Hannah Azieb Pool (born 1974) is a British–Eritrean writer and journalist. She was born near the town of Keren in Eritrea during the war for independence from

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. She is a former staff writer for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' newspaper, and writes regularly for national and international media. She is a patron of the

SI Leeds Literary Prize The SI Leeds Literary Prize is a biennial award founded in 2012 by Soroptimist International of Leeds (SI Leeds) – a branch of the worldwide women's organization Soroptimist International – for unpublished fiction written by Black and Asian w ...

for unpublished fiction by Black and Asian women in the UK.

Biography

Early life and education

At the age of six months, Pool was adopted by a British scholar working in Sudan. At first she was raised in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

and then

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, before finally settling in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England. She grew up believing that her genetic parents had died shortly after her birth.Ojumu, Akin
"Ancestral voices"
(review of ''My Fathers' Daughter''), ''The Observer'', 14 August 2005. She was educated at

Liverpool University , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

, where she studied Sociology.

Career

After leaving university, Pool became a journalist on the ''

Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...

'' and has written extensively for ''

'' newspaper, where for several years she wrote the fashion column "The New Black". However, at the age of 19 she had received a letter informing her that her genetic father and siblings were alive in Eritrea. Her memoir, ''My Fathers' Daughter: A story of family and belonging'', was published in 2005 and is an account of the journey she made back to Eritrea, aged 29, and her encounters with her family. Pool was a Senior Programmer of Contemporary Culture at the Southbank Centre, London. In February 2019 she took up a new appointment as the Artistic Director/CEO at the

Bernie Grant Arts Centre The Bernie Grant Arts Centre (BGAC) is a £15 million purpose-built multi-arts centre, which includes a 274-seat auditorium, studio/rehearsal space, café/bar, enterprise centre and open spaces. It is located next to the Town Hall in Tottenham, ...

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Wal ...

. She is a contributor to the 2019 anthology ''

New Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora, ...

'', edited by Margaret Busby.

Bibliography

* ''My Fathers' Daughter'', London: Hamish Hamilton Ltd, 2005. . * ''Fashion Cities Africa'' (editor), University of Chicago Press, 2016. "Fashion Cities Africa"
(review), Intellect.

References

External links

Official website.

Talking TEDs, ''Arise'' magazine, video.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pool, Hannah 1974 births Living people Alumni of the University of Liverpool Black British women writers British women journalists English people of Eritrean descent Eritrean women journalists Eritrean women writers People from Keren, Eritrea The Guardian people