Books & Rhymes: The Podcast

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We conclude our conversation with Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi by using Labi Siffre’s song, Something Inside So Strong to unpick the migrant narratives in her collection of short stories, Manchester Happened (published in the USA as Let’s Tell This Story Properly), we explore the ways in which Sweet Mother by Nico Mbaga contribute to conversations on the treatment of indigenous Ugandan feminism in relation to western feminism in the novel, The First Woman (published in the USA as A Girl Is A Body of Water), and we also draw explicit parallels between Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Makumbi’s Kintu.

Listen to Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s curated playlist on Spotify, and Deezer.

Follow @booksandrhymes on Twitter and Instagram to stay informed on the latest news on classic and contemporary books by writers of African descent. We would love it if you share your thoughts & tag us in your social media posts of this episode.

The song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom (Meakoom) link to her music is available on Bandcamp

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's Bibliography:

Kintu
Manchester Happened (Published as Let's Tell This Story Properly in the USA)
The First Woman - (Published as A Girl Is a Body of Water in the USA)

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What power do editors have in steering a writer’s career? What are the real value of winning literary prizes such as the Kwani! manuscript project? What challenges do African writers encounter when attempting to publish literary fiction that exclude the white gaze?

Our guest Jennifer Nansubuga Mamukbi, award winning author whose novels include Kintu (pronounced ChinTu), The First Woman (published as A Girl Is A Body of Water in the USA), and the short Story collection, Manchester Happened (published as Let’s Tell This Story Properly in the USA) situate Ugandan mythology in the fictional narrative of historical and contemporary Ugandan experiences.

We use the music of Miriam Makeba, Queen, Eddy Kenzo, Tracy Chapman, Krizbeatz x Teni and more to explore Makumbi’s experience of being published, the real value of winning the Kwani! manuscript project & how it defined her writing career, why writers must to invest in good editors, and we also discuss her response to that introductory essay to the USA edition of Kintu.

Listen to Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s curated playlist on Spotify, and Deezer.

The song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom (Meakoom) link to her music is available on Bandcamp

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's Bibliography:

Kintu
Manchester Happened (Published as Let's Tell This Story Properly in the USA)
The First Woman - (Published as A Girl Is a Body of Water in the USA)

Books discussed and referenced in this episode:

Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream to The Sun – Sarah Ladipo Manyika
The Famished Road – Ben Okri
God's Bits of Wood - Sembene Ousmane
Lives of Great Men - Chike Frankie Edozien

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What is psychogeography? How does architecture affect our emotional, mental, and psychological wellbeing? Caleb Femi, a poet, educator, and multidisciplinary artist whose debut collection of poetry, Poor, celebrate and interrogate youth culture and masculinity, while the articulating the complex lived experiences of working class migrant communities in the UK join us in conversation. We use the music of Burna Boy, J-Hus, Wizkid, Giggs, Sunny Ade, and more to explore the problematic relationship between architecture and social stratification, the importance of finding and reading resonant poetry, the conversational between poetry and photography, and the philosophy that undergirds his work.

win signed copies of Caleb Femi's debut collection of poetry, Poor, by subscribing to our mailing list here --> http://eepurl.com/gr0kD5. The winner will be selected from our list of subscribers and announced on Monday 16th of November.

Listen to Caleb Femi’s curated playlist on Spotify, and Deezer. For more information on Caleb Femi’s work, follow him on twitter and Instagram.

I am pleased to announce an international giveaway of two signed copies of Caleb Femi’s collection of poetry, Poor, in collaboration with Ed Public Relations. The giveaway ends on Monday 16th of November. For a chance to win one signed copy of the book, simply subscribe to the mailing list via link in the episode description. The winner will be seleted from our list of subscribers.

For a chance to win the second signed copy, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @booksandrhymes, entry details will be posted.

The song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom (Meakoom) link to her music is available on Bandcamp

Books discussed and referenced in this episode:

Citizen – Claudia Rankine
Salt – Nayyirah Waheed
The Light Song of Light – Kei Miller
Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth – Warsane Shire
Surge – Jay Bernard
The Perseverance – Raymond Antrobus
My Darling From the Lions – Rachel Long
Some Bright Elegance– Kayo Chingonyi

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What do writers mean when they say they are ‘possessed’ by a character or a story? How much intuitive freedom does MFA courses offer writers, and hwat is it like to discover and translate a 3000 year old Hieroglyphic Egyptian love story? We discuss these and more with writer and researcher, Ayesha Harruna Attah, author of four books including the recently published novel, The Deep Blue Between -- a multi-directional migration story of a displaced set of twins in 1800s Ghana, and its predecessor, The Hundred Wells of Salaga.

We use the music of Mayra Andrade, Les Nubian, Sampa The Great, Nina Simone, Salif Keita and so much more to discuss Ayesha Harruna Attah’s experience of being mentored by, and working closely with the literary giant, Ayi Kwei Armah, her experience of being published in Continental Africa and Europe, and other topics. For more information of Ayesha Harruna Attah’s work, visit AyeshaAttah.com.

Listen to Ayesha’s curated playlist on Spotify, Deezer and YouTube

Continue the conversation by posting your thoughts on this episode on Twitter and Instagram by tagging us #BooksAndRhymes

Ayesha Harruna Attah’s bibliography

Saturday Shadows (Per Ankh Publisher)
Harmattan rain
The Hundred Wells of Salaga
The Deep Blue between

Books published as part of project that translates Hieroglyphics to multiple African languages:

Sanhat
Smi n skhty pn: Multilingual Translation of a 4000 year old African Love Story (also known as The eloquent peasant) translated by Ayi Kwei Armah, Ayeesha Harruna Attah et al.
Skhmkht Ea: On Love Sublime- A Multilingual Translation of an African Love Poem.
The instructions of Ptahhotep

Books discussed and referenced in this episode:

One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Daughters of Africa – Margaret Busby
New Daughters of Africa – Margaret Busby
The Eloquence of the Scribes: A memoir on the sources and resources of African Literature - Ayi Kwei Armah
Two Sisters – Ama Ata Aidoo
Woman who runs with the wolves: Myth and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype – Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Bird by Bird – Anne...

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We explore why romance genre is generally disregarded or overlooked by literary critics, the privileges of being published by a small independent press, and so much more with Sareeta Domingo, an accomplished author whose third novel, If I Don’t Have You, a love story between a Black British journalist and an Afro-Brazilian film-maker is published as part Jacaranda Books and Arts #Twentyin2020 project.

We use the music of ESKA, Prince, Erykah Badu, Neneh Cherry and more to discuss her non-traditional route to publishing, crafting & writing romance stories as an act of resistance, writing ambitious Black women with care, Sareeta Domingo also share her experience for writers who are weighing the option of either the wish to be published by a small independent or an establishment publishing house. For more information of Sareeta’s work, visit Sareetadomingo.com

Listen Sareeta Domingo’s specially curated playlist for Books & Rhymes: The Podcast on Spotify and Deezer. Continue the conversation by posting your thoughts on this episode on Twitter and Instagram by tagging us @BooksAndRhymes

Titles Authored or Edited by Sareeta Domingo

- If I don’t Have you

Who’s Loving You
The Nearness of you
Love, Secret Santa

Titles (and Poem) Referenced in the discussion:

- The Ballad of J. Alfred Prufrock (a poem) – T. S. Elliott

The outsiders - SE Hinton
Beloved - Toni Morrison
Little fires everywhere – Celeste Ng
The sky is everywhere -
Ordinary people – Diana Evans
My Sister The Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite
Stay with me – Ayobami Adebayo
Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives – Lola Shoneyin
Behold The Dreamers – Mbolo Mbue
The Terrible - Yrsa Daley Ward
Simone is Still Single – Lisa Bent
Bad Love – Maame Blue

Recommended Romance authors:

- Alyssa Cole

Talia Hibbert

Songs Referenced in the discussion:

- Gatekeeper – ESKA

The Ballad of Dorothy Parker – Prince
Love Has fallen on Me – Chaka Khan
The Nearness of You – Ella Fitgerald
If I Don’t Have You – Gregory Isaac
If I Don’t Have You (cover)– Sareeta Domingo
Who’s Loving You – Jackson 5
Orange Moon – Erykah...

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Do writers of African descent have the freedom to write whimsical and quirky stories? How can readers support the works of under-discussed writers during COVID-19 global pandemic?

We discuss these topics and more with Tola Rotimi Abraham, whose debut novel, Black Sunday (a comingof age novel set in Lagos, Nigeria, which tells the story of a fractured family coming to terms with an unexpected loss) has been shortlisted for the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Fiction. We use the music of Adekunle Gold, Teni The Entertainer, Shoma Madjozi and more to discuss consent in hyper-patriarchal societies, the inevitable emotional weight of (re)writing and editing traumatic scenes, & linguistic misnomers in the depiction of localised customs in literature published in the West. Listen Tola Abraham’s specially curated playlist Spotify, Deezer and YouTube. Listen to a playlist if sings curated by Tola Rotimi Abraham on Spotify, Deezer and YouTube.

Continue the conversation by posting your thoughts on this episode on Twitter and Instagram by tagging us #BooksAndRhymes

The song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom (Meakoom) link to her music is available on Bandcamp

Purchase Tola Rotimi Abraham’s unforgettable novel Black Sunday online and in your local bookstore.

Authors & Books referenced:

We Need New Names - Noviolet Bulawayo
Helen Oyeyemi
Tade Thompson
Nnedi Okorafor
The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett

Songs Referenced:

John Cena – Sho Madjozi
Surrender – Natalie Taylor
Ire – Adekunle Gold.
Teni – Uyo Meyo
Brown Skin Girl - Beyonce

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What is Bookstagram and how is it shaping readers' engagement with books? What are the strategies for maintaining a healthy reading habit amidst COVID-19 pandemic? Is the term ‘African literature’ a form of self othering? We discuss these and more in today's episode with Muthoni Muiruri, a Kenyan researcher and literary activist.

Muthoni is the founder SomaNami.co.ke, a blog where she promotes and reviews books by Continental and diaspora African writers. She is the co-founder of The African Review, and the recently launched Things Fall Together vodcast that explores the intersection between literature, life, culture and community. She hosts Bookish Pipo Book Club a monthly in-person book club based in Kenya. Follow Muthoni on Twitter and Instagram

Listen to playlist of the songs referenced in this episode on Spotify, Deezer and YouTube

Tweet your thoughts on this episode by tagging us @BooksAndRhymes

Tag @booksandrhymes on Instagram

Books referenced:

Americanah - Chimamanda N Adichie RThings Fall Apart
No Longer At Ease – Chinua Achebe
Arrow of God – Chinua Achebe
The Concubine - Elechi Amadi
Efuru - Flora Nwapa
The DragonFly – Yvonne Adhianbo
We Need New Names – NoViolet Bulawaiyo
What it Means When A man Falls from The Sky – Lesley Nneka Arimah
The Secret Lives of baba Segi’s Wives – Lola Shoneyin
Girl, Woman, Other - Bernardine Evaristo
Kintu – Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
The Havoc of Choice – Wanjiru Koinange

Songs Refernced:

Therapy – India.Arie
All Night - Beyoncé
Extravaganza – Sauti Sol
Read All About It – Emeli Sande
Africa – Yemi Alade ft. Sauti Sol
Emotional Rollercoaster – Vivian Green
What Now– Rihanna
Brown...

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Ebissé Wakjira Rouw, co-founder of the Dutch multimedia powerhouse, Dipsaus (Dipsaus.org) joins us in conversation by using the music of Luther Vandross, Nas, Lil Wayne, City Girls and Mahmoud Ahmed to discuss publishing while Black in the Netherlands and Europe, navigating work-life balance in light of COVID-19, translating writings by Continental and Diaspora African writers and more.

We also discuss recent and forthcoming Dipsaus publications such as: the Dutch translation of Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider, Afro-Lit – Moderne Literatuur Uit De Afrikaanse Diaspora, and DeGoede Immigrant (the Dutch iteration of the ground-breaking anthology, The Good Immigrant).

The playlist of songs referenced in this episdoe is available on Spotify and Deezer

Keep up to date with Ebissé by visiting dipsaus.org. Follow Ebissé @DipsausPodcast on Twitter and Instagram:

Get in touch with us via email: BooksAndRhymes@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @BooksAndRhymes.

The song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled Reset Meakoom follow them on Bandcamp

Books referenced in this episode:

A Strangers Pose - Enmanuel Iduma
De Goede Immigrant – Edited by Dipsaus
Sister Outsider – Audre Lorde
Afro-Lit – Moderne Literatuur Uit De Afrikaanse Diaspora – Edited by Dalilla Hermans and Ebissé Wakjira Rouw
Hallo Witte Mensen - Anousha Nzume
Fikir esle Meqabir - Hadis Alemayehu

Songs referenced this episode:

Never too much - Luhter Vandross is our jam where Noush put a ring
Stuntin like ma daddy - Birdman, Lil Wayne,
If I ruled the World - NAS, Lauryn Hill
Where the bag at - City Girls.
Tizita – Mahmoud Ahmed

Podcast referenced in this episode:

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Ever wondered what goes on in the judging panels of literary prizes? We speak to Ebissé Wakjira Rouw, an Ethiopian-Dutch literary editor, publisher, co-founder of Dipsaus – a multi-media organisation that specialises in amplifying the voices and lived experiences of Black and People of Colour in the Netherlands. Ebissé was also a judge for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing.

In the first of our two-part conversation, we use the music of Destiny’s Child, Luniz & Jodeci to discuss the position that literary prizes occupy within the African landscape, and the process of judging the 2020 Caine Prize for Africa Writing.

Ebissé also answers listeners questions submitted via our social media handles. Tune in next week for Part Two of our conversation when we discuss in detail, Black Lives Matter & publishing while Black in the Netherlands and Europe.

Keep up to date with Ebissé by visiting dipsaus.org. Follow DipsausPodcast on Twitter: Twitter.com/DipsausPodcast and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dipsauspodcast

Get in touch with us via email: BooksAndRhymes@gmail.com

Listen to playlist of the songs referenced in this episode on Spotify and Deezer

The song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom (Meakoom) the song is available for purchase on Bandcamp

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We conclude our one-to-one conversation with the shortlisted writers for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. Today’s guest is Jowhor Ile, a Nigerian writer, author of the novel And After Many Days and visiting professor at West Virginia university whose story, Fisherman Stewis vying for the £10,000 prize.

We use the music of Fela Kuti, Sade, Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, Onyeka Owenu, Cardinal Rex Lawson and more as selected by Jowhor to discuss food as an expression of love in his story Fisherman's Stew - an intimate otherworldly love story. We also explore the process of conveying intimacy in writing, reflecting older women in romantic relationships and Jowhor’s writing habit.

Listen to the playlist of the songs referenced in this episode Spotify, Deezer and YouTube

The winner of the AKO Caine Prize will be announced online. Read the 2020 AKO Caine Prize shortlisted stories here.

Get in touch with us via email: BooksAndRhymes@gmail.com

Tweet your thoughts by using the hashtag #BooksAndRhymes

The song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom the song is available for purchase on Bandcamp

Listen to Rémy Ngamije's playlist to Fisherman on Brittle Paper

Books referenced in this episode:

Arrow of God – Chinua Achebe

And After Many Days - Jowhor Ile

What It Means When A Man Fall From the Sky – Lesley Nneka Arimah

Quintessentially Efik Recepies: Foods of Nigeria-- Nky Iweka

Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex and Nigerian Taste Buds-- Yemisi Aribisala

Songs referenced this episode:

Berebote - Cardinal Jim Rex Lawson

Nothing Even Matters - Lauryn Hill ft D’Angelo

Iyogogo - Onyeka Onwenu

Look before you Cross - Evi-Edna Ogholi

Miles Runs the Voodoo Down - Miles Davis

Nights - Frank Ocean

Sade - The Sweetest Taboo

Trouble Sleep Yanga go Wake Am - Fela Kuti (song)

Lilac Wine - Nina Simone

Listen to the full playlist on:

Spotify,

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The Neighbourhood Watch is a narrative of five disenfranchised people on their quest for survival on the margins of society. We use the music of Hugh Masekela, Salif Keita, Yemi Alade, Lady Smith Black Mambazo - as selected by Rémy to unpack the intricacies of the story. We address poor representations of female characters in fiction written by men, while Rémy opens up about the triumphs and challenges of spearheading DoekLitMag.com, a literary journal expanding the reach of Namibian literature.

We continue our special one-to-one interview with the shortlisted writers for the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing with Remy Ngamije, a Rwandan born, Namibian writer, editor and photographer whose story, The Neighbourhood Watch is vying for the £10,000 prize.

Listen to Remy's playlist on Deezer, Spotify and YouTube

Get in touch with us via email: BooksAndRhymes@gmail.com

Share your thoughts on this episode using #BooksAndRhymes

The song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom the song is available on Bandcamp

Books referenced in this episode:

The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier

African Book of Short Story Writing – edited by Helon Habila

Little Family – by Ishmael Beah

Literary Journals Referenced:

Doek Lit Mag, Lolwe, Bakwa Magazine, Brittle Paper, Johannesburg Review of Books,

Songs referenced this episode:

Tomorrow – Salif Keita

Sound Check - The Muffinz

Stimela – Hugh Masekela

Mbube - Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Africa – Salif Keita

Africa – Yemy Alade ft. Sauti Sol

Make The Road by Walking - The Menahan Street Band

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AKO Caine Prize for African Writing shortlisted writer, Erica Sugo Anyadike, the Tanzanian multi-hyphenated creative powerhouse discuss her subversive story, How To Marry an African President.

We use selected music curated by Erica to unpack among other things, depictions of female partners of powerful men, Black women with care, and writing against the singular African narrative. We discuss the process of writing the How To Marry An African President, and what it means to truly demystify the process of writing.

Read the shortlisted AKO Caine Prize stories including How To Marry and African Presidentonlineat CainePrize.com

Listen to playlist of songs exclusively curated by Erica Sugo Anyadike for Books & Rhymes here

The winner of the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing will be announced on Monday 27th of July, the announcement will be accompanied by the screening of a specially commissioned film by renowned filmmaker Joseph Adesunloye.

The song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom the song is available on Bandcamp: https://meakoom.bandcamp.com/track/reset-books-rhymes-podcast-theme-song

Get in touch with us via email: BooksAndRhymes@gmail.com

Follow @BooksAndRhymes on Instagram and Twitter

Share your thoughts on this episode using #BooksAndRhymes

Books referenced in this episode: (Available for purchase online and in bookshops)

In Live and Trouble – Alice Walker

Songs referenced this episode:

Suzanna - Sauti Sol

Control - Janet Jackson

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – Nina Simone

Tyrone: Live - Erykah Badu

If I Were A Boy – Beyoncé

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In the concluding conversation on his memoir, Lives of Great Men, Chike Frankie Edozien offers greater depth into his career as a journalist in the United States of America (USA). We use a specially curated soundtrack as a musical backdrop to discuss Edozien's experience as one of few African Journalists who covered the highly publicised case against the New York police department for the racial profiling and murder of Guinean student, Amadou Diallo. Edozien elaborates on the importance of professional bodies such as the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in propelling the careers of aspiring journalists. We also discuss dealing with homophobia among family members.

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Get in touch with us via email: BooksAndRhymes@gmail.com

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Share your thoughts on this episode using #BooksAndRhymes

Listen to playlist of the songs referenced in this episode on Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube

Lives of Great Men is published by: Team Angelica (UK & USA), Ouida Books (Nigeria), Jacana Books (South Africa).

Books referenced in this episode: (Available for purchase online and in bookshops)

The Face: Cartography of the Void - Chris Abani

Walking with Shadows - Jude Dibia

She Called Me Woman - Edited by Azeenarh Mohammed, Chitra Nagarajan and Rafeeat Aliyu

Songs referenced this episode: (listen to the playlist on Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube)

Lady - Fela Kuti

Diallo - Wyclef Jean

Ekwe - Onyeka Owenu

Sweet Mother - Prince Nico Mbaga

Johnny - Yemi Alade

Sweetest Taboo - Sade

Moving on Up - M People

Umqombothi - Yvonne Chaka Chaka

Love Child - The...

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Journalist and Lambda award winning author, Chike Frankie Edozien, offers an intimate portrait of his life in his memoir, Lives of Great Men: Living and Loving as an African Gay Man. We begin the discussion with Edozien’s reaction to the attention the memoir has garnered (including winning the 2018 Lambda literary award), after which we reflect on the importance of being reviewed critically by astute readers, coming of age as same gender loving young man in Nigeria, the criminalisation of homosexuality in West Africa, and the circumstances that compelled Edozien to pursue a career in journalism.

Share your thoughts on this episode using #BooksAndRhymes

Subscribe to the mailing list at Booksandrhymes.com

Get in touch with us via email: BooksAndRhymes@gmail.com

Follow @BooksAndRhymes on https://instagram.com/booksandrhymes/ and https://twitter.com/booksandrhymes,

The playlist of the songs referenced in this episode is available on Spotify and YouTube.

Lives of Great Men is published by: Team Angelica (UK), Ouida Books (Nigeria), Jacana Media (South Africa).

Songs referenced this episode: (listen to the playlist on Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube.):

Taxi Driver (I Don’t Care) - Bobby Benson

Taxi Driver (I Don’t Care) - Mandy Brown Ojugbana

Proud - Heather Small

Work - Masters at Work

Reviews of Lives of Great Men referenced:

Lives of Great Men by Chike Frankie Edozien by Diana Evans– An African exodus

Diriye Osman Reviews Chike Frankie Edozien’s Triumphant Memoir in HuffPost

Books referenced in this episode: (Available for purchase online and in bookshops)

Sista! An Anthology of Writing by and about Same Gender Loving...

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Novuyo Rosa Tshuma provides deeper context to her critically acclaimed novel, House of Stone – a sophisticated, philosophical and darkly humorous (re)telling of Zimbabwe’s history. We explore writing for a specific audience, censorship in Zimbabwean publishing landscape, weaponisation of history, the importance of documenting Gukurahundi massacre in fiction, understanding the ‘Born Free’ generation and so much more.

Books mentioned in this episode (widely available for purchase online and your local bookshops).

House of Hunger – Dambuzo Marechera

These Bones Will Rise Again – Panashe Chigumadzi

Stone Virgins – Yvonne Vera

My Sister The Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite

Nervous Conditions – Tsitsi Dagaremba

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers – Yiyun Li

A Strangers Pose – Emmanuel Iduma

Songs referenced this episode (listen to the playlist on Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube):

Zimbabwe – Bob Marley

Danger Zone – Thomas Mapfumo

Rhodesians Never Die – David Scobie

What’s Love Got To Do With It – Tina Turner

Aboki – Ice Prince

Coffin For Head of State – Fela Kuti

Umoya Wami – Lovemore Majaivana

Keep It Moving – Empire Cast

Cries of the Motherland - Caiiro

Reviews:

Books & Rhymes’ review on Bookstagram

Helon Habila’s review in The Guardian Newspaper

Yiyun Li’s recommendation in Vanity Fair magazine

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Celebrated writer and poet, Jumoke Verrisimo, discuss the complexities of fictionalising personal pain in fiction, idealisation of mothers in Yoruba culture, the infliction of emotional traumas on loved ones as coping strategy for much deeper unarticulated psychological distress, and her debut novel, A Small Silence - a quietly disturbing coded novel that humanises historically underserved communities in fiction while inviting the reader to explore the psycho-social implication of loneliness and isolation.

Read Brittle Paper's review here.

Songs referenced in the discussion: (listen to the playlist on Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube):

A Beautiful Imperfection – Asa

The Way I Feel – Asa

I am A Rock – Simon and Garfunkel

Gravity – John Meyer

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – Nina Simone

Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers

Army Arrangement – Fela Kuti

Disturbia – Rihanna

This episode was recorded in partnership with Cassava Republic Press at Library - A members only club situated in central London.

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In celebration of its 10th anniversary launch, Sarah Ladipo Manyika takes us through the musical landscape of her novel, In Dependence, a sweeping love story spanning four decades, steeped in pan-African post colonial politics. We use the playlist curated by Sarah Ladipo Manyika to unpack the reasoning, research and writing process behind the novel, In Dependence. We explore the import of musicians such as Hugh Masekela, Nina Simone, Bob Marley, and many more in bringing literary narratives to life. Sarah Ladipo Manyika also expands on the import of Toni Morrison’s advice to writers in her acceptance speech for the 1993 Nobel Prize for Literature.

This episode was recorded live at Foyles flagship bookshop in Charring Cross, London, in partnership with Cassava Republic Press.

Books and articles mentioned:

In Dependence – Sarah Ladipo Manyika

Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream To The Sun - Sarah Ladipo Manyika

New Daughters of Africa - Edited by Margaret Busby

We Need New Names – NoViolet Bulawayo

Lagos Noir – Edited by Chris Abani

The books are widely available for purchase online and in your local bookshops.

Articles referenced: interview with Toni Morrison, On meeting Toni Morrison, and ‘On Meeting Mrs Obama’

Film referenced: Mother of George – directed by Andrew Dosunmu

Songs referenced this episode (listen to the extended playlist on Spotify and YouTube):

Market Place – High Masekela

Waiting in Vain – Bob Marley

Reinfiltrator – Falana

Start Again – Falana

Hear Me Lord – Oliver Tuku Mtukudzi

She’s a Bad Mama Jama – Carl Carlton

Amen/ This Little Light of Mine – Etta James

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A special live episode recording with the shortlisted writers for the Caine Prize for African Writing, 2019: Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria)

‘Skinned’, Meron Hadero (Ethiopia) ‘The Wall’, Cherrie Kandie (Kenya) for ‘Sew My Mouth’ Ngwah-Mbo Nana Nkweti (Cameroon) for ‘It Takes A Village Some Say’, and Tochukwu Emmanuel Okafor (Nigeria) for ‘All Our Lives’; in partnership with the Caine Prize.

The stories can be read in written and audio formats here: http://caineprize.com/the-shortlist-2019

Tweet your thought on this episode using the hashtag #Booksandrhymes, follow @booksandrhymes on twitter and instagram

A playlist of the songs featured in this episode including a specially curated soundtrack to each story is available on Spotify and YouTube

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Tell your friends about the podcast and continue the conversation by following @booksAndRhymes on twitter, and instagram

The song you heard at the intro and outro is titled Dismembered by Meakoom.

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This week’s guest is Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of My Sister The Serial Killer, the critically acclaimed debut novel recently shortlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction. We discuss her strategies for coping with criticisms, the importance of being grounded in faith, and the eccentricities of Nigerian humour which underpins the novel.

In the second half, Oyinkan takes us on a musical journey through several books including Jane Eyre, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and why she cried uncontrollably after reading A voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers.

An extended playlist of Saraiya Bah’s musical pairings is available on Spotify and YouTube

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Tune into next week’s episode with Lydia Levy Kakwera, whose piece “That Idyllic Home” was recently published in Writvism anthology titled: Unbreakable Bonds. we discuss migrant literature and the art of maintaining a consistent reading habit.

Subscribe, rate, and review Books & Rhymes on iTunes and your favourite podcast listening platforms. Tweet your thought on this episode using the hashtag #Booksandrhymes, follow @booksandrhymes on twitter and instagram

The song you heard at the intro and outro is titled Dismembered by Meakoom.

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Saraiya Bah, a British poet and cultural producer of Sierra Leonian descent situates Lauryn Hill’s work in Mariama Ba’s iconic novel, So Long a letter. Sarauya also draws connections between The Autobiograohy os Malcom X & Nas Illmatic Akbum, Erykah Badu’s music & teenagers in inner city London as depicted in Courtia Newland's YA Novel, A Society Within.

Listen to Saraiya Bah's poetry and find out more about her work on her website: saraiyabah.co.uk.

Liaten to an extended playlist of Saraiya musical pairings on Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube

The song you heard in the intro and outro is titled Dismembered by Meakoom.

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Namwali Serpell takes us on a musical journey through the 20 year period of writing her critically acclaimed debut novel, The Old Drift. We discussthe problematic nature of literary prizes, her unprecedented response to winning the 2015 Caine Prize for African Writing, the strangeness of reality compared fiction, and the etymology the term 'muzungu'. We use the music of Bjork, Tracy Chapman, Larry Maluma and more to unpack the connection between 'The Old Drift' novels like Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, and Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi.

Listen to Namwali Serpell's curated playlist to her debut novel, The Old Drift for Books & Rhymes: The Podcast on Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube.

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience.

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Books & Rhymes: The Podcast theme song is by Meakoom

Titles referenced in the discussion:

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell’s
Africa39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara- Edited by Ellah Wakatama
New Daughters of Africa - Edited by Margaret Busby
Kintu - Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

Namwali Serpell's Bibliography:

Muzungu
The Sack
Between The Living and the Dead
Seven Modes of Uncertainty
The Old Drift

Songs referenced in the discussion:

Homogenic - Bjork
Joga - Bjork
Chakolwa (Drunkard) - Larry Maluma
Teclo - PJ Harvey.
Crossroads - Tracy Chapman.

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Join Sarah Ozo-Irabor every Monday on a musical journey through the works of new and classic authors. This season we invite creatives, thinkers, and writers to discuss the overall impact of books and music on their sense of self, identity, and belonging. An extended playlist of songs featured in each episode is available via link in the show notes.

Subscribe, review and rate Books & Rhymes on iTunes and your fave podcast listening platforms.

Follow @BooksAndRhymes on Instagram and Twitter.

Get in touch: booksandrhymes@gmail.com

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