THURSDAY 11 MARCH, LONDON ENGLAND — In celebration of the release of the newly illustrated version of Malorie Blackman’s YA classic Noughts & Crosses, The Folio Society are hosting a virtual event with the book’s illustrator Kingsley Nebechi.
Thought-provoking and compelling, Noughts & Crosses takes the timeless premise of forbidden love and sets it in Albion, a segregated society where light-skinned noughts are suppressed by the ruling black Crosses. When Sephy, the Cross daughter of a government official falls in love with her nought housekeeper’s son, Callum, the power of love and the optimism of youth are put to the test.

The conversation will be led by the esteemed broadcaster, Brenda Emmanus who will explore Kingsley’s journey towards reimagining the literary classic’s fictional world of Albion, twenty years after its original release.
The Folio Society, a London-based publishing house has partnered with marcomms, PR and talent management agency, TGRG to produce the event on Thursday 15 April at 18:30.

This is the first event under TGRG’s new literary agency, SixByNines&Co. which partners with publishing houses and cultural organisations to get diverse authors to diverse audiences.

Of the event, TGRG Managing Director Juanita Rosenior said “We couldn’t think of a better partner or book to officially launch SixByNines&Co. Noughts & Crosses is such a beloved and iconic piece of art by one of the UK’s most prolific and favoured Black female writers. It is a real honour to present this beautiful version of a literary classic to audiences who have a longstanding relationship with the story and to new audiences too.”

She continued, “This event is also a testament to The Folio Society’s commitment to working with emerging Black brands in the publishing sector. It takes them another step forward in their longstanding work to connect with diverse audiences and amplify the works of Black authors globally. With this event, The Folio Society haven’t just paid lip service to diversity. They’ve acted.”

Joanna Reynolds, CEO of The Folio Society says: ‘Noughts & Crosses was one of my children’s favourite books. When I asked them and their friends what Folio should publish, this came top of their list. I think it’s amazing – both thought provoking and a compelling love story. And beautifully written. It is a book I wanted us to publish. Our edition looks great – the introduction by Benjamin Zephaniah and the art by Kingsley Nebechi create a wonderful whole. Folio is very proud to publish this exceptional book.’

Tickets for Noughts & Crosses: A conversation with Kingsley Nebechi are available from Eventbrite.

—ENDS—

Editor’s Notes

 Noughts & Crosses: A conversation with Kingsley Nebechi take place on Thursday 15 April from 18:30-19:30
 Limited early bird tickets at £5 are available from Wednesday 10 March. Full price tickets will be sold at £10 per ticket.
 Kingsley Nebechi is a graphic designer, illustrator and artist based in London. After graduating in 2013, he first worked at design agency ilovedust.
His artistic career was publicly launched with his solo exhibition ‘A Soulful Mind’ at the Espacio Gallery, London, in 2017. His corporate clients include Nike, the BBC, Island Records, and among his private clients are the likes of Lauryn Hill, Akala and Stormzy.
 TGRG (SixByNines&Co.) – TGRG is a boutique marcomms, PR and Talent Management agency working with the like of Leroy Logan, Sheila Nortley and Black Cultural Archives.

SixByNines&Co., a subsidiary of TGRG, launched on March 4 2021 (World Book Day). They produce diverse digital literary events and represent diverse authors. Prior to its inception, TGRG had produced several events for authors including Diane Abbott MP, Benjamin Zephaniah, Alex Wheatle and Dorothy Koomson.

The Folio Society – Founded in London in 1947, The Folio Society publishes carefully crafted editions of the world’s finest literature. They believe that great books deserve to be presented in a form worthy of their contents. For over 70 years they have celebrated the unique joy to be derived from owning, holding and reading a beautiful printed edition.

Folio Society books are beautifully crafted, imaginative editions of the world’s great works of fiction and non-fiction, and they offer a rich literary experience to readers of all ages. The books they select for publication are timeless – they know they will be enjoyed and appreciated now and in the future. Because each book is considered as an individual object of value in its own right, there is a variety to their aesthetic – the only uniformity is in the quality of every single book. www.foliosociety.com