Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 19, 2018 News
– completes first book tour in United States
Although she has already made her name in the fashion industry both locally and overseas, Sonia Noel has long started to expand her horizons.
In this regard, Noel has thrown her hat into the writing arena, and has thus far authored multiple publications which have already started to make significant waves.
This fledging writer was able to accomplish the astounding feat of completing four books in just four months.
Noel has been going all out to ensure that her publications are well promoted. She just recently wrapped up a 14-city ‘motivational mission and book tour’ in the United States, which has perhaps positioned her to be among the more recognized authors.
Word being circulated is that it all started in New York at the Guyana Consulate in Manhattan where her four books were on display – ‘Living with Intention’, ‘A Compilation – Beyond the Runway’ and the two anthologies ‘Women Across Borders – With a mission and fulfilling purpose’.
The electrifying atmosphere set the pace for the entire tour and there have been many testimonials to attest to this.
The event was one that attracted a capacity audience with many attendees from Guyana, several Caribbean territories and United States residents. Among the attendees was Guyana Consul General to New York, Mrs. Barbara Atherly.
“Sonia is my girl and a daughter of the soil who is flying the flag everywhere she goes. One of the things I love about her, is her willingness to help others,” said Atherly, who could not refrain from mentioning Noel’s exclusive fashion line.
“I’ve had a number of her unique designs over the years from her collection and as I travelled, people requested them, so they were left in many countries” the Consul General shared.
At the event too, Atherly presented a citation on behalf of Senator Roxanne Persaud of the 19th District of the New York Senate.
Chairing the event was US-based Guyanese, Ms. Lorna Welshman-Neblett, who is well known for throwing her efforts behind the fight against cancer through her non-governmental entity, Health and Education Relief Organization for Cancer (HEROC).
But this was only the first leg of Noel’s book tour.
The second stop was in New Jersey where Jacqui Phillips, a celebrity makeup artist and one of the co-authors of Women Across Borders, hosted the continuation of the tour. The other cities that followed were Cambridge, Malden and Boston.
In Cambridge, the Mayor, Marc C. McGovern, spoke at the event and presented the new author with a Proclamation. The House of Representatives and State Senate also presented citations to Noel.
The book tour also saw Noel and her entourage heading to Connecticut and then Washington, which was likely the best segment of the tour, simply because of the wide array of nationalities who graced the event and the variety of content shared.
For the event, Guyana’s Ambassador to Washington, Dr. Riyad Insanally, made available the embassy which was swamped with attendees from The Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Kitts, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua, Grenada, Suriname, Dominican Republic, Africa, the US and of course, Guyana.
Dr. Desiree De Florimonte, another co-author of Women Across Borders, read from her chapter during the event and veteran journalist, Francis Quamina Farrier, and businessman, Gerry Gouveia, delivered brief remarks and congratulated Noel for her ability to never give up.
Ambassador Insanally also commended Noel for her achievements and encouraged her to keep inspiring others.
The tour continued with a second round in New York which was held at the Queen’s Literary Festival and Book Fair.
Noel was not only able to showcase her books, but also made a presentation on her literary journey. This saw her travelling from New York to Philadelphia and then unto Atlanta where two events were held.
At the Hampton Inn in Atlanta, Honorary Consul to Georgia, Marva Jacobs, gave the opening remarks at Noel’s event and Dr. Diane Adoma, Honorary Councilwoman for the City of Stonecrest in Georgia, was the feature speaker. The next event was hosted by Monica Trotz and Gwen Fredericks at Donjanelles.
The showcase continued in Tennessee, Mississippi and New Orleans too. However, in Tennessee, the adventurous entrepreneur could not resist the lure of zip lining and wild water rafting.
The final three cities for the book tour were Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Orlando, Florida. Guyana’s Honorary Consul to Florida, Mr. Ram Alli, who welcomed the invitees and encouraged each of them to purchase a book, was very instrumental in making the events a success, Noel said.
The book tour was also graced by Mayor Hazel Rogers who gave brief remarks at the event held at Tropics Restaurant. Rogers said she not only admires the focus, resilience and collection displayed by the veteran designer, but that she was also looking forward to reading the book and wearing a Sonia Noel Original garb.
As part of the tour too was a photo shoot of Noel and her book collection on the beach, which was skillful done by photographer Tamalee Lynkeechow.
The new author has also since been featured in a number of newspaper articles, and on a number of television and radio shows.
Still focused on growing her published collection, Noel, who recently returned home, has launched the cover of her newest book MOTHERHOOD – The Mountains and the Valleys, as a gift to herself for her 47th birth anniversary. The book is one which shares stories of the high and lows of motherhood and valuable lessons learnt. Noel’s elder daughter, Mariska Jordan-Fiedtkou, the mother of a six-year-old son, will be contributing a chapter to this new book. Also, Noel’s mother, Ms. Claudia John, will be sharing her story in the publication.
An excerpt from the book on social media has already created a wave of excitement among Noel’s fans.
Even as she evolves as a writer and in every aspect of her life, Noel says that she intends to continue to live true to the first sentence of her book: “Determination, faith, focus, self-discipline and consistency can really make anything a reality.”
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