Abena Maryan hosted a session at the just-ended Pa Gya Literary Arts Festival, which was organized by the Writers Project of Ghana (WPG).

Guests:

Kwame Brenya is an award-winning poet, a published writer, a Twi language teacher, and a traditional music artist with five (5) studio albums.

Kwame’s music is mostly storytelling palm wine music through which he has documented his personal life story on the BRENYA NE BARIMA album as well as his experiences across West Africa on his EP, FOUR DAYS IN FASO. His art is Akɔm; the Akan philosophy of life and existence. Kwame Brenya is KWABRE NYAME.

Kofi Dzogbewu is a Ghanaian storyteller. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology and English from the University of Ghana, where he read Creative Writing. He also has a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Central University in Ghana. He works with words in non-fiction, fiction, playwriting, and poetry. He is an alumnus of the Mo Issa Writing Workshops. His works have been featured in the Kalahari Review and other online literary journals. He is the author of the novel, Adze. When he is not writing, he spends most of his time performing, reading, or watching movies. He is a producer and director at Dzomoko Productions – a film and theatre organization. His writings explore African culture, ambition, Afro-futurism, and modernity.

This is a live recording from the just ended All African Book Fair

Guests:

1. Leanne Lectern
2. TayTales
3. Flipping Chapters

This is a live recording from the just ended All African Book Fair.

This is a live recording from the just ended All African Book Fair.

In this episode, we spoke with:

1. Grace Dorcas Anan: Author, publisher and the founder of the All African Book Fair
2. The Black Archives: A cultural center and archive on Black (Dutch) history, arts and culture in Amsterdam
3. Dr. Martin Egblewogbe: Author, Lecturer and one of the directors of the Writers Project of Ghana (WPG)
4. Poetra Asantewa: Author, Spoken Word Artist and founder of the Black Girls Glow
5. Emma Ofosua: Writer, Poet and founder of the All African Women Poetry Festival

This is a conversation with Bene and Nasiba inspired by @ka_karang's Unpopular Opinion.

A conversation between host Abena Maryan and guest Ama Asantewa Diaka, known as Poetra Ama Asantewa about her second book "Someone Bithed Them Broken.

About the Book: In this startling collection of short fiction, Ama Asantewa Diaka creates a vibrant portrait of young Ghanaians' today, captured in the experiences of characters whose lives bump against one other in friendship, passion, hope, and heartache.

About the Author: Ama Asantewa Diaka is a poet, a storyteller, and spoken word artist who performs as Poetra Asantewa. She is the author of the chapbook You Too Will Know Me, and the debut poetry collection Woman, Eat Me Whole, and her poems have appeared in print and online. She completed an MFA at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2019. She lives in Ghana.

In this episode, Bene, Nasiba and Amba discuss their reading journey thus far in 2024.

Books Mentioned:

Favourite book/books of the year so far

Amba:

• Someone Birthed Them Broken by Ama Asantewa Diaka
• Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah
• The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Amezi
• The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson
• Heartsong by T.J Klune

Bene:

• All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
• Someone Birthed Them Broken by Ama Asantewa Diaka
• Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah
• God's Children are Little Broken Things by Arinze Ifeakandu
• Days Come and Go by Hemley Boum
• How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
• Hold my Girl by Charlene Carr
• The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
• Don't Cry for Me by Daniel Black

Nasiba:

• Someone Birthed Them Broken by Ama Asantewa Diaka
• Diary of a Dead African by Chuma Nwokolo
• Efuru by Flora Nwapa
• Children of Quicksand by Efua Traore
• For You I'd Steal a Goat by Niq Mnlongo
• Difficult Women by Roxanne Gay

Abena:

• Maps of our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer
• On the Rooftops by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
• Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat
• Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid
• Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah
• The Colour Purple by Alice Walker
• Heaven by Meiko Kawakami
• Hullo, Bu-Bye, Koko, Come in by Koleka Putuma
• Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli
• And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode Somtochukwu
• Someone Birthed Them Broken by Ama Asantewa Diaka
• How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
• Only For the Week by Natasha Bishop
• Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother and Me by Whoopi Goldberg
• Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Author Ani Kayode Somtochukwu discusses his novel And Then He Sung a Lullaby with Abena Maryan. They discuss his work as a queer liberation activist, queerness, and homophobia in this conversation.

About the Author

Ani Kayode Somtochukwu is a scientist, writer, digital creator and queer liberation activist. His work interrogates themes of queer identity, resistance and liberation, with focus on African narratives of queerness and its varied contestations in the literary and political sphere.

He writes in both English and Igbo and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Biology and Biotechnology from Enugu State University of Science and Technology in 2019.

Authors & Books Mentioned:

Roxane Gay

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwake Emezi

Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi

Vagabonds! Eloghosa Osunde

On this episode, Abena talks to author Elvin James Mensah on his book Small Joys. They speak about father-son relationship, chosen family and mental health in the book Small Joys. 

About the Book:

An unexpected friendship saves a young man's life in this moving, utterly charming debut about chosen family, the winding road to happiness, and the grace of second chances.

About the Author:

Elvin James Mensah was born and raised in South East London. He graduated from Bournemouth University, where he began writing his first novel, Small Joys

Authors Mentioned:

• Andrea Levy
• Brian Washington
• Paul Mendez
• Sally Rooney
• Caleb Azumah Nelson
• Donna Tartt

This episode features a conversation between Abena Maryan and voice actor and narrator Tsiddi Can Tamakloe on his experiences narrating audiobooks and voice acting. 

About Tsiddi Can-Tamakloe

Tsiddi Can-Tamakloe is Ghanaian voice actor/narrator. He has an avid interest in narrating documentaries, classic literature, and African writing especially. He lives in Accra and volunteers with the Nami Projects, an organisation that advocates for products and services built through the various disciplines of African art. Email: [email protected]