It’s Black History Month, a time to celebrate the contributions that Black people have made to history, society, and culture. We’ve had the privilege of working with so many talented Black authors on their self-publishing journey, and we want to share a few of their unique stories with you!
From National Hero and first Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds, to eight-year-old author Adetola Babatunde who wrote her first children’s book to combat Covid boredom, to motivational speaker, coach and consultant Anthony Sanni, we hope you check out the stories from some of Tellwell’s Black creators.
Tequis McGann
Kyra’s BIG Appetite
Kyra’s BIG Appetite is a humorous story written in a playful rhyme scheme. Kyra is a rambunctious child with a sweet tooth she can’t seem to control. She has an unhealthy diet consisting mostly of cookies, ice cream, and cake. Although Kyra’s mother warns her that unhealthy eating will catch up to her, she does not listen. Kyra now faces the responsibility of making a decision about her eating habits. What will she decide?
Tequis McGann, a GTA native currently residing in Toronto, Ontario, graduated from McMaster University in 2015 with an Honours Bachelor’s degree in English. In 2018, Tequis returned to school to pursue an interest in learning American Sign Language, and in 2019 she graduated from George Brown College with an ASL and Deaf Studies certificate. A passionate writer and poet, Tequis tells stories inspired by real experiences and people. Through her extensive career in the social service industry focusing on mental health, seniors, at-risk youth, and children, Tequis has a plethora of experience working with ethnic and culturally diverse people. Her love and fascination for the difference that people bring to their communities, motivate her to detail these idiosyncratic encounters through storytelling.
Aldyth M Irvine-Harrison
From a Strident World of Soft Prevailing Things : Poems About Our Human, Animal and Vegetal Environment
The book is divided into four parts – Creatrix, Physiography, Animal Kind, Human Kind. There are some descriptive poems, but the greater part of the book is devoted to stories, (many are true incidents) about People, Animals, the Physical and Vegetal environments. Everything lives in this book and if it is mechanical, well we infuse life into it when we use it. All forms of life have their mysteries, trials, and triumphs and yet there is always humour. Kindness and humour will always carve a way.
Aldyth Irvine Harrison was born in Kingston, Jamaica, where she received her Secondary Education at St Hugh’s High School for girls. She studied at Concordia (Sir George Williams) and McGill universities. She taught many levels in the Quebec school system. It was her choir master, the late Brian Brice, and fellow chorister Dr. Thouria Bensaoula, who encouraged her to publish Patches in & out Two Centuries which was published in October 2010 by Éditions du Mécène, Beauceville, Quebec. Her concerns are about the careless handling of our Earth. The dignity of the Earth’s environment must be nurtured, respected and preserved. She enjoys telling stories and travelling to different parts of the world. She resides in Montreal, Quebec, with her husband Robert and family.
Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds
The Making of a National Hero
Dr. the Right Excellent Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds, the only living National Hero of St. Kitts and Nevis, was the first Prime Minister of this great country. He contested nine general elections—1966, 1971, 1975, 1980, 1984, 1989, 1993, 1995 and 2000—the most in our history since adult suffrage in 1952.
This book chronicles Sir Kennedy’s humble upbringing in Basseterre’s Rosemary Lane. At the age of nine, Sir Kennedy entered the St. Kitts-Nevis Grammar School on an entrance scholarship as one of the youngest-ever pupils. Although he never kept a diary, Dr. Simmonds uses his powerful memory for meticulous detail to walk his reader through university and medical school, and on to his early career as an anaesthesiologist. His historic foray into Caribbean politics is a must-read documentary of how this twin-island state (which was once tripartite) was guided out of colonialism without further fragmentation.
Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds was not born to a wealthy family, but rather was a son of very ordinary citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis, and that was fine with him. I recall him saying to me at a very early age that he did not wish to be a rich person, but rather to be comfortable and feed and raise a family. In real life, what we want or what we think we want are seldom what we achieve.
This gracious gentleman always found favour to open windows and doors of opportunity, not for himself but for his Country, St. Kitts and Nevis, and its people. Surely, this must be accepted as a parallel to our country’s motto: “Country Above Self.”
Dr. Francis (Munangi) Mpindu
Community Policing : The Path to Healthier Relationships – a Police Chaplain’s Perspective
Community Policing: the Path to Healthier Relationships… a Police Chaplain’s Perspective is a very timely topic. We live in a time of great uncertainty when people increasingly engage in quests for answers and look for information, guidance, support, and protection in all dimensions of life. That’s where the police and the community need to collaboratively provide solutions. When tensions run high, both parties need to Dialogue – Discover – Decide – trusting and respecting each other, sustaining the existing bridges of collaboration while building new ones. This book appeals to our desperately needed collective sense of civility. It invites us into the PATH of healthier relationships as we journey together. Indeed, we (the Community & the Police) are on the same team.
Dr. Francis (Munangi) Mpindu (PhD, MA, MDiv, MTS, BRE, ADCR, WFA, Life Coach) is a seasoned practitioner based in Toronto, Canada.
* He has been a Chaplain with York Regional Police (YRP) for 16 years. He was the first African Canadian to be YRP Chaplain…
* He is the Executive Director/Founder of Niigon Abin Resolutions Services – an independent consultancy in Alternative Dispute & Conflict Resolutions, Mediation & Negotiation, Conflict Management Systems, Workplace Fairness Analysis, Life Coaching, and Mental, Emotional & Spiritual Wellness…
* He has an earned PhD in Philosophy (Systematic Theology) and Ethics from University of Pretoria (South Africa)…
* His professional affiliations include: Member of Canadian Police Chaplains Association, Canadian Multifaith Federation, Equipping Leaders International, York Region Interfaith Network, African Leadership And Reconciliation Ministries, Associate Member of Prison Ministries International Zimbabwe – Africa Correctional Chaplains Associations (PMIZ AFCCA), African Institute for Ethics…
* Canada’s Indigenous people have a special place in his heart. He has established close friendships with some of them over the past 20 years.
Anthony Sanni
The Law of The Vital Few : How to do more by doing less
Most things don’t matter, but the few that matter, matter a lot!
What is keeping you from achieving your best life is not a lack of ability or talent. It is spending your time, energy, and resources on activities and relationships that don’t produce value.
In The Law of the Vital Few, you will:
– Explore the counter-intuitive concept of doing more by doing less through engaging stories, case studies, and research in diverse fields from business to biology and more.
– Gain the insights and practical tools to help you do more by doing less in your life, career or business.
– Learn how to set goals, plans, and priorities so that you are working on what really matters and makes the most impact – discover the activities, qualities, mindsets, and relationships that make all the difference so that you can spend less time wasting time.
Anthony Sanni is a speaker, coach and consultant specialized in helping individuals and organizations reach their productive potential. Stay up to date with him at AnthonySanni.Com
Norine Khalil
Nora’s Wish
Nora was a little girl,
A girl who knew she could.
She knew she’d one day change the world,
And change the world, she would.
Join Nora on her journey to change the world – one girl, one wish, at a time.
Nora is quirky, she is undeniably herself, and she is the hope, strength, and determination the world needs today, more than ever.
Norine Khalil is a first-time author and new to the children’s book scene. Her passion for empowering young girls, however, is far from new. When she isn’t daydreaming about a women-led world, Norine practices as a Registered Dietitian with a focus on body positivity and intuitive eating.
Adetola Babatunde
Penny’s Sweet Visit to Fairyland : Penny’s Experience in Fairyland
An ordinary trip to a candy store sets a once-in-a-lifetime twist of extraordinary experience in motion. Join Penny on her sweet, flavorful, colorful, and wonderful adventure to Fairyland. From the moment you pick the book up, you won’t put it down until you are done reading. You’re compelled to keep reading due to the intriguing sweet encounters that await Penny.
My name is Adetola Babatunde. I’m eight-years-old and currently in fourth grade. I discovered my love for writing in third grade when my teacher taught me the Narrative Writing Diamond technique. I got the idea about this book during the Covid-19 quarantine. I was always bored, and my mom encouraged me to read a book. Having read all the books available at home, I decided to write one of my own. Writing this book was a way of escape for me from the boredom and the fear that gripped the world when Covid-19 was at its peak in New York, where I live.
Antoinette Jackson
Diamond Girl
Diamond Girl is about an entrepreneur, businesswoman, and fashion designer named Calandra Norway. She’s known as one of the best fashion designers in the state of Michigan (locally). She was granted an opportunity to debut her clothing line in the New York City Runway Show on TV. Calandra is excited as ever she goes through the trials and tribulations to a breakthrough in the fashion industry. Along the way, she runs into a former male schoolmate and her ex-boyfriend. The drama and romance begin to heat up an early spring fashion bliss. With the support of her best friend and sister, Marcelle, Calandra soon begins to realize beauty is on the inside as well on the outside. Her career and love life will fall in place. Every woman deserves to be loved and cherished correctly. Every woman can be sexy, classy, and successful, all in one – no matter the outfits of her choosing.
I was born in Detroit, MI, on May 29,1990. As a child growing up, I used to take all of my favorite childhood cartoon characters and write short stories. I would read my short stories to my brothers and sisters. In the 5th grade, my original career choice was to be a singer. The older I got, the more I gravitated to poetry and songwriting. I have written songs, stories, and poems. I always wanted to be a poet/singer/author. These are my dream goal careers. I, Antoinette Jackson, a poet/author who has a story to tell by singing, considered myself to be “The Blue Angel”.
