People in Bridgetown are disappearing, vanishing from their homes. Akeelah is the only one who knows the truth--that the creatures have come again to wreak havoc on the only home she has ever known. Overwhelmed by her responsibilities, she stumbles...
People in Bridgetown are disappearing, vanishing from their homes. Akeelah is the only one who knows the truth–that the creatures have come again to wreak havoc on the only home she has ever known. Overwhelmed by her responsibilities, she stumbles across Aso, a shapeshifting God who needs Akeelah's key to search the only place she has not looked for her disappearing sons. Both burdened by grief, hope and loss, they uncover the alchemy of turning tragedy into carnival.
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Door of Return (DOR) blends juju, Caribbean folklore, folktales and fantasy to explore themes of fear, identity, discovery, and responsibility.
This series takes its name from The Door of Return; an initiative to launch a new era of cooperation between Africa and the Diaspora in the 21st century.
Volume Two– Crop Over, is the sequel Book in this collaborative series. Meet our writers and collaborators for this volume.
Akilah Walcott is the volume lead and editor. She is a Guyanese woman, and her love for storytelling began at a young age. Since then, she has folded herself between the pages of creative writing. She loves painting reality at the intersection of art and philosophy to uncover hidden meanings in the most mundane things. Akilah arranged the volume story and wrote the following chapters; Door of No return, They Key, Reflections (co-written), Lost and Found.
Chukky Ibe is a poet, playwright, and essayist. His essays explore overlooked and under-examined elements of culture and human societies. His plays try to reconstruct the lives and magic of ancient African peoples, and with his poetry and creative nonfiction, he paints portraits of his childhood memories. He blogs at ibezimako.com and is the editor of TRAD magazine. In his pieces waiting, we meet a girl who does not understand why a fish would fly and another who knows.
Aaron Parry has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Indigenous Studies with a minor in African and African Diaspora Studies. He is now a youth development program coordinator with ACCA and works at the Black Student Success Centre at McMaster.
Cadeem Lalor was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica and moved to Canada with his family at the age of four. He graduated from the politics/history program at the University of Ottawa. He then completed a master's in communication and new media at McMaster University. During his time at McMaster, he completed a research paper on discriminatory Hollywood casting practices. He served as a research assistant for a project on Muslim representation in North American media. Aside from the minority representation in the media, Cadeem is also interested in unconscious bias and how it affects everyday decisions such as hiring and dating. He is currently working on a project on an updated university textbook, making contributions to the networking and diversity sections.
Abena Peprah is a Ghanaian-Canadian emerging social worker who has a love for culture and the arts. Her love of writing and singing intersect with a desire to understand how people and communities express themselves and share within the collective.
Anyika Mark recently completed Nightwood Theatre's Write From the Hip emerging playwrights program and is in her 5th year at the University of Toronto--St. George, studying Political Science and Caribbean Studies. Being a creator has always been a large part of Anyika's life from writing to acting and then behind-the-scene work. She primarily acts and words for student prouctions which then led to the desire to purse the makings of her own shows.
Hodan Abdi is a creative soul that spends way too much time weaving stories in her head, tending to her indoor garden, or burying her nose in a book or two.
Shae-Ashleigh Owen wrote chapter 5, grafting, where we explore the depths of Akeelah's powers.
Brianna Fable is a McMaster University Graduate, a JD student at Queen's Faculty of law, and Co-founder of the Law Aspiring Black Students (L.A.B.S) affiliated University of Toronto's Faculty of Law BFL program.
Omobolanle Olarewaju is from Nigeria and has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her portfolio includes 2 short films, several scripts for theatrical production; the largest being for two MacAfrican Afrofest plays and a production for the Hamilton Fringe Festival; 'Ori buruku' a short story based on Yoruba lore, a poetry blog and several other personal projects. She loves fantasy and hopes to publish a novel of her own some day. Dark, creepy, and unique is right up her alley, but she also enjoys a good drama. She is interested in all things weird and African.
Cyndi Celeste is a spoken word poet, writer, creative instigator, and accidental activist. Bajan is her native tongue.
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