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Media Contaact: 

Malaika  Salena,  Author Representatiive 
Phone: 347 2232 3974 
Fax: 347 5211 1925 
 Email: kibob
booksllc@kibo
obooks.com
P.O. Box 021442,
0 Cadman
n Plaza, Brooklyn
n, NY 11202

THREE NE
EW BOOKS RELEASED
R F
FROM KIBO BOOKS,
B C --- JUNE 8TH, 2007
LLC

BROOKLY YN, NY – Kib


bo Books, LL LC. - indepenndent press in
n Brooklyn ,, NY,
N released d three new books
at a uniqu ch event on Friday, June 8th
ue book launc t
at BRIC Stu
udio. The launnch party wass produced in
n
conjunctio
on with Blakh
hand Artistik, Inc. and Dre
eaming Make es Sen$e®; fo ood and beveerage sponsorrship
was provided by bushbbaby® coffee-house in Broooklyn.

The bookss featured weere Potions an


nd Plots Unra aveled from my
m Locs and Conversations
C s with my Violent
Side from poets, Makeeela B. Amani and Norman n Alexander Alkamal
A Jemmmott respective ely, as well ass,
Small Black Book of Mighty
M Thoughhts by writer Odimumba
O Kw
wamdela. In addition
a to ce
elebrating the book
releases, the evening also
a included the official an
nnouncementt of the recently restructureed website,
www.blakkhandarts.comm, from the ind
dependent arrtist-support company,
c Blakhand Artistikk, Inc. --- a
business entity founded by Ms. Ama ani.

The night began with a slide show reflecting


r the history of Kibo Books and Blakhand Arttistik, Inc. and
d was
punctuateed by spirited performances by the featu
ured authors reading
r from their newly re
eleased books, as
well as readings upcom ming poets Esssence Lamonde (who also served as host)
h and new
wcomer Kryste en
Edmund.

During the eve


D ening Makeela a B. Amani ca aptivated the crowd with a
ro
ousing spoken word perforrmance/readin ng from her book,
b Potions &
P
Plots Unraveleed from my Lo ocs; she readd several engrrossing poem ms.
H
House of Horrrors, her signa
ature piece abbout oppressiion and the African
A
D
Diaspora move ed the audiennce to particip
pate energeticcally in a call--and-
re
esponse man nner. Anotherr piece performed Compossite of a King, an
ode to the cha
arm, appeal, and
a power of men garnered d similar
e
enthusiasm.
Makeeela B.  Amani,  
photo by Malaika Salena
M
Makeela is a Brooklyn-bas
B ed, Toronto, Canada born artist, whose e
parental roots
r sprout frrom the island
d of Barbadoss. She is an all-around
a arttist
who, in adddition to writing and perfo orming poetry and prose, also works in
various mediums,
m inclu
uding paintingg, web design n, music arran ngement, and
sterling silver jewelry making.
m Makeeela's art refle
ects the unconditional love e, pain
and joys of
o people of African
A descen nt in particula
ar, and all folkks in general. All
these theme es are also re
eflected in herr first book, Joourney Free: The
Eighth Hous se and previo ously released CD of poetrry "KeyVision ns: The
Poetik Ranttings of Makeela Amani".
Makeeela B. Amani perform
mance,
Makeela has delivered her hard-hitting g driving lyrical poetry in a photo by Sherman Swaby
enues around
variety of ve m coffee houses, schools and
d the US, from a
community centers
c to the
e New York In nternational In ndependent Film
F and Vide
eo Festival at
Madison Sq quare Garden. Makeela ha as also been a motivationa al speaker at UCLA as partt of
the Choose College serie es, as well ass, with the You uth2Leaders arm of the Ta avis Smiley
Foundation..

Potionss & Plots Unraveled ffrom 
my Locss book cover
Norman Alexander Alkamal Jemmo ott, known sim
mply as Alkam
mal, also wowwed the audience,
reading fres sh works fromm his new boo ok Conversattions with my Violent Side (see left). Ghhetto
Get High re eferencing thee trials of living
g in African American
A ghetttos and Stayying Poor, which
reflects the economicallyy challenged garnered thu underous applause from the eager audie ence.
Alkamal als so read his lam ment for victims of domesstic abuse poe em The Mirror Breaks from m his
first book tittled, Recoverry: the lost and found poetrry of Alkamal Soul.

Alkamal is a poet, writer,, spoken word


d artist and pu
ublic speakerr. In his
works, as well
w as his perrformances, Alkamal
A employs a dynamic blend
Conveersations with my 
Violen
nt Side book cover
of imagery,, thought and emotion. He e is co-creatorr and develop
per
of "the v3 sessions"
s andd "The World of
o Words You uth Poetry Showcase."
Both are prrograms gearred to poets and
a musical artists of all agges to
showcase e their work.

Since 1996, he
h has travele ed across thee country perfforming spoke en word
at various cultural events as the Afrikan
n Liberation Day
D Celebratio on, The
Black L.U.V. Festival, WorrdStock and the
t New Yorkk Internationall
Independent Film and Video Festival at a Madison Sq quare Garden n. He's
also been thee invited guesst speaker at numerous Bla ack History Month
M
celebrations, graduation and
a award cerremonies, as well as confe erences
Alkamal Jemmott, 
h
hosted by the Tavis Smileyy Foundation, The Urban Network,
N The College
photo by Jomo Kono B
Board's NYOu utreach Progrram and Madison Square Boys B & Girls Club.
C

His upcomming projects include writin ng his first novvel, "A Slow Turn
T Towardss
Tomorrow w," a story dettailing the African-America an communityy's response to o the
victims of a gay-bashinng incident. HeH is also in thhe developme ent stages of
establishing his commu unications de evelopment company, Dreaming Makess Sen$e®
and is collaborating witth friends on a health guide for adults.  Alkamal Jemmott performance, 
p
phhoto by Sherman SSwaby

The evening met its cre


escendo with the presence e of author Od dimumba
Kwamdela a, also knownn as the Grasssroots Philosoopher. Kwam mdela possessses power-of -the-
word ability
y that allows him
h on as con nsistent basiss to write such
h interesting and
a poignantlly
detailed bo
ooks.

In 1960 while in his earrly teens, and d still known by


b his given na ame John A. Brathwaite he e,
who would some years later change his name to OdimumbaO Kwwamdela, leftt his native
Barbados for
f London, England.
E He eventually
e enlisted in the British
B Army and
a served in the
Mideast; affter military se
ervice, he leftt London for Ontario,
O Canaada. There, heh freelanced with
Odimuumba Kwamdela, 
photo by Malaika Salena
Toronto new wspapers beffore becoming founding pu ublisher and editor
e of Spea
ar,
b the first Black magazine
reputed to be e published in
n Canada.

To date, Kwamdela
K haas published 14
1 books of ficction, nonfiction and poetryy, and one musically
dubbed po oetry CD. A former
f New York
Y City Boa ard of Educatio on high schoool teacher of Writing
W
and Graphic Arts, Kwa amdela taughtt adolescent offenders
o for several
s yearss in the roughest
n the world, lo
schools in ocated in the "belly
" of the beast,"
b infamoous, volatile Rikers
R Island Jail.
J
Kwamdela a discussed his
h experience es in this schoool jail with audience mem mbers.

At the eve
ent Kwamdela
a touched on his latest tom
mes, and reca
alled his experriences in the
e NYC
school sysstem docume
ented in his 20
004 release Journey
J Throuugh Jailhousee Jeopardy: A
Good New w York City Teacher
T Ends Up Down in Bad
B Rikers Issland Jail, whiich is a no-ho
olds- Small Bla
ack Book of Mighty 
barred account of some the fundam
mental causes for schools spiraling
s down
nward out of Thoughtts... book cover 

control. Also
A discussed was Kwamddela's 2006 re
elease, Mightty Sparrow: Calypso
C King of
o
the World
d chronicling the impact of The
T Mighty Sparrow
S on the calypso are
ena and Mightty Sparrow's rise
from poorr boy in Trinidad to undispu
uted Calypso King of the World.
W

wamdela's lattest book Sm


Finally, Kw mall Black Boo
ok of Mighty Thoughts:
T Afriica's Seeds Sure
S Path to
Redemptiion, was unve eiled in which the author prresents his afro-centric
a ph
hilosophies with
w the realisttic
solutions to the unique
e problems facced by peoplee of African ancestry.

The evening g concluded with


w host Esssence Lamond de bringing th he three autho ors
onto the sta
age to impart some final wo ords. The thrree authors emphatically
thanked theeir audience fo or their suppoort and shared d their visionss for supportin
ng
other writers and artists through
t combbined efforts. Ms. Amani ta alked of the
method throough which Blakhand Artisstik, Inc. supports visual arttists and poetts
with online publication; Mr.
M Jemmott discussed
d the
e manner thro ough which
Dreaming Makes
M Sen$e® will work to support clien nts with writing g projects andd
other comm munications. Kwamdela
K ca
apped the eveening off by im mparting his dream
d
to continue his 30-year mission
m to pro
ovide
an avenue through
t whichh emerging authors
can smooth hly transition from
f manuscrript to
finished, pe
erfect-bound publications.
p
Alkkamal Jemmott signiing books for 
pattron, photo by Sherm
man Swaby

 Malaaika Salena assistingg patron, photo by Sh
herman Swaby

For those who are interested in any of the books mentioned, would
w like to arrange
a intervview(s), or bo
ook
ease contact the
event, ple t 347-232-3 3974.

For more on Makeela B.B Amani and d Alkamal Jem mmott, visit ww
ww.blakhanda
arts.com. 
For more on Odimumb ba Kwamdela,, visit www.kib bobooks.com m
 
Books are
e available forr purchase att the following
g outlets:
www.kibo
obooks.com
www.blakkhandarts.comm
www.ama azon.com 
www.bn.c com 

DR
REAMING MAKES
M N$E®
SEN
a company off verbs and visiion

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