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Press & Mentions-N’Nako Kandé (N•A•K)

Updated: Jan 9

Hi, I am N’nako Kandé, and this is my living archive.

This post marks the beginning of my public archive — a space where I will continue gathering and updating past interviews, features, acknowledgments, and media appearances from my creative and cultural journey. This is a living record of the places where my work, my voice, and my lineage have been witnessed.

Because I am still retrieving information, this archive may not appear in chronological order. You are welcome to explore my Linktree, social media, and other blog stories as I continue piecing together my creative footprint.



PRESS & MENTIONS



  • Chattanooga Sister Cities World Culture Day 2025

    with the Creative Discovery Museum

"African-born Chattanoogans, including the wonderful Kofi and N’nako Kande, enriched the experience by sharing Ghanaian culture through fabric, textiles, literature, dance, drums, and singing." — Chattanooga Sister Cities, June 3rd, 2025


N'nako Kande standing next to Kofi Mawuko on World Culture Day 2025 at the Chattanooga Discovery Museum. N'nako wears an African print cloth with Adinkra Symbols after dressing participants in Nakivoire African prints apparel, headwraps, and cloth as they danced to Kofi's drums.
N'NAKO KANDE & KOFI MAWUKO AT WORLD CULTURE DAY 2025 CHATTANOOGA CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM

Podcast Interviews

Upcoming podcast January 15, 2026

  • One Rhyme at a Time featuring N'nako Kande

Promotional flyer for “One Rhyme At A Time With: The Poetic Diva,” Season 3, Episode 1, airing Thursday, January 15 at 7 PM on WUTC 88.1 FM and RNCPoetry YouTube. Features poet N’nako Kandé’s piece “The Forester’s Daughter” and a mental health discussion on Nature & Wellness with Dr. Kimberly Johnson, LCSW. Includes logos for ArtsBuild, Golden Nook, Lyndhurst Foundation, and music platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and Pandora. Three featured guests are pictured.
BILINGUAL POET N'NAKO KANDE ONE RHYME AT A TIME


Award-winning author of The Art of Rooting, N'nako Kande, interviewed on the Africana Woman podcast season 5 with Chulu Chansa.

  • BuyBlack4Life-Fireside Chat with N'nako Kande

  • Soundliving Podcast

    Episode BEC Award-winner Best Therapist April Taylor featuring BEC Awards multiple category nominee N'nako Kande (2022)


Television Interviews

Past TV interviews in Tennessee highlighting my work as an author, artist, and cultural storyteller.


(Archived — links forthcoming.)

Photograph taken at the Channel 12 studio during a 2017 taping of “Point of View” hosted by Nikki Nicholson, now founder of Lady Nap Winery — the first Black woman-owned winery in Chattanooga. The image features N’nako Kandé in her handmade Nakivoire African print outfit discussing her cookbook It’s a Pineapple Thing: Sweet and Savory Recipes from a Tropical Foodie. The studio includes red and wood-paneled walls, black chairs, a glass table with a pineapple centerpiece, and a scenic landscape mural, capturing a moment of cultural celebration and creative authorship.
Channel 12 studio N'nako Kande during the taping of Point of View with Nikki Nicholson (2017)

N'nako Kande and Gregory L Funderburger standing for a photo near a female journalist who interviewed N'nako on her upcoming culinary storytelling workshop at the Chattanooga Downtown Library featuring pineapple recipes from her cookbook "It's a Pineapple Thing! Sweet & Savory Recipes from a Tropical Foodie". She wear a black and orange dashik off shoulder dress that she designed with African prints from her Nakivoire collection.

White House Acknowledgment

Recognized during the final year of Barack and Michelle Obama’s administration for her first published book, Little Corey & Cousin Nia's Fun Trip to the Farmer's Market..


More than ten years later, I finally framed my letter from the White House. I never saw it as national recognition back then — but it was. My first storybook, Little Corey and Cousin Nia’s Fun Trip to the Farmers Market, was embraced by my local Barnes & Noble, who insisted I send it in. Today, I honor that moment as part of my creative legacy.Little Corey & Cousin Nia


Photo of award-winning author and storyteller, N’nako Kandé smiling and holding a decorative sign reading “LET’S ADVENTURE TOGETHER” in gold lettering, set against a green leafy background. Below the main image is an inset showing a framed letter from the White House, signed by President Barack Obama, acknowledging her first storybook Little Corey and Cousin Nia’s Fun Trip to the Farmers Market. N’nako holds a personal milestone album — a new vessel for collecting and honoring her legacy moments. This image celebrates her early authorship, national recognition, and the ceremonial act of archiving her creative journey with intention and joy.




(More details will be added as I gather my records.)



Cultural Cross Ties Documentary

with Barking Legs and The Chattanooga Sisters Cities

  • Upcoming Cultural Cross Ties with Ghana (2026)


Flyer for the documentary premiere “Cultural Cross Ties,” highlighting the Sister Cities exchange between Tono, Japan and Chattanooga, Tennessee. N’nako Kandé was one of two local storytellers selected by the City of Chattanooga to participate in this cultural exchange, sharing stories alongside two Japanese storytellers from Tono. The event took place on April 15 at 6:00 PM with free admission, Japanese snacks, and tea, supported by organizations including the Chattanooga Public Library and the Tennessee Arts Commission. This flyer marks a milestone in N’nako’s international storytelling journey and her ongoing connection to one of the Japanese artists.
Honored to be one of two storytellers selected by the City of Chattanooga for the Cultural Cross Ties exchange with Tono, Japan. Sharing stories across cultures, across oceans, and across generations was a gift — and I’m still in touch with one of the artists today. Grateful to see our connection woven into this documentary premiere.

Honored to be one of two storytellers selected by the City of Chattanooga for the Cultural Cross Ties exchange with Tono, Japan. Sharing stories across cultures, across oceans, and across generations was a gift — and I’m still in touch with one of the artists today. Seeing our connection woven into this documentary premiere was deeply meaningful.

I was selected by the City of Chattanooga as one of two local storytellers to participate in the Cultural Cross Ties exchange with Tono — our Sister City. Peggy Douglas and I were paired with two Japanese storytellers to share stories, traditions, and creative memory across cultures. The experience was beautiful, grounding, and deeply connective. Our collaboration became part of the documentary Cultural Cross Ties, which premiered on April 15 with support from the Chattanooga Public Library and the Tennessee Arts Commission. My ongoing connection with one of the Japanese artists remains the true heart of this exchange — a creative friendship that continues beyond the project itself



TV Show

Dr. Oz featuring N'nako Kande as N'nako Goodhealthdiva

(More details will be added as I gather my records.)


Magazines

(More details will be added as I gather my records.)



Magazine spread featuring N’nako Kandé’s recipes in HealthScope and CityScope magazines, laid out on grass. The visible pages highlight her Raspberry Pineapple Crepes and Pineapple Salsa — the latter drawn from her cookbook It’s a Pineapple Thing: Sweet and Savory Recipes from a Tropical Foodie. These features inspired a series of community workshops and TV interviews celebrating tropical ingredients, ancestral memory, and creative nourishment. Workshop locations included the Downtown Chattanooga Public Library, the Creative Discovery Museum, and the Chattanooga Sister Cities organization — each space hosting her culinary storytelling with culture, community, and ceremony.


COMMUNITY FEATURES & NATURE-ORIENTED OFFERINGS

A ceremonial record of where my land‑based work, creative leadership, and community care have been witnessed.

My nature‑rooted work began as personal practice and grew into community ceremony. Over the years, I have founded and co‑founded offerings that invite people back into presence, breath, and relationship with the land. Many of these programs — from silent hikes to peace workshops to poetry in nature — were highlighted on organizational websites, flyers, and public announcements. This section honors those mentions as part of my living lineage and creative authorship.


  • Silent Hour Hikes — Founded by N’nako Kandé (2025) (Audubon Acres)

Created and led a signature silent hiking experience rooted in presence, breathwork, and nature communion; featured in community flyers and promotional materials.



Screenshot from the Audubon Acres website promoting N’nako Kandé’s Silent Hour Hike, held on July 26, 2025. The image shows N’nako standing in quiet reflection at South Chickamauga Creek, surrounded by lush greenery. This nature-rooted offering took place along the historic Trail of Tears near the Little Owl Village landmark. The Silent Hour Hike invites participants into land-based presence and stillness, drawing inspiration from practices often described as forest bathing and eco-therapy, while remaining a ceremonial experience centered on grounding, breath, and reverence for place rather than mental-health treatment.

Silent Hour Hike






Promotional collage for N’nako Kandé’s nature‑based grounding and presence offerings, photographed at Audubon Acres along the historic Trail of Tears. The image features three women (N'nako with one of the participants) in outdoor settings: one seated on the grass journaling, and two smiling in front of the landmark sign for Little Owl Village — a site of deep ancestral and historical significance. Text overlays include a participant testimonial describing the Silent Hike as a calming, grounding experience, and invitations to engage with N’nako’s award‑winning Art of Rooting work. The collage reflects her integration of journaling, cultural storytelling, and land‑based wellness practices rooted in ceremony and reverence for place, without presenting the Silent Hour Hike as forest bathing, eco-therapy or mental‑health treatment.

  • What About Peace Workshops — Founded by N’nako Kandé (2025) inspired by my coloring and activity book What About Peace ( 2025)

Developed and facilitated peace‑centered workshops integrating mindfulness, creativity, and community restoration; included in promotional announcements across various community spaces.

A flyer of "What About Peace" workshop created by award-winning author N'nako Kande hosted at the Chattanooga Audubon Acres on October 16, 2025. Nature as Cerenomy, Healingm and Conservation.

  • Sister Circle in Nature Me, Myself, & God — Co‑Founded by N’nako Kandé and Kween Crown. (Audubon Acres) (2025)

Co‑created a women’s nature circle held beneath open sky; mentioned in community listings as a space for grounding, reflection, and shared healing.

Me, Myself & GOD!” — a private healing circle co-hosted by Promotional flyer for “Me, Myself & GOD!” — a private women’s healing circle co-hosted by N’nako Kandé and Kween’s Crown. The image shows a serene forest setting with sunlight streaming through the trees and a person seated in a meditative pose. This spiritual gathering, held on October 11, 2025 at 11:11 AM, invited participants into prayer, meditation, energy cleansing, emotional release, and divine alignment. Created by N’nako, founder of the award‑winning Art of Rooting, the circle brings the book’s teachings to life through embodied practice, women’s empowerment, and nature-based restoration. The Sister Circle reflects trending wellness practices such as mindfulness, spiritual healing, forest bathing, and sacred community work rooted in ceremony and ancestral wisdom.


  • Chattanooga Fairy & Fairy Festival Storytelling — Audubon Acres

Featured as a storyteller bringing nature‑centered tales to families during this annual celebration of imagination and earth magic.


  • Earth Day Poetry — Reflection Riding Arboretum (2024)

Recognized in Earth Day promotions for offering poetry woven with ecology, ancestry, and reverence for the natural world in collaboration with H2O, Rhyme N Chatt, and Reflection Riding.


  • City of Chattanooga Poetry Pathway Installation — Renaissance Park ( Earth Day celebration 2025)

Featured performer for the Poetry Pathway opening, contributing words that honored land, community, and creative legacy.


Photo of N’nako Kandé holding her certificate at the Poetry Pathway launch event in Renaissance Park, Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was selected as one of twelve poets by the City of Chattanooga for their first Poetry Pathway installation — a public art initiative celebrating nature, community, and creative legacy. N’nako stands smiling in front of a group of attendees, wearing sunglasses and a blue jacket, embodying her role as a nature-rooted poet, ceremonial storyteller, and founder of the award-winning Art of Rooting. The event marked a milestone in her poetic journey, bringing her book’s themes of land, lineage, and healing into public space. Her bilingual poem "Concrete Jungle" attracted messages from Chattanooga tourists.




  • Artistic Poetree Walk (Poetry) for the Community — The Kelkurt Foundation Soddy Daisy Community Library at Big Soddy Gulf ( Earth Day celebration 2025)

Highlighted in library announcements for sharing poetry that bridges nature, art, and collective imagination.


  • Shain Africa- JIFA Conference Panelist

    N’nako Kandé served as a bilingual French–English panelist for the 2025 Pan-African Women’s Day conference hosted by Shain Afrika in Côte d’Ivoire, contributing on two consecutive days to panels on ecology and women’s affirmation while also interpreting for English-speaking participants.


Promotional poster for the Journée Internationale de la Femme Africaine 2025 (Pan-African Women’s Day), officially recognized on July 31. Highlights a six-day event from July 27–31 with eight core themes centered on honoring African women. N’nako Kandé is featured as a two-day panelist, contributing to sessions on ecology and women’s affirmation. The central theme is “Affirmation, Influence & Impact,” with topics including marriage, beauty, governance, ecology, and leadership. Poster includes event details, contact information, and branding from Shain Afrika.
N’nako Kandé honored as a two-day panelist for Pan-African Women’s Day 2025 — offering ceremonial insight on ecology and women’s affirmation during the Journée Internationale de la Femme Africaine in Côte d’Ivoire.


AWARDS & HONORS


  • International Impact Book Awards in the Mind Body Spirit Category (2024)

    The Art of Rooting by N'nako Kande part of The Art of Rooting Series (2023)


  • BEC Awards Nominations

    2026 nominee Best Author, Best Blog, Best Literary Arts, Best Performing Arts, Best Visual Arts

    2025 nominee Best Author, Best Blog, Best Literary Arts, Best Performing Arts, Best Visual Arts

    2024 nominee Best Author, Best Literary Arts, Best Performing Arts

    2023 nominee, I think it was the same as the above...

    2022 Best Author, Best Literary Arts

    2021 Best Author


  • White House Acknowledgment (2015)

    N'nako Kand was recognized during the final year of Barack and Michelle Obama’s administration for her first published book, Little Corey & Cousin Nia’s Fun Trip to the Farmers Market.


  • City of Kabwe, Zambia (2023)

    N'nako Kande was recognized by the Mayor of Kabwe, Patrick Chishala, for her nature-rooted work for her book The Art Of Rooting, which won the International Impact Book Awards in 2024. Proud of her international impact in his city, the Mayor of Kabwe encouraged N'nako Kande to take her work further and do more!


    I have yet to visit Zambia, and receiving a personal video from the Mayor of Kabwe in office was such an honor. I am thankful to Mwape, co-founder of the Ubuntugwa Organization in Kabwe for introducing my work to her mayor. See my blog series on The Art of Rooting Conversations.

    Mwape reminds me of my hero, Wangari Maathai the first African women to win a Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Green Belt Movement. ( See my book What About Peace? A Cultural and Humanitarian Coloring & Activity Book: An Artivism Experience)

    Mayor Patrick Chishala, was added to my list of environmental heroes because he too, values trees!



  • City of Chattanooga Poetry Pathway Selection (2025)

    Chosen as one of twelve poets for the Poetry Pathway public art installation in Renaissance Park.


  • Cultural Cross Ties Storyteller Selection — Tono, Japan (2024)

    Selected as one of two Chattanooga storytellers to represent the city in an international cultural exchange with Tono, Japan.


  • Shain' Afrika Certificat de Reconnaissance (2025)

    Honored by Shain’Afrika for my voice and presence at JIFA 2025 — a celebration of African women’s impact and affirmation. Gratitude for this recognition rooted in ceremony, culture, and diasporic kinship.





  • Consideration for Marquis Who’s Who in America (2024)

    N'nako Kande was privately notified in December 2024 that my professional and creative achievements — including her feature in CityScope Magazine for culinary storytelling — were being considered for inclusion in the Marquis registry. This recognition affirmed N'nako Kande's national visibility and the cultural impact of her work.

    I never shared this with anyone; when I received the e-mail about the Marquis registry, I was finishing a trail run. On that day, I had an episode of Impostor Syndrome, N'nako KandeWho's Who in America, this was quite a nomination, and I did not know how to celebrate it then.




Email screenshot notifying N’nako Kandé of her consideration for inclusion in Who’s Who in America (2024), following her culinary feature in CityScope Magazine. The message affirms her individual achievements and national visibility as a cultural storyteller and creative entrepreneur.



COMMUNITIES FEATURES & LITERARY ART EVENTS

I have a lot of records to gather for this section of my living archive; there are so many beautiful events I was honored to be a part of, and so many wonderful people I got to create memories with.


  • The James Baldwin Festival of Words 2025


Promotional poster for the Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts & Ideas: James Baldwin / Festival of Words event, themed From Baldwin to the Block: Literacy & Our Black Youth. Features author N’nako Kandé in the Literary Lounge from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Downtown Library. Includes additional programming: writing workshop with Coach Laura Brown, keynote by Dr. Lawrence Dean “Life,” and evening showcase facilitated by Lakesha Swing. Event scheduled for Saturday, August 23, 10 AM–9 PM at 1001 Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN. Poster includes sponsor logos and QR code for more information.
N’nako Kandé joins the James Baldwin Festival of Words — a daylong celebration of Black literacy, legacy, and youth empowerment in Chattanooga.
Promotional flyer for Rhyme N Chatt’s 25th Anniversary Commemorative Poetry Anthology titled Homecoming, featuring N’Nako Kandé, a supporter since 2021. Highlights include 250 full-color pages with poetry, personal reflections, interactive writing prompts, historical photos, and QR-linked videos. The anthology honors the legacy of the nonprofit Rhyme N Chatt Interactive Poetry Organization, which fosters safe spaces for poetic expression and community advancement.
N’nako Kandé featured in Homecoming, the 25th Anniversary Poetry Anthology by Rhyme N Chatt — a vibrant celebration of community, creativity, and the enduring power of poetic legacy.
Promotional flyer for RNC’s Rhyme Over Wine open mic poetry mixer featuring N’nako Kandé as the headlining poet and artist. Event details include Friday, June 21 at Lady Naps Winery in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with open mic from 6–7 PM and N’nako’s featured performance from 7–8 PM. Flyer includes wine-themed visuals and contact information for Rhyme N Chatt Interactive Poetry Organization.
N’nako Kandé takes center stage at Rhyme Over Wine — a soulful evening of poetry, presence, and community at Lady Naps Winery, hosted by Rhyme N Chatt.
Promotional flyer for the James Baldwin Festival of Words featuring N’nako Kandé at the Literary Lounge: Black Author Marketplace. Includes event details—Saturday, August 24, 10 AM to 2 PM at Chattanooga Public Library—and a vibrant photo of N’nako Kandé in a colorful headwrap, smiling with braided hair. Hosted by Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts & Ideas
N’nako Kandé featured at the James Baldwin Festival of Words — a radiant presence at the Literary Lounge: Black Author Marketplace, celebrating Black storytelling, cultural legacy, and poetic entrepreneurship in Chattanooga.


  • Dance Chatt The Shades of Poetry Showcase a reflection on an evening of words, music, and dance. The Shades of Poetry Showcase - DanceChatt

    "Another figure, N’nako, portraying a poet or priestess carrying a staff, approaches. She takes over Erika’s role as hierophant, striking her staff on the floor with her steps. Then the dancers cluster behind the priestess as she prays the ancestors into them. They pantomime her words as if feeling energy enter them, changing levels and shifting weight from one foot to the other in generous waving movements.

    One dancer kneels in front of the priestess. She puts a robe on him, conjuring “the water in your cells holds the memory.” -Jenn McCormick, August 30, 2025


    I would love to have the pleasure of thanking in person Jenn McCormick, the writer of this Substack. This article allows me to relive one of my favorite stage performances. working with people I admire. sharing our gifts and passions in my piece "Ancestry."

    People often quote that line back to me, " The water in your cells holds the memory." I appreciate kwnowing that it resonates with others, this line also means a lot to me.

    I have so many personal reflections to share about that evening, some I already documented in The Art of Rooting! You can watch a clip of the performance on my YouTube and subscribe to the channel for more poetry and cultural storytelling.



COMMUNITY FEATURES, CULINARY & CULTURAL STORYTELLING EVENTS


  • Pineapple culinary storytelling at the Chattanooga Downtown Library


N'nako Kande hosting a culinary storytelling workshop at the Chattanooga Downtown Library.teaching children how to make her signature Pineapple Beignets from her cookbook " It's a pineapple thing! Sweet & Savory Recipes from a Tropical Foodie"

HEART OF THE HOME-Cultural storyteller N'nako Kande at the Chattanooga Discovery Museum. The photograph shows a beautifully staged commercial kitchen with African decor and tropical decor as N'nako showing off N'nako skills in food styling, and designing in addition to her culinary and teaching skills. she captivated with her presentation and ability to engage younger audience, Her culinary workshop featured her signature pineapple beignets.
N'NAKO KANDE-HEART OF THE HOME AT THE CHATTANOOGA CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM
  • HEART OF THE HOME at the Creative Discovery Museum Cultural storyteller N'nako Kande at the Chattanooga Discovery Museum. The photograph shows a beautifully staged commercial kitchen with African decor and tropical decor as N'nako showing off N'nako skills in food styling, and designing in addition to her culinary and teaching skills. she captivated with her presentation and ability to engage younger audience, Her culinary workshop featured her signature pineapple beignets.
    N'NAKO KANDE-HEART OF THE HOME AT THE CHATTANOOGA CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM


More updates will be added as I continue gathering my media footprint and creative lineage. It has been beautiful to recover footprints, come across website mentions that I never even knew about, and relive some of those precious moments. I am so deeply honored to collect "receipts" of ways my growing community, locally and internationally, has embraced my offerings. Please continue this journey with me and refer to my Linktree.


For speaking engagements, panel discussions, workshops, poetry performances, cultural events, or bilingual French–English facilitation, N’nako Kandé welcomes direct booking inquiries by email. Organizations, conferences, and community leaders seeking an author, poet, ceremonial educator, or international cultural storyteller may contact her directly to discuss availability and collaboration opportunities. Kandennako@gmail.com



— N’nako Kandé (N•A•K) Author • Artist • Ceremonial Storyteller Founder of Nature • Art • Kulture #NatureArtKultureByNnakoKande

 
 
 

1 Comment

Casimir BROU
5 days ago

It's just amazing to see this great, multitalented and multitasked Lady God has given to mankind. You're doing a wonderful Job out there Dear N'nako and we appreciate.

Please don't stop doing good to people with all these fantastic Books and skills you have.

May God grant you long life so that many people and generations may enjoy your Arts in your lifetime🙏

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