REFLECTION & REASON

This curated list of 21 books about Caribbean Carnival is part of Kya Publishing’s ongoing commitment to encourage continued study, inspire deeper understanding, and celebrate the vibrant legacy of Carnival culture. From its historical roots to its contemporary expressions, these titles help document our journey across decades and generations — reminding us that Carnival is more than a festival; it is a living testament to resistance, creativity, and community. May these books inform, empower, and connect readers to the stories, traditions, and voices that keep our Carnival spirit alive. 01) Ms. V's Hot Girl Summer - A.H. Cunningham (2025) 02) Carnival Curves - Stacey Robinson (2025) 03) Caribbean Carnival Hoe - Rachael Reed (2024) 04) Carnivals and Cultural Festivals of the Caribbean - Anthony Berot (2024) 05) Malaika, Carnival Queen - Nadia L. Hohn, Irene Luxbacher (2023) 06) Rekindling Our Carnival Rhythms: Reigniting Our Soul -...

In the spirit of preserving, enhancing, and operationalizing the culturally significant event that is Caribbean Carnival, we have created a template that can be used in any city, for carnival enthusiasts who are looking to select a band to play mas with. MAS BAND EXPERIENCE: There are many factors that contribute to the overall experience participants will have with the mas band they select, from the band launch to crossing the stage and the road march. We've listed 20 items to consider including the band leader, DJs, road performers, trucks, refreshments, the band launch, costume registration, pickup, and quality, the mas camp vibe, website and social media performance, customer service, special events, band reputation, and participants diversity. By giving each area a score from 1-5, the template will automatically tabulate the overall grade for the band, which you can compare across 5 bands using our worksheet. Additional factors to consider, for reference: mas band size, the ma...

I love Carnival. I love Toronto. I love the combination of Carnival and Toronto, and always want what is best for our city, our Caribbean community, our participants, and our visitors. Continuing to to stay connected to Toronto's carnival festivities over the years is very important to me. Along with my team of writers, we have planned Kya Publishing and Toronto Urban Book Expo book fairs/events and activities around Emancipation Day weekend in Toronto for years, in celebration of the culture and to draw alignment between our intentions as writers and larger cultural objectives. A part of our business model is to encourage international visitors to come to Toronto, interact and integrate with our creative communities (the writers in particular), and to continue to build Toronto as a hub for Black artists and innovators. So far, I've met some incredible, brilliant Black people as a result of this alignment. We live in a beautiful, world class city, and therefore we all need to...

Maybe I'm just in my feelings because Caribana is back. And because I heard Joeboy's "Alcohol" on the road/Lakeshore before 3pm (big up DJ Snoopy). Maybe because it's Emancipation Day today, and I looked at my television and saw beautiful African Canadian children dancing in celebration at Fort York. I am overwhelmed with cultural pride, and an unexpected sense of relief because I have [physically] felt the shift, and evolution of our Toronto culture this weekend. A significant one. It's been a strange end to the long weekend. They just announced the cancellation of Drake's grand finale for the OVO Fest, a celebrity-studded star on the top of our Toronto Caribbean Carnival Christmas tree. The [wedding] icing on our Black Cake. OVO started our Toronto fantasy weekend with a cypher-like gathering of Toronto hip hop and R&B legends, and then the parade returned...and the parties were back, in their original locations. Caribana was deeply missed; you could...

CARNIVAL SPOTLIGHT (2014) by SM Robinson Paperback | Ebook I wrote this book as a follow up to " Video Light " and the lives of the main characters Delia and Ryan Wright. An admirer of Sister Souljah's writing , I truly appreciated how she would take various characters from her books, and develop them independently at another space in time. I loved the way that readers had the opportunity to follow up with characters later in life, and continue the fictional journey with them in another book. In writing "Carnival Spotlight" I wanted to explore Delia and Ryan's relationship and whether or not it was capable of evolving. In 2014, I was also headpiece-deep in the production and administration of Toronto's Caribbean Carnival with one of the city's larger masquerade bands, the Toronto Revellers , and I would often observe the social aspects of mas making and marvel at how unique and niche the experience really was. Participating in Toronto Carnival as a...

Art by Cynthia McLean Inspired by  our novel "Carnival Spotlight," w e established the  @CarnivalSpotlight   outlet in 2016 to visually highlight Caribbean carnival culture, news, events, and organizations. In addition to our IG outlet, here's our archive of  Caribbean-Carnival/Culture related articles, photos, videos, and communication activities that we've conducted over the years: CARNIVAL 2020 ​ ​Carnival Music // Carnival Leadership and Education Series ( Article ) CARNIVAL 2019 Recognizing the Next Generation of Caribbean Canadian Leadership ( Article ) Toronto Carnivalists Committed to Keeping the Culture Progressive in Canada ( Article ) MAS.IV Meetup Creates Interactive Space for Progressive Caribbean Carnival Conversation ( Article ) Toronto Mas Camps Open for Carnival Costumes & Caribbean Community Celebration ( Article ) "Pass the Torch" Honours the Next Generation in Canadian Calypso Mu si c ( Article ) ​Toronto Knows Carnival - The Launch ...