Tomi Adeyemi is a multi-award winning Nigerian-American novelist, whose books, geared towards young adult audiences, include titles like Children of Blood and Bone as well as Children of Virtue and Vengeance.
She is also a creative writing coach, giving back through workshops and classes aimed to encourage the art of writing.
As a brand positioning itself as more than simply a fashion powerhouse, the Maison Valentino, under the artistic direction of Pierpaolo Piccioli, has been encouraging a cross pollination between art and style. So a partnership of sorts between Adeyemi and Valentino seems perfect.
This week, Maison Valentino announced that it is taking part in the development of 'The Writer’s Roadmap' project - the literary course held by Adeyemi - by allocating funds aimed to provide 50 scholarships dedicated to student participants. This aims to providing the necessary tools to discover, outline, and complete their novels, while making enduring connections with fellow emerging novelist. A ten-week literary learning journey already kicked off on June 20th, 2022.
This is not their first allegiance. Dedicated to fostering new voices and creating opportunities for young artists, Maison Valentino first partnered with 'The Writer’s Roadmap' in 2020 to provide education, visibility and invaluable mentorship opportunities for emerging writers and creatives from diverse communities around the globe.
It is a project dedicated to promote and support student publications, while empowering their strength and providing a platform for expressing ideas in their original voice.
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The Maison, founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani, places young people at the heart of its vision to be a hub of outstanding creatives, one that helps to power future talent. The literary learning journey started with Adeyemi is a dynamic project to unite, listen actively and be in conversation with people, especially young adults and spark dialogues, while strengthening commitment and vision of the arts. This will allow a new era of exceptional emerging talents to gain opportunities and experiences through mentorship, empowering young talents and giving a voice to the next generation.
“I couldn’t be happier about this partnership,” said 'The Writer’s Roadmap' founder and New York Times bestselling novelist Adeyemi. “Maison Valentino is not just a pinnacle of artistry, but a stunning champion of diversity - they go out of their way to support artistry in others and routinely give so many young writers an opportunity to learn and shine. I have been very blessed to know and work with them over the years, and I know these young mentees will feel the same.”
'The Writers Roadmap' series continues an ongoing and ever-expanding dialogue between Valentino and the literary world with a proactive approach to “giving back” to the community, by supporting students from under-resourced communities with opportunities to shine creatively. The campaign is a continuation of Valentino’s commitment and long-term devotion to foster diverse voices in the arts, to continue to empower artists, young people and communities as agents of positive social change by generating cultural awareness worldwide, supporting literature, writing, education, and cultivating belonging and a sense of community.
All images courtesy of Valentino, used with permission.
