Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond (born October 5) is an American-

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

ian writer of novels, short stories and a poet. She has written for

AOL AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo (2017� ...

, ''

Parenting Magazine ''Parenting'' was a magazine for families and it was published in United States between 1987 and 2013. Its final headquarters was in Winter Park, Florida. History and profile ''Parenting'' was launched in 1987 by Robin Wolaner in a joint venture ...

'', the ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

'', ''Metro'' and ''Trace Magazine''. Her short story "Bush Girl" was published in the May 2008 issues of ''African Writing'' and her poem "The Whinings of a Seven Sister Cum Laude Graduate Working Board as an Assistant" was published in 2006’s ''Growing up Girl Anthology''. A cum laude graduate of

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

, she attended secondary school in Ghana. Her book ''Powder Necklace'' is loosely based on the experience. In 2014 she was chosen as one of 39 of Sub-Saharan Africa's most promising writers under the age of 40, showcased in the

Africa39 Africa39 was a collaborative project initiated by the Hay Festival in partnership with Rainbow Book Club, celebrating Port Harcourt: UNESCO World Book Capital 2014 by identifying 39 of the most promising writers under the age of 40 with the potent ...

project and included in the anthology ''Africa39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara'' (edited by

Ellah Allfrey Ellah Wakatama, OBE, Hon. FRSL (born 16 September 1966), is Editor-at-Large at Canongate Books, a senior Research Fellow at Manchester University and Chair of the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. She was the founding Publishing Direct ...

). She is also 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 Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisherJazzmine Breary"Let' ...

.Hubbard, Ladee (May 10, 2019)
"Power to define yourself , The diaspora of female black voices"
''

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''.

Personal life and education

She was born in the small town of

Plattsburgh Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Her parents moved to

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and then to

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, where Brew-Hammond grew up before, at the age of 12, being sent back to Ghana, with her siblings, to attend secondary school by her parents. She went to one of the more prestigious girls secondary school in Ghana,

Mfantsiman Girls' Secondary School Mfantsiman Girls' Senior High School is an all girls second cycle institution in Saltpond in the Central Region of Ghana. The school was founded in 1960 by Kwame Nkrumah, originally under the name Saltpond Girls' Secondary School. The school is ...

in the Central Region. She is a ''cum laude'' graduate of

Poughkeepsie, NY Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie ...

. She now has 10 years of experience in the writing world.

Writing career

In 2014, she was included among some of the most promising African authors under 39 in the

Hay Festival The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, better known as the Hay Festival ( cy, Gŵyl Y Gelli), is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, for 10 days from May to June. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and Peter Florence in 1988, t ...

-Rainbow Book Club Project ''Africa39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara'' (Bloomsbury). The

anthology was published in celebration of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

's designation of Port Harcourt,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, as 2014 World Book Capital. Most recently, she was shortlisted for the 2014 Miles Morland Writing Scholarship. Also a style & culture writer, Brew-Hammond has been featured on MSNBC, NY1, SaharaTV, and ARISE TV, and has been published in ''

Ebony Magazine ''Ebony'' is a monthly magazine that focuses on news, culture, and entertainment. Its target audience is the African-American community, and its coverage includes the lifestyles and accomplishments of influential black people, fashion, beauty, an ...

'', Ethiopian Airlines' ''Selamata Magazine'', EBONY.com, ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'', on NBC's thegrio.com, and MadameNoire.com, among other outlets". Her short story "After Edwin" is included in the 2019 anthology ''

'', edited by

Selected writings

* ''Powder Necklace'' (novel), 2010 * "Bush Girl" * "The Whinings of a Seven Sister Cum Laude Graduate Working Bored as an Assistant"{

Interviews

* "Author Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond speaks to WomenWerk on advocacy, inspirations and keeping a day job" * "An Interview with Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, author of Powder Necklace" * "Author Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond Discusses the Inspiration for Her Debut Novel, Powder Necklace". YouTube video.
"Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond - Activism and Art: Personal Journeys in the Diaspora - Full Interview"
AfricanFilmFest. YouTube, August 13, 2015.

References

External links

Official website

@nanaekuawriter
at Instagram
@nanaekua
Twitter {{DEFAULTSORT:Brew Hammond, Nana 21st-century American novelists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American people of Ghanaian descent People from Plattsburgh, New York 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American poets American women novelists American women short story writers American women poets Novelists from New York (state) 21st-century American women writers Mfantsiman Girls' Secondary School alumni