In this episode Leah is joined by artist, writer & poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths.

Promise, her debut novel took 7 years to write and is a story of resistance and hope. A rich, evocative and universal celebration of sisterhood, family, mothers and daughters, music, food, joy and love; it is also an unflinching exploration of race, class, identity and power, and the search for freedom and belonging.

Reading List:

Rachel Eliza Griffiths - Promise

Toni Morrison - Song Of Solomon

Toni Morrison - Sula

Safiya Sinclair - How To Say Babylon

Zora Neale Hurston - Their Eyes Were Watching God

Season 3 has arrived and Leah kicks things off with a brilliant read from social media megastar and comedian Fats Timbo.

Her debut 'Main Character Energy' is 10 commandments for living fearlessly as Fats shares how she came to love her body and face down challenges in her manifesto for all those who struggle with a fear of their own difference.

Reading List:

Fats Timbo - Main Character Energy

Rhonda Byrne - The Secret

Mark Manson - How To Not Give A F***

The Capital XTRA Book Club Podcast with Leah Davis returns for the summer! If you're about to jet off and need a new holiday read or just an escape from your busy summer schedule then Leah has you covered with a whole list of exciting releases.

New episodes every Monday starring both fresh and legendary black authors - starting Monday 7th August with Fats Timbo.

For the final episode of season 2 I am joined by a force to be reckoned with, the incredibly inspiring Mikaela Loach. She is fighting for climate justice, providing a voice for the voiceless and inspiring change without spreading fear. Her new book 'It's Not That Radical' is out 6th April and it's perfect if you're scared of everything you hear about climate change but don't quite know where to begin. 

Reading List:

It's Not That Radical - Mikaela Loach

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

We Will Not Cancel Us - Adrienne Maree Brown

Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo

What White People Can Do Next - Emma Dabiri

Leah is joined this week by Iggy London, an award winning British filmmaker, artist and writer to chat all about 'Mandem'. The book is a collection of essays from his creative friends exploring what it means to be a Black man in contemporary Britain, a fascinating read!

Reading List:

Americana - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

Poor - Caleb Femi

This week we are joined by Krystle Zara Appiah whose debut novel Rootless is about to take the world by storm. This complex love story is full of bumps in the road and family shaped obstacles that our loveable protagonists have to navigate. We got to know Krystle the British Ghanaian first time author this week, what a lovely way to celebrate IWD! 

Reading List:

Krystle Appiah - Rootless

Taiye Selasi - Ghana must go

Monica Heisey - Really Good Actually

Arundhati Roy - The God of Small Things

This week we get to know Nikki May the author of Wahala. Inspired by wanting to see more stories like her own on the page she created Ronke, Simi and Boo and just as their lives were looking a little too boring the whirlwind that is Isobel is thrown into the mix. This is Nikki's first novel and it's already set to be adapted for TV, no surprises there! 

Reading List:

Wahala - Nikki May

Nearly All the Men in Lagos are Mad - Damilare Kuku

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

Sophia Thakur is one of the most important young voices in modern poetry and now she has gifted us with 'Wearing My Mother's Heart' a beautiful anthology dedicated to her Mother and the matriarchs in her life. Everything Sophia says feels like poetry and speaking to her was a joy, what a woman, what a mind.

Reading List:

Wearing My Mother’s Heart - Sophia Thakur

All About Love - Bell Hooks

Teaching my Mother to Give Birth - Warsan Shire

Deaf republic - Ilya Kaminsky

The Forty Rules of Love - Elif Shafak

Scribble Boy - Philip Ridley

2pac - The Rose That Grew From Concrete

In Derek Owusu's second novel Losing The Plot he paints a picture of a complex relationship between a young British boy and his Ghanaian mother. From the physical toll life in the UK takes on a hard working woman to the unspoken psychological impact. In this episode Owusu sheds light on his incredible creation.

Reading List:

Losing The Plot - Derek Owusu

Mama Can't Raise No Man - Robyn Travis

The Double - Jose Saramago

The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald

The Last White Man - Mohsin Hamid

Invisible Man Ralph Ellison