Everybody Don Kolomental

Hope is Not Far Away… Everybody Don Kolomental is a collection of poems that deal with everyday universal struggles. Tolu’ peddles hope to the lost and hopeless and pulls at the emotional strings of the heart in this collection of heartfelt poems. The collection mirrors life through the eyes of a deep-thinker and wordsmith. Poet Tolu’ A. Akinyemi knows the gravity of mental health struggles and uses his words as a soothing balm to heal readers of this collection. In the poem titled ‘Hope is not Far Away’, he writes: “Who will tell Okikiola that hope is not far away? Its ship docked in the home of Akinyele before his candle was blown out and his flailing dreams were a shipwreck. Who will tell Okikiola this is not the last straw? These wind gusts would give way for the calming sea.” Whether you’re in need of calm after the storm, therapy, healing, or to view everyday struggles from the lens of a veteran poet, this collection is for you.

Dead Cats Don’t Meow urges its readers not to waste their ninth life…the author of the collection of poetic wisdom for the discerning adds his third compendium of poems to the bookshelves alongside Dead Lions Don’t Roar and Dead Dogs Don’t Bark. Tolu A. Akinyemi, renowned poet, author and performer, brings to us Dead Cats Don’t Meow, a metrical masterpiece which invokes love and respect for life with every word. Each poem examines a part of life, a sensation, a reaction, or an emotion. Beautifully written…individually, the verses breathe their own beat, whilst the collection knits together perfectly to present an idyllic collection to attain innate potential. “Don’t waste the ninth life! Don’t miss the chance to add this rare compendium of poetic wisdom to your bookshelf today!"

Dead Dogs Don’t Bark is the second poetry collection from the acclaimed author Tolu’ A. Akinyemi. With a similar tone and style to Dead Lions Don’t Roar (Tolu’s first poetry collection), this follow-up masterpiece is nothing short of pure motivation. The poems cover a range of topics that many in life are aware of, that the author himself has experienced, and that we all, whatever our age, need support in. Beautifully written, the poems speak volumes to all age groups as they encourage finding your inner talent and celebrating your individuality and distinct voice. The poetry collection contains didactic elements for negating the effects of peer pressure and criminality, along with many other forces. Also covering mental health, relationships, career focus, and general life issues, the poetry is, in turn, bittersweet, amusing and thought-provoking.

Tolu’ A. Akinyemi is a philosopher-poet and a deep thinker, and his journey into the realm of the spiritual would leave readers in awe. A god in a human body is Tolu’ A. Akinyemi’s ninth poetry collection. This collection is a meditation on the fleeting nature of human life. A god in a human body explores themes of spirituality, divinity and the enormous power that we possess while we traverse this earthly passage. A god in a human body will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions and its pages will leave readers craving for more.

Poets have always had the capability to travel inward – to create something out of the chaos of their inner world. It is why poetry is said to be cathartic, for through it, the poet eases himself of his burdens. But beyond that, poetry is also a tool for reflection. Oh, poetry cannot be stuffed into a single purpose for it is the expression of human emotions in line and verse, in styles and forms, rhymes and metres. And so, it acts has a way for the poet to transmit what he sees, thinks and feels in his inner world, those abstractions, into something tangible. Stuck at home in the loud silence inflicted by a lockdown, where does the poet turn to? What does he turn to? His inner world? Tolu’ Akinyemi’s Born in Lockdown is a collection of poetry birthed in such a traverse. The poems explore the pandemic and lockdown, and the myriad feelings, effects and reactions it birthed. The collection begins with a declaration of the poet’s utter despair: There is a pandemic in my head, raging like boiling water. There is a war in my mind, tugging at the deepest part of my soul. There is a thunderstorm in my heart, wreaking havoc like it is doomsday. At each flip of the page, you come across poems that are either personal or reflective, or poems that are querying in tone. On how the pandemic disrupts intimacy, Tolu’ wrote: Your love in my heart was innocent and untainted until COVID crept in and the veil of deceit was lifted. What’s appealing about this collection is the simplicity of Tolu’s style and the softness of his metaphors. His similes and imagery are like the vivid strokes of an artist on canvas; they’re not ambiguous. You read lines like: The silence in this house is eating me up like termites ravaging wood. This is poetry – minimalist, yet pronounced in what the poet was able to use simple words to achieve. In this collection, Tolu’ has proven himself a master of language, using words to weave moods and emotions. You oscillate between the heaviness of loneliness to the grief of a wrecked relationship to the hope of vaccines that will save the world. This collection promises you a titillating experience.

Black ≠ Inferior is a collection of poems divided into 2 parts. The first part is a collection of thematically linked poems exploring Blackness and the myriads of issues it attracts. The second part oscillates themes— talking about consent, a query of death, a celebration of love among others. In his usual stylistic, this collection deals with weighty matters like race and colourism with simple and clear language. In Black ≠ Inferior, we see Tolu’ Akinyemi reacting in response to the world, to issues that affect Black people. Here, we see a poet shedding off his burdens through his poems; hence, the beauty of this collection is in the issues it attempts to address. In this collection, Tolu’ wears a coat of many colours – he is a preacher, a prophet, a doctor and a teacher. We see Tolu’ the preacher in these lines: ‘I wish you can rise through the squalor of poverty and voices that watercolour you as under-represented. I wish you can emblaze your name in gold, and swim against every wave of hate.’ This is a collection of poems fit for the present narrative as any (Black) person who reads this collection should beam with confidence at the end. This is what the poet sets out to achieve with his oeuvre.

OH, THE WEBS WE WEAVE... For his seventh poetry collection, Tolu' has turned his attention to that old adage - no one in a writer's life may have secrets. A vibrant, human exploration of the way in which words and deeds connect all of us, and the tiniest movements which span out across continents. Tolu' writes powerfully on family, love, loss, and with a scorching curiosity for the world around us. His readers will be familiar with his inimitable style, and this latest collection does not disappoint.

The first collection of short stories by this multitalented author entwines everyday events that are articulated in excellent storytelling. The title story “Inferno of Silence” portrays men’s societal challenges and the unspoken truths and burdens that men bear, while “Black lives Matter” shows the first hand trauma of a man facing racism as a footballer plying his trade in Europe. Stories range from “Return Journey” where we encounter a techpreneur/ Poet/Serial Womanizer confronting consequences of his past actions, to “Blinded by Silence,” where a couple united by love must face a political upheaval changing their fortune. These are completed with stories of relationships: “Trouble in Umudike” – about family wealth and marriage; “Everybody don Kolomental” where the main character deals with mental health issues; and “In the Trap of Seers” when one’s life is on auto-reverse with the death of her confidante, her mother, as she takes us through her ordeal and journey to redemption. This is a broad and very inclusive collection.