Black # Inferior   The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-06-7 Poetry
January 1 2021 Never Marry A Writer The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-08-1 Poetry
April 1 2021 Everybody Don Kolomental The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-11-1 Poetry
June 1 2021 I Wear Self-Confidence Like a Second Skin The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-19-7 Children Literature
May 31 2021 I am Not a Troublemaker The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-15-9 Children Literature
September 7 2021 Born in Lockdown The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-28-9 Poetry
December 31 2021 A god in a Human Body The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-13-5 Poetry
July 29 2022 If You Have To Be Anything, be Kind The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-34-0 Children Literature
August 14 2022 City of Lost Memories The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-32-6 Poetry
September 8 2022 Awaken Your Inner Lion The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-36-4 Nonfiction
September 8 2022 On The Train To Hell The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-42-5 Poetry
January 1 2023 You Need More Than Dreams The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-30-2 Poetry
February 28 2023 The Morning Cloud is Empty The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-38-8 Poetry
June 22 2023 Architects of a Cleaner Financial System The Roaring Lion Newcastle 978-1-913636-44-9 Poetry

References[edit]

  1. ^ Moyosore, Faith Agboola. "Great blend of themes". The Nation. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. ^ Adebayo, Bukola. "Akinyemi out with Dead Lions Don't Roar". The Punch NG. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. ^ Literary, Review. "Grab Your Chance Now". The Sun: Voice of the Nation. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  4. ^ Okolo, Edwin. "With "Dead Lions Don't Roar", Tolu Akinyemi opts for relatable simplicity". Ynaija. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Amazon Author Central". Amazon Author Central. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  6. ^ "With Unravel Your Hidden Gems, Tolu Akinyemi digs deep for glory". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  7. ^ The, Partner. "OkadaBooks For the Weekend Featuring 'Never Play Games with the Devil". Business Day. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  8. ^ The Newsroom. "Poet to see work in print". New post leader UK. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  9. ^ Akubiro, Henry (16 September 2017). "Grab your chance now". The Sun (Nigeria).
  10. ^ Akubiro, Henry (23 March 2019). "Wake Up From Your Slumber".
  11. ^ "New book, Dead cats don't meow, hits shelves in April". Vanguard Nigeria. 24 February 2019.
  12. ^ Hållén, Nicklas (2018). "OkadaBooks and the Poetics of Uplift". English Studies in Africa. 61 (2): 36–48. doi:10.1080/00138398.2018.1540152. S2CID 166164213.
  13. ^ a b "Kolomental and the Elephant in the Room - Our Mental Health. Lecture by Professor Kingsley Oalei Akhigbe". YouTube. 5 October 2023.
  14. ^ Ross, Jordon. "Havering celebrates Black History Month". www.havering.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  15. ^ Review, The Newcastle (2023-08-03). "Multiple Award-Winning Poet Tolu' A. Akinyemi – The Lion of Newcastle announces North-East Spoken Word Tour for Autumn 2023 – Literary news from the Tyne and beyond". Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  16. ^ "Events". Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  17. ^ Tolu' A. Akinyemi performing at Lion and Lilac's Black History Month Special, retrieved 2023-10-28
  18. ^ "New Book Launch Makes Hat Trick For Local Author". Northern Insight UK. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  19. ^ "Explore University of Hertfordshire Library". University of Hertfordshire Library. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  20. ^ "Best Indie Book Award". Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Announcing the 2021 Discovery Awards Winners!". IndieReader. 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  22. ^ Awards, Next Generation Indie Book. "Next Generation Indie Book Awards". indiebookawards.com. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  23. ^ "New book to raise funds for Age UK Northumberland". Northumberland Age UK. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  24. ^ Northern Insight UK. "Tolu Supports Sunshine Fund". Issue 35. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  25. ^ Anna, Toms. "Business Book to Raise Charitable Funds". Retrieved 6 June 2020.
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