UNspoiled! Raybearer

This gorgeous illustration of Tarisai is by @bxromance, whose account you can see here! https://www.instagram.com/bxromance/

These chapters are the ones in which Tarisai finds out a ton of truths, large and small, about her mother. She finds out that she herself has the Ray, and that none of her friends are surprised. And she finds out that there's no way (none that the Lady knows of, anyway) to keep the Songland kids from being the ones sacrificed.

The song is Akadiole by Sekou Conde featuring Mamadama Conde. Sekou Conde is a teacher of West African traditional drumming, and you can find him on Facebook here, as well as virtually attend classes! https://www.facebook.com/faradalaconde/

Mamadama Conde is a member of Nimbaya!, an all-women Guinean drumming group practicing a drumming tradition that had previously only been permitted to be performed by men. You can find them on Facebook here! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063538394338

Here is the link to the song on iTunes! https://music.apple.com/us/album/akadiole-feat-mamadama-conde/1610165743?i=1610165751

This lovely illustration of Tarisai holding Ye Eun's flower crown is by @authorjess on Instagram, found on Jordan Ifueko's account at jordanifueko


In these chapters, Tarisai and Sanjeet strike out towards Swana through the Bush, which is infested with dark magic and demons that prey on your hopes and fears. Then Tarisai has to convince some tutsu sprites to help her find Melu.


The song is Akadiole by Sekou Conde featuring Mamadama Conde. Sekou Conde is a teacher of West African traditional drumming, and you can find him on Facebook here, as well as virtually attend classes! https://www.facebook.com/faradalaconde/


Mamadama Conde is a member of Nimbaya!, an all-women Guinean drumming group practicing a drumming tradition that had previously only been permitted to be performed by men. You can find them on Facebook here! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063538394338


Here is the link to the song on iTunes! https://music.apple.com/us/album/akadiole-feat-mamadama-conde/1610165743?i=1610165751

This gorgeous illustration of Kirah is by dianadworak and you can see more of their work here! https://www.instagram.com/dianadworak/

If you're a bit surprised at the unplanned live-read this week, so were we. But needs must!

The song is AKadiole by Sekou Conde featuring Mamadama Conde. Sekou Conde is a teacher of West African traditional drumming, and you can find him on Facebook here, as well as virtually attend classes! https://www.facebook.com/faradalaconde/

Mamadama Conde is a member of Nimbaya!, an all-women Guinean drumming group practicing a drumming tradition that had previously only been permitted to be performed by men. You can find them on Facebook here! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063538394338

Here is the link to the song on iTunes! https://music.apple.com/us/album/akadiole-feat-mamadama-conde/1610165743?i=1610165751

I'm going to try to make a read-along chart for everything I'm covering so that folks can save a screenshot in their phone (I add it to my favorites album, but I should really create a specific folder) so here is the one for the remainder of Raybearer!

These chapters are the ones in which we meet actual demons for the first time, and we get to see the reality of what they're capable of, and what it means to sacrifice actual children to them. Also, the author doesn't shy away from the realities of the trauma all of the anointed would be dealing with after witnessing such a slaughter. We also have Tarisai's first, and very disappointing, one-on-one with Thaddace.

The song is AKadiole by Sekou Conde featuring Mamadama Conde. Sekou Conde is a teacher of West African traditional drumming, and you can find him on Facebook here, as well as virtually attend classes! https://www.facebook.com/faradalaconde/

Mamadama Conde is a member of Nimbaya!, an all-women Guinean drumming group practicing a drumming tradition that had previously only been permitted to be performed by men. You can find them on Facebook here! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063538394338

Here is the link to the song on iTunes! https://music.apple.com/us/album/akadiole-feat-mamadama-conde/1610165743?i=1610165751

This stunning illustration of Woo In is by @kiranight_art and you can see their instagram here! https://www.instagram.com/kiranight_art/?hl=en

In these chapters, Tarisai finds herself anointed after all, but has to burn away her memories in order to circumvent her mother's orders. We also find out about Sanjeet's history, and it's truly tragic.

The song is AKadiole by Sekou Conde featuring Mamadama Conde. Sekou Conde is a teacher of West African traditional drumming, and you can find him on Facebook here, as well as virtually attend classes! https://www.facebook.com/faradalaconde/

Mamadama Conde is a member of Nimbaya!, an all-women Guinean drumming group practicing a drumming tradition that had previously only been permitted to be performed by men. You can find them on Facebook here! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063538394338

Here is the link to the song on iTunes! https://music.apple.com/us/album/akadiole-feat-mamadama-conde/1610165743?i=1610165751

This beautiful illustration of Dayo was created by @bethgilbert_art for @piquebeyond's Raybearer FanArt series. You can see it on @jordanifueko's Instagram here! https://www.instagram.com/p/CRwmGZprYL6/


This episode RoShawn and I are covering the chapters in which Tarisai meets Sanjeet, the Prince's Bear, and we get a time jump ahead a couple years. Tarisai is still turning down Dayo's invitation to join his council, much to the chagrin of the other Swana candidates, and we find out that Am The Storyteller has never chosen a female Raybearer.


The song is Akadiole by Sekou Conde featuring Mamadama Conde. Sekou Conde is a teacher of West African traditional drumming, and you can find him on Facebook here, as well as virtually attend classes! https://www.facebook.com/faradalaconde/


Mamadama Conde is a member of Nimbaya!, an all-women Guinean drumming group practicing a drumming tradition that had previously only been permitted to be performed by men. You can find them on Facebook here! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063538394338


Here is the link to the song on iTunes! https://music.apple.com/us/album/akadiole-feat-mamadama-conde/1610165743?i=1610165751


Thank you all so much for listening, and we will see you soon with a new episode!

It's time, beautiful listeners! Time for the start of a new series, and RoShawn and I are diving into the first of two books in the Raybearer duology by Jordan Ifueko!

If any of you know of great fanart for this series (or are interested in creating some and having it shared!) please email me and let me know! I'm going through everything on Ifueko's instagram, but not all of it can be shared this early on I haven't found much outside of that.

This illustration of Tarisai meeting Melu is by cherish_life_fully on Instagram, and you can see it here! https://www.instagram.com/p/CDSnUC8phgJ/

The song is AKadiole by Sekou Conde featuring Mamadama Conde. Sekou Conde is a teacher of West African traditional drumming, and you can find him on Facebook here, as well as virtually attend classes! https://www.facebook.com/faradalaconde/

Mamadama Conde is a member of Nimbaya!, an all-women Guinean drumming group practicing a drumming tradition that had previously only been permitted to be performed by men. You can find them on Facebook here! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063538394338

Here is the link to the song on iTunes! https://music.apple.com/us/album/akadiole-feat-mamadama-conde/1610165743?i=1610165751