Venue: The Education Room – Willesden Library95 High Road London NW10 2SF
Date: Saturday 6th April 2024
Time: 2.30pm – 5pm
Immerse yourself in the world of “Fools’ Paradise” as excerpts from the book are brought to life through engaging readings. Gain insight into the creative process as the author participates in an insightful interview. Have your burning questions answered during the Q&A session, and seize the opportunity to have your personal copy of the book signed by Michelle.
Join us for a day brimming with books and laughter whilst enjoying a drink and mingling with fellow guests.
Fairytale world or Monster Ball – which one will you choose? In each a race to find the prize, Will you win or lose? Austin, Alanna and sausage dog Ozzy are going to a Monster Ball!
With the help of a magic paintbrush, Austin has been transformed into a werewolf, and Alanna is a vampire. Their mission is to find a crystal ball, but when a pair of evil skeletons steal a witch’s wand, mayhem ensues on the dance floor. Will Austin and Alanna take back the wand and complete their mission before their time in the monster world runs out?
About the Author
Esi is a writer, editor, and Consultant in Public Health Medicine. She studied medicine at the University of Oxford, and her academic research looks at the interplay between film and public health. Alongside Magic Faces, she is working on her first middle grade novel, PRINCESS AMINA AND THE SEA OF KNOWLEDGE, set in medieval Timbuktu.
Fighting off a competing pre-empt, Oneworld has pre-empted UK and British Commonwealth rights to debut Black-British author Shani Akilah’s richly imagined short story collection FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS from Sian Ellis-Martin.
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS will publish in June 2024 as a superlead title under Oneworld’s new book-club imprint, Magpie, underpinned by an extensive publicity and marketing campaign. A sampler of one of the stories will be available at Waterstones’ TikTok Festival later this month.
Partly set during the pandemic years, this collection brings to life the stories of Black-British Londoners as they navigate their way through relationships that break them, shape them, and sustain them through good times and bad. Linked to a central main character, they explore love and friendship, identity and community, loss and faith.
Shani Akilah says: ‘I’m absolutely delighted and honoured to have my debut short-story collection come to life with Oneworld. This journey has been a labour of love, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to be in the company of some of my favourite writers whose work has inspired me over the years.’
Juliet Mabey says: ‘Shani has brilliantly captured the Black-British and diasporic experience through a millennial lens, providing a fresh and contemporary spin on the challenges faced by a group of friends living in extraordinary times. Sitting at the literary-commercial sweet spot, it’s a stunning first outing for a writer of real strength and ambition.’
Sian Ellis-Martin says: ‘I’m thrilled that FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS has found a home with Juliet Mabey and the team at Oneworld. Shani’s beautifully crafted stories give an insight into the joys – and struggles – of the many variations of love and friendship and I can’t wait for readers to have the chance to enjoy them as much as I have.’
About Shani Akilah Shani Akilah is a Black-British writer from South London of Caribbean heritage (Guyana, Barbados and Jamaica). She is an avid reader and book blogger and was spotlighted as a ‘Key Black Influencer’ by DoubleDay Books. Shani is passionate about community and bringing people together and is the co-founder of Nyah Network, a book club for black women and is also the founder of contributor based platform, Bankra, that explored the navigated identities of black millennials. Shani loves travelling, and has spent significant time in Ghana as part of her studies. Shani has a Masters degree in African Studies from Oxford University with research exploring counter-diasporic return and issues of home and belonging amongst second-generation British-Ghanaians.
My Mirror. My Reflection. My Depression is a harrowing yet empowering story of overcoming some of life’s most difficult challenges and transforming them into purpose.
This book is a true story that charts Melissa’s healing journey. When Melissa discovers she has been wearing a mask for the last 45 years, she realises she has no choice but to change the course of her life.
Having suffered from childhood sexual abuse from the age of six and keeping the secret from her parents, the trauma of abuse spirals into broken relationships causing her to wear a mask that hides the shame and fear of rejection. Living as a single parent and trying to raise three children on her own, she is left to live a life of depression, embarrassment, rejection and suicidal thoughts.
With no one to turn to, Melissa must find the strength to fight this unseen battle alone. Until one day, God reveals her purpose, helping her reflect on her journey behind her depression and giving her the tools to remove her mask and receive her healing.
Her journey to getting to love the reflection in the mirror is a powerful testament that we are not alone and that there is light beyond the tunnel. Her story is a reminder that there is restoration after chaos and healing after abuse.
About the author
Melissa is a mother of four, a wife, a counsellor, a mentor, inspirational speaker and founder of ‘The Well Experience Project.’ The project’s aim is to help people who’ve experienced trauma through coaching, motivating, mentoring and empowering them back to a life of hope.
Melissa’s life has not been an open book, and for most of her life, she wore a mask and hid behind her shame and pain. Inspired by her reflections of the Bible verse “The woman at the well” (John 4), she knew one day she would need to remove her own mask and unveil the truth of her abuse, hurt, pain, shame and rejection.
Tired of a life filled with trauma, setbacks and depression, she decided to create new chapters in her life. After dropping out of school and being a single parent, she fought her way through, completed a bachelor’s honours degree as a psychiatric nurse, went further to complete her master’s in Health and Social Care and also gained a Highest Achievers Award.
Melissa aims to continue to inspire people all over the world and support others through their life journey so that they stay on the right path, re-focus, fulfil their dreams, careers and visions.
Olympic medallist Anyika Onuora is launching her autobiography in Liverpool next month.
Anyika will discuss her athletic career, growing up in Liverpool and the nuances of being a black northern woman. The former sprinter made her Olympic debut at London 2012, competing in the 100m and 200m. In 2015, she won the 4x400m relay bronze at the World Championships in Beijing. A year later she won her first Olympic medal in the 4.400m relay in Rio.
Anyika’s debut autobiography, My Hidden Race, is an unflinching testimony of what it takes to pursue your dreams as a Black British woman against all odds. Revealing her life for the first time with complete fearlessness, Anyika uncovers a world that often takes place far from the spotlight of the Olympic torch and shines an intense light on the brutal reality of professional sport for many black females.
My Hidden Race is being released on June 9 and to celebrate its launch, Anyika will be in conversation with Mia Thornton, from Black Ballad for its second regional event of the year. Black Ballad tell stories, host events and create experiences for, by and about black women that they won’t get anywhere else.
The event takes place at Chapters of Us, on Simpson Street, with doors opening at 6.30pm. Guests will have the opportunity to join in with an audience Q&A, network and chat with like minded black women, and purchase a copy of My Hidden Race, signed by Anyika herself.
Tickets also include a goodie bag with haircare products from ABV Organics and Wakati Hair. This event is open to everyone, with reduced priced tickets for Black Ballad Members. Visit blackballad.co.uk for more information.
People Person follows the story of aspiring influencer Dimple Pennington, daughter of the very absent Cyril Pennington, lonely, stuck in a terrible relationship with only a handful of her followers to give her digital company, finds herself in a tricky situation, she doesn’t know who to call. Not the police, they won’t help, not her mum, she doesn’t want her involved, and certainly not her dad, because he probably won’t pick up her call. So, she calls her four estranged half siblings, and as they come together to fix what Dimple started, they’re forced to build relationships between them, and attempt to build a relationship with their absent father too.
It is a story full of heart, humour, homecoming and the truest meaning of family you can get when your dad loves his Jeep more than his children. It explores the mysterious and unknowable bond between siblings, as well as fatherhood, and what it means to grow up without that figure in your life and how it can affect your identity and relationships. This promises to be an unmissable event with one of the UK’s most exciting writers.
Abiola Bello says she was told by a former agent that “people don’t know what to do with a black author”
The publishing industry is known for its lack of diversity and one author has opened up about her own journey of getting her book published. Abiola Bello, 33, is a British Nigerian author who was born and brought up in Stoke Newington where she began writing her first book at the age of 12 which went on to become a three part series when she became an author.
Initially, her parents wanted her to become a lawyer, tennis player as she was really sporty. However Abiola found herself constantly writing, and one day in secondary school her English teacher said she could become an author.
Speaking to MyLondon, Abiola said: “I didn’t really think about where books came from, I didn’t know it was an actual job, but I told my mum and she was like ‘what nonsense’, the teacher is filling my head with nonsense.
“I always loved writing since I was eight. I would rewrite babysitters club with me and my friends in it and at the time I couldn’t find any books about girls with superpowers, and that’s where Emily Knight came from.
“Publishing is such a weird bubble and you don’t really know anyone in publishing, so I didn’t know how to get into that, I didn’t know anyone who had written a book before and I was insecure to share my writing. I started thinking what if I’m not that good at it?
“Then I started professional dancing at 14 and that kind of took over and as I got older it became harder to juggle dance and writing. At 18 I went to study creative writing and met authors and at university, they make you read your story and get feedback.”
‘Publishing wasn’t a word in Nigerian culture’
Looking back she said she feels her culture didn’t really help her: “Publishing back then was not a word in Nigerian culture, I now see it was a lack of understanding, they were like, ‘how are you going to do this?’
“My parents felt like I should do something more secure where I’ll get money. I can understand that now and I don’t know why I had such an insane amount of confidence, but at one point my life wasn’t working out the way I envisioned.
“I was good at dance but didn’t want to be a professional dancer, I was bored of dance and was teaching it, working in retail and I was still out here trying to get a book deal.”
At the time Abiola had begun writing Emily Knight seriously, a book about a young girl with superpowers, Harry Potter and Twilight were just about emerging and there wasn’t a huge range of books about superpowers. Emily Knight was initially a white character, however as time went on and Abiola got more feedback, she changed her into a black character.
Eventually she tried to pitch her book to agents but she felt it was not the right time: “I think I sent my book out too prematurely, Harry Potter and Twilight was becoming so big and no none was really looking for a black girl writing about a black girl who isn’t struggling due to her race.
“I remember in my early twenties I was getting frustrated and thinking publishing isn’t diverse, because in dance no one cares what you look like you just have to dance well. In publishing it’s not always about your book, I remember turning 22 and getting my no’s and some agents said it was good but not really getting there.
“I was in New York with my friend and she wanted to be a fashion designer and I was still stuck in the same place, and then I thought, I want to self publish. I know this idea works, so I found this company in America as dollars would be cheaper to publish.”
Eventually Abiola self-published the book she had been writing since childhood, and then finally managed to get an agent. But getting an agent was not all smooth-sailing as there was a lack of black editors and black people in positions of power. She was told by her agent “people don’t know what to do with a black author”.
She said: “I remember thinking I’m getting penalised on something I can’t change.”
Abiola then changed her agent and got the agent of her dreams. However, when her book was sent out to authors she received mixed feedback, with one publishing house even telling her to write a love story.
“I was like, ‘I don’t think I can write this’,” she said. “I wrote an outline and my agent was like, ‘this is perfect’. But then in January 2021 my dad passed away and I couldn’t write.
“A few weeks after the burial, he was Muslim so it was really quick, I went back to writing the love story and I wrote it in five months. I’ve never written that quick and I remember sending it to my friend and she was like, ‘this is so good’ and I just couldn’t see it.
“I sent the submission in September last year and the next day a publisher got in touch and said, ‘this is exactly the book I want’ and then three out of the big five publishers wanted the book.
“But it was weird as I was so in my grief I wasn’t really paying attention. Simon & Schuster asked if I had any other book ideas, I knew I was going to get an offer, then another publisher wanted a chat too. My agent then calls me saying ‘Simon & Schuster want to give you a three book, six figure deal’.
“I was like are they sure? My year had started off so bad and then to get this news was so weird. The deal only lasted 24 hours, they were so lovely and the editor was black, I was just like I don’t care to hear from anyone else.”
Abiola’s book is coming out November titled Love in Winter Wonderland. The romantic comedy is about a bookshop in Hackney and two characters coming together to try and save it from closing down.
Brixton Library is proud to be hosting an ‘in conversation’ with Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, author of one of the most anticipated novels of the year.
Rich with magic and wisdom, When We Were Birds is an exuberant masterpiece that conjures and mesmerises on every line. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo weaves an unforgettable story of loss and renewal, darkness and light; a triumphant reckoning with a grief that runs back generations and a defiant, joyful affirmation of hope.
Join Ayanna Lloyd Banwo for a fascinating evening of literature.
Headline has swooped for When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve Queens by debut author and historian Paula Akpan.
Katie Packer, senior commissioning editor, acquired world rights from Abi Fellows at the Good Literary Agency. Billed as “a book that will give voice to the women warriors and regents across the African continent often demoted to a footnote in history”, it will be published in hardback in 2024.
The synopsis states: “When We Ruled will offer insight into the lives of the African women who ruled corners of the continent throughout the ages, breathing new life into their stories through engaging historical retellings. From the ‘Mad Queen’ Ranavalona the First of Madagascar to Nigeria’s spy queen Moremi Ojasoro, from the Asante warrior leader Nana Yaa Asantewaa to the Burundi’s queen Ririkumutima who arranged the assassination of a fellow wife in order to seize the throne, the stories will grapple with the lives and complexities of these women’s reigns. Alongside retelling their histories, When We Ruled will firmly locate these queens in the here and now, with interviews with women who grew up in their lands knowing these figures, describing why they remain so important to their cultures today.”
Akpan is a historian, freelance journalist and director of the Black Queer Travel Guide website. She is currently completing her MA in Black British history. Her journalism mainly focuses on Blackness, queerness, contemporary history and social politics and she regularly writes for publications including Vogue, Teen Vogue, VICE UK, the Independent, Stylist, Refinery29, Bustle and more.
She said: “I’m so excited to get to work on these histories and critically examine the women behind these reigns. I want to contribute to a space that engages with these queens and warriors wholly, beyond flattening, mythologising and martyrising them. The work will be guided by African scholars and experts, as well as women and femmes who have grown up absorbing these legacies and I cannot wait to pool together their incredible insights and personal stories. I’m extremely grateful to Katie and Headline for entrusting me with this work and I can’t wait to see how it evolves.”
Packer said: “I’ve long been a fan of Paula’s work platforming and creating empowering spaces for Black queer women, and her work as a historian is equally as inspiring. It’s an honour to be working on this book with her and to learn more about the fascinating histories of women in the African continent, I have no doubt they will explode off the page in technicolour.”
Nain is a black little girl who has questions about looking different. She prefers long blonde hair like the princesses she sees in books. She goes through a journey of self discovery and embraces her uniqueness through her adventures in Africa. Book suitable for 2-10 year olds.
About the author
Lorreta is a UK-based medical doctor and children’s author. She enjoys outdoor adventures with her family, loves running and is very passionate about travelling. Lorreta describes herself as a Pan-African, born in Cameroon. She has travelled widely around the world and within Africa. She is very keen on learning about different cultures and cuisines and spends a lot of time trying out recipes from around the world.
Lorreta takes great pride in showcasing her African heritage through writing and education. She gives motivational talks in schools to encourage young people of all backgrounds to aspire for greatness.
Lorreta lives in London with her husband and two children, who have been a great inspiration in her writing.
UK Black Writers Forum 