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WE HUMBLY PRESENT FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE ...

An all Black Staff

Derek Aurelius

Author

Dre Steinberg

Illustrator/ Interior Designer

Khloe Cain

Editor / Proofreader

Squeaksz

Merchandise

Published April 25th, 2026, "Across The Orange Sea" was written, edited, illustrated, and published by Black Men and Women from New York City, Detroit, Los Angeles in addition to merchandise and promotion.

"It's more important now than ever that we take ownership of our art and circulate the black dollar, especially as our art serves as the medium through which we heal and protect ourselves from the realities of our present. " - Derek Aurelius

Uju Anaebere

Merchandise

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Introducing:

Derek aurelius

Author, Poet, Writer • Bronx, NY

Step inside:

About the book:

Across The Orange Sea is the first instalment of an 8 part saga written by Bronx poet, artist, and student of culture, Derek Aurelius. Originally conceived while taking courses in Africana Studies and Arabic at St.John's University from '10-'14, Derek Aurelius identified ATOS as a passion project he knew he'd return to when the time was right and focused on music and spoken word. Fast forward to 2021 which found the author working through an extended moment of desperation to make sense of the world around him, the writer sat on a couch and began combing through ideas for the story that wasn't ready to be told without the treasure of experience. As trauma, current conditions, and uncertainty in a world just inches out of CoVid took hold, the fight to escape "the sunken place" lead to the creation of a world reflective of longing and the pursuit of connection...of answers...of purpose...

and healing.

A fantasy drama set in the East-African inspired setting of Azuraat, Across The Orange Sea follows the POV of three protagonists, - a scribe, a soldier, and a servant - each of whom are navigating the lengths (or limits) of their varying capacities as they approach the onset of The Holy Trials, a pivotal event taking place in the wake of their sacred, yet dying river finding its way to the shores of Azuraat.

As a fierce advocate of mental wellness and celebrant of Black culture and history, Derek Aurelius' novel Across The Orange Sea is but a limb in a body of work which exalts the Black voice while highlighting the truths of mental illness in a world that is not so different from our own. Composed from a series of notes, descriptions, and dialogue scattered through a wide collection of notebooks by Denik, ATOS is on track to being the next major artefact and cultural document of the era.

Come with us to Azuraat April 25th, 2026!