My guest Tryphena Yeboah talks about writing with vulnerability and heart. Books mentioned: Poetry Collection: A Mouthful of Home, selected by the New Generation African Poets Series Short Story: Lemon Dove https://www.birdfeastmagazine.com/sixteen/yeboah/ Bio/Profile: Tryphena Yeboah is a Ghanaian writer and the author of the poetry chapbook, A Mouthful of Home, selected by the New Generation African Poets Series. Her fiction and essays have appeared in Narrative Magazine, Commonwealth...

In this episode, Bene and Afrah discuss their reading journey thus far in 2023. Categories: Favourite book/books of the year so farBest New Release of the Year so farBiggest Disappointment of the Year so farFavourite Author or Authors of the Year so farFavourite Fictional Character of the Year so farA book that made you cry and a book that made you laughFavourite AudiobookAnticipated releases for the second half of the year

In today’s episode, we will discuss Self Publishing with my guest Ami Tamakloe author of Charcoal. We talk about why they chose to self-publish, the cost of self-publishing, and the publishing industry.  About the author: Ami Tamakloe is human unravelling and reconstructing. Originally from Ghana, they are currently a PhD student in the Department of Anthropology at Cornell University. Through artistry, activism and intellect, Ami resists by creating work that foregrounds accessibility around...

I speak with Martin Egblewogbe about the types of readers in Ghana, the reading culture in Ghana, publishing, the Writers Project of Ghana, and writing the novel "The Waiting." About my guest: Martin is a senior lecturer at the Department of Physics, University of Ghana. He is the author of the collection of short stories, The Waiting published by Lubin & Kleyner in 2020 and Mr Happy and The Hammer of God and Other Stories published by Ayebia in 2012. Professor Martin was the...

In this interview, I speak to Uwem Akpan, author of the books New York My Village and Say You Are One Of Them, about the importance of war stories in our world today. About New York, My Village by Uwem Akpan Ekong Udousoro is the winner of the Toni Morrison Publishing Fellowship, he travels to New York to learn the in and outs of the publishing industry and curate a short story collection about the Biafran War. In New York, Ekong encounters callous agents, greedy landlords and hostile...

This is an unhinged episode with the other team members. Abena takes the Hot Seat in a Q&A section.  Thank you for listening to our Book Conversations. Enjoy

On this episode, I speak with Accord Literary about publishing in Africa, writing for young readers, and the 2023 Authors and Illustrators Creative Retreat in Accra, Ghana. In this interview, Sarah Odedina speaks of her experience as a publisher, mentor and nurturer, and the importance of publishing African voices. Accord Literary is a venture designed to develop, mentor and support writers based in Africa, writing books for young readers. Their mission is to find original and unique voices...

In today’s episode, we will discuss self Publishing in Ghana with my guests Yeayi Kobina author of The Usurper’s Dream, Emma Ofosua author of I Wish You Courage and Grace Dorcas Annan author of Children’s Books and Indie Publisher. We talk about why they chose to self-publish, the cost of self-publishing in Ghana, and the publishing industry in Ghana. 

The topic of today's show is Building a Reading Life - Reading for Pleasure in honour of World Book Day. Guests: @ka_karang, @bene.reads & @bookedwithamba World Book and Copyright Day is a celebration to promote the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on 23 April, celebrations take place worldwide to recognise the scope of books - a link between the past and the future, a bridge between generations and across cultures.  According to research, reading improves brain activity,...

Hey book people, welcome to Books With Abena! I'll discuss my first quarter reading schedule and some life updates on today's show. Enjoy! Books Mentioned: Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James PattersonQuiet by Victoria Adukwei BulleyI am Becoming the Woman I've Wanted by Sandra MartzOn the Rooftop by Margret Wilkerson SextonEven Though I Knew The End by C.L PolkMaame by Jessica GeorgeA Quick Ting on Afrobeats by Christian AdofoThe People of the Oshrich Mountain by Ndirangu GithiagaSeven...

My guest on this episode is Christian Adofo, author of A Quick Ting on Afrobeats published by Jacaranda Books. During our conversation, we discuss the writing and publishing of the book, the social and cultural development of Afrobeats and how it has provided new expressions of Black History and Pride. Christian Adofo is a writer, journalist and curator, with a passion for writing about the intersection of heritage and identity in music. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, OkayAfrica...

My guest on this episode is Aiwanose Odafen, the author of Tomorrow I Become A Woman.  Our conversation covers the publishing deal, the writing process, the inspiration for the book and what it means to be a woman. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Aiwanose Odafen is an MFA fiction student at the Iowa Writer's Workshop. She has contributed to published non-fiction works and participated in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus Trust Writing Workshop. She was longlisted for the 2020 Commonwealth...

A discussion about Black History Month, colourism and racism in books, the importance of reading Black authors, and book recommendations are featured in this episode. Guest: Alexis Milton is a bookstagrammer, a book tuber, a book blogger and a book toker that highlights black individuals, events and books she classifies as “Unsung Blacks”. Book Recommendations The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson Infants of the Spring by Wallace Thurman The Streets by Ann Petry Praise Sing for...

Host Abena interviews poet Victoria Adukwei Bulley about her book Quiet. Victoria Adukwei Bulley is a Poet, writer, and artist. An alumna of Barbican Young Poets and recipient of an Eric Gregory Award. She has held residencies in the US, Brazil, and the V&A Museum in London. Her debut collection Girl B was published by the African Poetry Book Fund in 2017. She is a filmmaker and the director of the film Mother Tongues. Her newest collection Quiet was published by Faber in 2022.

Host, Abena speaks with author, Bisi Adjapon about her new book Daughter in Exile in this episode. Bisi Adjapon is the author of The Teller of Secrets, titled initially Of Women and Frogs. Bisi has written for and been featured in many publications including McSweeney’s Quarterly Washington Times, Washington Post, Aljazeera, and New York Times. Her new novel is a gut-wrenching, yet heartwarming, story about a young Ghanaian woman’s struggle to make a life in the US, and the challenges she...

Happy New Year. In this episode, host Abena discusses her Bookish In&Outs along with anticipated books of 2023. Enjoy!

This month's episode features Abena Maryann, Bene and Jeifa discussing 2022 in reading. In addition to discussing their reading goals, they also discussed some of their favorite books.

On this episode, host Abena Maryan and her guests share their experiences at the 6th edition of the Pa Gya! A Literary Festival in Accra. Pa Gya! A Literary Festival in Accra is a three-day literary arts festival featuring activities such as readings, panel discussions, performances, book launches and sales, literary prize awards and many more. Over the years, the festival has grown to include art talks, art and literary exhibitions, film screenings and many more. The festival also offers...

On this episode, host Abena Maryan talks to her guest Mamle Wolo about her book "The Kaya Girl" published by Little Brown and Company. She also talks about writing, publishing, and Pa Gya - a literary festival in Accra, Ghana. Mamle Wolo is an award-winning Ghanaian-German author who studied at the University of Cambridge and Lancaster University in the UK and is an Honorary Fellow in Writing of the University of Iowa. She is one of directors of the Writers Project of Ghana (WPG). She writes...

On this episode, host Abena Maryan talks to her guest Aekua about reading, why reading is important, life as a mother and a reader and Bookclubs in Ghana.

In this episode, host Abena Maryan talks to her guest Ama Asantewa Diaka also known as Poetra Asantewa about her book "Woman Eat Me Whole" published by Ecco Books an Imprint of Harper Collins also available on Scribd. She talks about her challenges and how she overcame them by keeping a positive attitude in the face of rejection. Poetra Asantewa is the founder of Black Girls Glow, a non-profit organization fostering collaborations among women artists and exploring ways that art can build a...

For so long, there have been white or western Book Influencers and Reviewers telling us which books are worth our attention. It is satisfying to see that bookstagram is increasingly becoming diverse with African Book Influencers creating content about books on the continent and in the diaspora. African Book Influencers are what I call the new voices in Africa's literary space creating and making a change for the millions of people using social media. Join my guests and I talk about our...

In this episode, I talk about the life and work of Ghana's prominent female author, Ama Ata Aidoo. First Reading: Two Sisters read by Abena Maryan Second Reading: Images of Africa at a Century's End read by Sarpong Osei Asamoah Third Reading: Changes: A Love Story read by Abena Maryan 

In this episode, I share some not-so-fun facts about myself. I also talk about books I read in 2021 and what I will be reading this year (2022). Books mentioned are categorized into Favourite books, New Releases I enjoyed, Favourite Young Adult, Best Non-Fiction and Books Around The World.

Welcome to the show!