#ByeBye2016 ~ The Legends Are Passing The Torch – (Poetry + Pics)

Hello Friends,

Been a minute. Hope this blog post meets you in good health and great expectations for the coming new year. Compliments of the season to you.

2016 has been somehow somehow but we still give thanks to our Creator, we are alive to continue to pursue our passions and add value to the earth and fellow humanity.  This 2016 has seen a lot of deaths, famous people who have contributed their quota to life, old and young, some sadly gone too soon, people we know and people we don’t know. I believe our legends are passing the baton. Are you one of the ones to take it and keep the creativity flow going? Are you ready to create your own legacy, create something new, of value that you will be remembered for?  We’ve lost so many great ones this year. Especially in the arts and entertainment industry. Their works live on and their legacies remain in memoriam.

Below, I share with you a poem written by a talented young poet and master of words who I connected with on Facebook who goes by the pseudonym ‘Happy Prince’.  Read below, after this tribute video courtesy “Do You Remember?” Facebook page, which is a live video being updated as time goes by as we are sadly, being surprised daily of news of sudden deaths.  May the souls of the departed rest in peace. Amen!

Gone like the day,
Like its sun,
Your journey is like today,
Tomorrow it will not return,

Torn from existence,
Your race has known its end,
No matter the strength of resistance,
Your remains no longer on this air depend,

As you shook hands with death,
Your legend was born,
Ferried through all the earth,
Who says you are done,

Your light brightened the path of many,
Your voice knew no race,
You shared love with people diverse and plenty,
Leaving hatred no trace,

Let the sun shine,
Let the moon glow,
Let the birds travel at ‘half mast’ in a straight line,
Let the land whiten with snow,

Let eyes bleed tears,
Let voices shake with emotion,
Let dirges ring in both ears,
For another train has left the station,

You conquered though outnumbered,
We celebrate your bravery,
Your name will ever be remembered,
We will tell you’d story,

A story hot on history’s lips,
Generations will hear and learn,
The least of the secrets it keeps,
Even time will pen,

Rest in the light.

************** ************#Happy Prince ****************************

“no man is self-made” – Happy Prince

celebrities are fan-made, team work makes the dream work 

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On a beautiful note, I leave you with visuals of a round up photo shoot for 2016. Shot by budding Atlanta Photographer  – Simeon Fabunmi  and beautiful quotes to start off the new year.

I wish you the best of 2017 and may it be better than 2016! 

Simeon Fabunmi

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Beautifully Dreaming, Positively Doing… See you in 2017

xoxo

Tosinger

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Naija Chronicles and a New Release: 💭 SiLenT ThOuGhTs 💭 – #BringBackOurGirls

Hello Friends,

Heartwarming greetings from my African sunkissed heart to yours 🙂 and a Happy new month of August to you!

I just arrived from my home country of Nigeria the past month of July, promoting my debut album “Organically Singing”  and  garnering some press/media presence and on ground performances. Follow me at  @Tosinger on instagram  to have a sneak peak of that journey, see a few pics below. Thank God for His mercies, grace and favor and thank you Lagos for your hospitality.

Singing at Jazzhole, Lagos

Interview with Tosyn Bucknor of Top Radio 90.9 FM

Performing at Freedom Park, Lagos with Seun Olota

Interview with Harry Itie for TVC Channel “On The Town”

After radio interview with Olabisi Omidire of EkoFm

 

RhythmFM 93.7 interview on Celebrity Live Wednesday

With Etuk Ubong and the band at Jazzhole

I am also delighted to present to you a creative product of my visit to Nigeria which is officially released digitally today. I worked with the multitalented Producer/Musician – FloRocka– on my latest project, an audio drama/spoken word titled ‘Silent Thoughts’.

Meeting the talented Florocka 6 years after. Prior to this, 6 years ago, I did digital artist promotions and social media marketing for his very first project – The OverFlo

With Flo and Rapper DMSquared

‘Silent Thoughts‘ is an Audio Drama/Spoken Word/Storytelling Project with an afro-theatrical edge addressing the issues of our times. As a spoken form of art on a musical backdrop, ‘Silent Thoughts’ intends to provoke and inspire thought towards change. Things have been quiet lately about the Chibok Girls. Whatever happened to #BringBackOurGirls? What is currently happening?

Download here

Subscribe to my email list at www.tosinger.com  for a link to download on your mobile.

Watch ‘The Making’ of Silent Thoughts

In other news, do take a moment to read my interview with The Guardian NG

Thanks for your love and support.

Blessings to you and yours this new month and beyond!

Beautifully Dreaming, Positively Doing…
Tosinger
Singer I Songwriter I Storyteller

Artivist mode 🙂

Dare To Be Daring – #YourTurnChallenge Day 6

This is Day 6  of the #YourTurnChallenge, an initiative to practice the art of shipping by writing one blog post every day for a week.

As a child I stuck my finger in fire

Just to know how ‘hot’ heat is

Broke open a living, breathing snail

Just to see what goes on inside, within

I’m the cat that curiosity never killed

The lioness that ate more than meat

The thirst for adventure will continue for life

I’ll dare to venture from time to time

Crossing boundary lines of creativity

Breaking rules like Picasso’s artistry

I’ll dare to be different in my chosen ways

Some restrictions may not allow it again and again

But I’ll do what I can with what I have

Until it’s time to throw caution to the wind

And skydive off the edge of a very high cliff 🙂

 

Beautifully Dreaming… Positively Doing

Tosinger

Writers, Africa, African Diaspora : Submission Opportunity – Havard’s Transition

Sharing this literary submission opportunity with any relevant and interested parties.

This a reblog via Hutchin’s Center

Born in Africa and bred in the diaspora, Transition is a unique forum for the freshest, most compelling, most curious ideas about race. Since its founding in Uganda in 1961, the magazine has kept apace of the rapid transformation of the black world and has remained a leading forum of intellectual debate. Now, in an age that demands ceaseless improvisation, we aim to be both an anchor of deep reflection on black life and a map charting new routes through the globalized world. Transition is a publication of the Hutchins Center at Harvard University, published three times annually by Indiana University Press.  Alejandro de la Fuente is the Editor.

Transition aims to speak to the broader intelligentsia and the educated lay public through jargon-free, readable prose that provides both insight and pleasure.

We accept submissions year-round on a rolling basis.  We generally respond to all submissions within four months.  Due to volume, we are unable to provide updates on the status of submissions unless more than four months have passed.

Transition publishes writing by and about Africa and the African diaspora, with an eye towards a global perspective.  Please familiarize yourself with our Archive and read a recent issue to gain a sense of both the content and style that we seek.

General Submission Guidelines

View Style Guide

• Transition does accept simultaneous submissions.  Please notify us immediately if you need to withdraw a piece because it has been accepted elsewhere.
• Transition does not accept multiple submissions within a four-month period.  Within a season, an author may submit one packet of 5-7 poems, 1 short story, 1 essay, or 1 interview.  Multiple submissions will result in all submissions being rejected.
• Transition now only accepts electronic submissions through Submittable.  Submissions sent by physical mail will be recycled unread.
• Expect to revise.  With the exception of poetry, Transition almost never publishes work in the form it was originally submitted.  Authors of work under consideration may receive editorial feedback and requests to revise prior to final acceptance.
• All submissions should include a brief cover letter that includes a short author bio.
• For all submissions, please include the following information in your cover letter and in the top left corner of the first page of all documents:

Name
Email address
Title of the work
Word count (or page count, for poetry)

• Pages should be numbered and include the author’s name on every page.
• All text submissions must be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf file format.  Images may be submitted in .jpg, .tiff, .gif, or .png.
• Use 12pt. Times New Roman font unless there is a stylistic reason to do otherwise.

Transition pays contributors with one print copy of the issue in which their work appears, and the opportunity to reach a broad, international audience. For more info visit – https://transition.submittable.com. Submit here and all the best….

Beautifully Dreaming…. Positively Doing

Tosinger

Photos and Haikus IV

Hi Friends,

It’s been a minute on the Photos and Haikus Series. Here goes feature IV on photos from another London based Photographer Femi Anifalaje of  ShotByFemo whose portraits, street photography and structural captures are one of a kind. His Instagram is quite whimsical too and can be followed here .

This one was originally titled ‘The Imperfect Dance’ so I decided to feed off that.

The Imperfect Dance

Rhythm of love, no color

And the beat goes on

If Jesus was black

With a ‘fro so big as mine

Would he look like this?

The thoughts of a man

Known to him and him alone

Life’s Escalators

For more of ShotbyFemo ‘s Photography like his FB page here

Beautifully Dreaming.. Positively Doing..

xoxo

Tosinger

Photos & Haikus III

Happy new year Friends..

Ring out false pride in place and blood …. The civic slander and the spite… Ring in the love of truth and right… Ring in the common love of good.

A verse from “Ring Out, Wild Bells” , a New Year’s poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Here’s Photos and Haikus III with photos that signify new beginnings, the rising of a new dawn. Enjoy and be inspired.

Photo by Femi Onatuga London, UK

These are works of Femi Onatuga, a photographer based in London, UK known for his scenic and wedding photography.

Here bursts the  Sun Rise

Calm start to a year of light

Peaceful  beginnings

Sweet red Morning Rose

Fragrant and fresh, nature’s scent

Bloom, beautiful year

Hand in hand we go

Uncertain of the future

Love will lead the way

Click the photo below to see more of Femi’s work

His instagram is also delightful at

http://instagram.com/femionatuga

Big Ben, London, UK

Beautifully Dreaming… Positively Doing…

xoxo

Tosinger

Photos & Haikus II

Hi Everyone,

Hope you had a great week so far and the weekend is looking good already. Here’s presenting Photos & Haikus II. These are shots from a photographer friend of mine, YinkaStudio based in New York ‘ {Chocolate Photography}  Here goes 3 photo selections for my haikus. Enjoy!

Cute baby alert

Chubby cheeks and smile so sweet

Light in his bright eyes 

Sweet creamy cookies

Tummy leaps for sugar treats

Delicious rainbows

Oh the book of love

Your name and mine I do see

I smile as you read

Click the photo below for more of Yinka Studio’s work

Click here for Photos & Haikus I

Until my next post,

Beautifully Dreaming, Positively Doing…

xoxo

Tosinger

Photos and Haikus I

Light and Love on your Sundays Beautiful People..

Once in a while, I’ll put together a few captivating shots I come across and use my gift of words & poetry to complement them while drawing attention to the work of these wonderful artists/photographers . I’ve always had this nifty idea and with the blog, I can now put it to expression..I tag the ongoing series “Photos & Haikus”

I started writing haikus as a pre-teen up until my post-grad college days at the University of Nottingham, UK. The creativity involved eased those lonely, melancholic moments of the life of an international student 🙂

hai·ku

ˈhīˌko͞o,ˌhīˈko͞o/

noun

Haikus – I call it a lightweight form of poetry, but its not as lightweight as it seems. It’s actually, mostly full of depth as it takes a lot more creativity/ thought process to put together due to the structural  limitations re-syllables, word count while wanting to maintain depth and meaning as much as possible

So my pictorial muse for today’s post is Daniel Emeka’s work (Digital & Graphic Artist).  Male Model: Daniel Emeka himself, Female Model- Merit Iwute, Photography by Timmy Davies.Art Direction: Daniel Emeka.  And these are 3 picks from his project titled ‘‘THE HUSTLE”

I will let my haiku {for each of the three photos I selected} speak for them.

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High heat in Lagos

Pure water like soul music

A cool refresher

She sees the future

through dreamy eyes of beauty

 tomato hue lips

As the sun sets low 

He sees as her eyes drops so

to love or to hold

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Hope you enjoyed it. For more of Daniel Emeka’s work. Click here

And  I’ll leave you with this joke 😀

Beautifully Dreaming, Positively Doing..

xoxo

Tosinger

(Disclaimer: this is not an official endorsement  but an outlet to foster and appreciate  creative expression and talents. Endorsement posts will be categorized as so)