BLACK FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR FIGHTS THE UNDER-REPRESENTATION OF BEM’S IN LITERATURE

BLACK FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR FIGHTS THE UNDER-REPRESENTATION OF BEM’S IN LITERATURE A mother, teacher and business woman, Nigerian born Ola Laniyan-Amoaka is on a mission to provide a literary point of reference for Black and Ethnic Minorities (BEM) in Britain. Urbantopia, her new publishing company, aims to ‘bridge the gap for the urban voice’, producing books which resonate with the culture and experiences of BEM’s, starting with a series aimed at teenagers, to be launched in March, followed by a range of adult titles from June. A budding entrepreneur, in addition to Urbantopia, Ola runs Ruben’s World, www.rubens-world.com, a website where parents can personalise children’s books, including photographs and the names of their kids – further helping with reader engagement. To coincide with the launch of her first book through Urbantopia, Ola is also launching Talentville.co.uk, a website where teens can showcase their talents, uploading videos of dancing, singing or any other type of performance based skill - site visitors will then be able to vote for the act they think is the best. Ola, 30, grew up on a council estate and has first-hand experience of feeling left out in literature. “I was born in Britain, but spent part of my childhood in Nigeria and I felt that most books failed to represent me.” Now, as a Deputy Head of an inner city London Primary School, Ola sees the same problem on a daily basis, with BEM children often struggling to identify with the literature available. With this as her inspiration, during the evenings and weekends she manages to fit in growing other business ventures, whilst still caring for her two-year old son, Ruben, the inspiration behind Ruben’s world. “As a teacher and someone who grew up in inner London, it was very clear to me that BEM readers were not provided for! Urbantopia aims to correct this under-representation and encourage BEM children to read more, while also providing a more varied, and relevant, range of reading materials for young people from all backgrounds.” Proving drive, not big budgets, is what you need to succeed, Ola has funded Urbantopia with very little money, keeping costs down by hiring friends and young people who are looking to expand their skills. She recruited a graphic designer she met at Kick-boxing and found an illustrator through Graduate Talent Pool, a website where people who are struggling to get a job can find internships and placements. The first title to be published through Urbantopia is Leon Spit on the Mic, an inspiring story about a 15 year old boy living on an inner-city estate who dreams of being a successful rapper. Scheduled for launch in March 2010, the book is the first in The Lisson Green Chronicles, a series of books for teenagers, set in The Lisson Green Council Estate in NW London, where Laniyan-Amoako grew up. Metamorphosis, aimed at 20-something women, will come out on the 30th June. Books will be available through Amazon and www.urbantopia.co.uk, with a special New Year discount in place for bookshops to purchase copies for just £4.00