Sarah Ladipo Manyika is a British-Nigerian writer of novels, short stories and essays and an active member of the literary community, particularly supporting and amplifying young writers and female voices. She is author of two well received novels, '' In Dependence'' (2009) and ''Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream To The Sun'' (2016), as well as the non-fiction collection ''Between Starshine and Clay: Conversations from the African Diaspora'' (2022), and her writing has appeared in publications including '' Granta'', '' Transition'', ''

Guernica Guernica (, ), official name (reflecting the Basque language) Gernika (), is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the mu ...

'', and '' OZY'', and previously served as founding Books Editor of ''OZY''. Manyika's work also features in the 2019 anthology '' New Daughters of Africa''.

Early life

Sarah Manyika was born and raised in

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 ...

. She has also lived in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, France, Zimbabwe, the United States, and Britain. Her father is Nigerian and her mother is British.

Career

Manyika studied at the Universities of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

(UK),

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

(France), and California (Berkeley), receiving a Ph.D from the latter."About Sarah Ladipo Manyika"
Sarah Ladipo Manyika website. Her writing includes published essays, academic papers, book reviews and short stories.

Fiction

Manyika's short story "Mr Wonder" appeared in the 2008 collection ''Women Writing Zimbabwe''. Her first novel, ''In Dependence'', was originally published by

Legend Press Legend Press is an independent British book publisher founded in 2005 by Tom Chalmers, specialising in original fiction, crime thrillers, and a Legend Classics series. In 2011, they were shortlisted for the Independent Publisher of the Year and ...

, London, in 2008, and was chosen by the UK's largest bookstore chain as its featured book for

Black History Month Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently ...

. In 2009, ''In Dependence'', was published by

Cassava Republic Cassava Republic Press is a steering African book publishing company established in Nigeria in 2006 and headed by Bibi Bakare-Yusuf,

, a literary press based in

Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...

, Nigeria (as well as, latterly, in the UK), with a stable of authors that includes

Teju Cole Teju Cole (born June 27, 1975) is a Nigerian-American writer, photographer, and art historian. He is the author of a novella ''Every Day Is for the Thief'' (2007), a novel ''Open City'' (2011), an essay collection ''Known and Strange Things'' (20 ...

and

Helon Habila Helon Habila Ngalabak (born November 1967) is a Nigerian novelist and poet, whose writing has won many prizes, including the Caine Prize in 2001. He worked as a lecturer and journalist in Nigeria before moving in 2002 to England, where he was a C ...

. Speaking of her decision to sign with an African publisher, Manyika has said: "I realized that by granting world rights to an African publisher I could, in a small way, attempt to address the imbalance of power in a world where the gatekeepers of literature, even for so-called African stories, remain firmly rooted in the west."

Toni Kan Anthony Kan Onwordi known as Toni Kan (born 11 June 1971) is a Nigerian writer, editor, public relations senior management executive, and teacher. He is author of the collection of short stories, ''Nights of a Creaking Bed'', noted for exploring ...

writes in ''

The Lagos Review ''The Lagos Review'' is a Nigerian literary magazine based in Lagos. It was founded by Toni Kan and Dami Ajayi in 2019. History ''The Lagos Review'' was officially launched in September 2019, founded by Nigerian writer Toni Kan and poet Dam ...

'': "Sarah Manyika has written an impressive debut novel which will find a well deserved place in the pantheon of post-colonial literature." In 2014, ''In Dependence'' was published by

Weaver Press Weaver Press is a Zimbabwean independent publisher formed in 1998 in Harare.Weaver Press website
The press was ...

in Zimbabwe, where it is a set book for the Advanced-level English Literature examination. ''In Dependence'' has also been introduced by the

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

(JAMB) in Nigeria for candidates sitting for the 2017

UTME The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination is a computer-based standardized examination for prospective undergraduates in Nigeria. It is designed to assess problem solving, critical thinking, knowledge of scientific concepts and principles s ...

. She was a finalist for a 2021 Audie Award for her narration of the novel. Manyika's second novel, ''Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun'', on its publication in spring 2016 was endorsed by many other writers, including Bernardine Evaristo ("Manyika's story about an elderly Nigerian woman is quiet, sophisticated and it expands the canon of contemporary African literature into welcome new territory"), Aminatta Forna ("gorgeous and finely crafted...Sarah Manyika's novel shows ordinary people at their best. Uplifting!"),

NoViolet Bulawayo NoViolet Bulawayo is the pen name of Elizabeth Zandile Tshele (born 12 October 1981), a Zimbabwean author. In 2012, the National Book Foundation named her a "5 under 35" honoree. She was named one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by ''New ...

("Astute, sensual, funny, and moving"),

Jamal Mahjoub Jamal Mahjoub (born London 1966) is a mixed-race writer of British and Sudanese parents. He writes in English and has published eight novels under his own name. In 2012, Mahjoub began writing a series of crime fiction novels under the pseudonym ...

("Manyika writes with great verve and gentle wit, illuminating her characters with subtle insight"),

Peter Orner Peter Orner is an American writer. He is the author of two novels, two story collections and a book of essays. Orner holds the Professorship of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth College and was formerly a professor of creative writing at ...

("A beautiful, important new novel, and one that will continue to echo in a reader's mind for a long time after"),

E. C. Osondu Epaphras Chukwuenweniwe Osondu, predominantly known as E. C. Osondu, is a Nigerian writer known for his short stories. His story ''Waiting'' won the 2009 Caine Prize for African Writing, for which he had been a finalist in 2007 with his story ''Ji ...

("unforgettable...a powerful meditation on loss, memory, exile and loneliness. The characters in this novel will stay with you"), and

Brian Chikwava Brian Chikwava is a Zimbabwean writer and musician. His short story "Seventh Street Alchemy" was awarded the 2004 Caine Prize for African writing in English; Chikwava became the first Zimbabwean to do so. He has been a Charles Pick fellow at th ...

("A wonderfully constructed novel, always surprising"). It has been translated into several languages. ''Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun'' was shortlisted in September 2016 for the Goldsmiths Prize (alongside books by Rachel Cusk, Deborah Levy, Eimear McBride,

Mike McCormack Michael or Mike McCormack may refer to: * Michael McCormack (Australian politician) (born 1964), Australian politician and former Deputy Prime Minister (2018-2021) * Michael McCormack (judge) (born 1939), justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court * Mich ...

and Anakana Schofield), "the first African novel to be considered for this prize", which was set up to reward fiction that breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel form. The novel was also shortlisted for the

California Book Award The Commonwealth Club of California is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization based in Northern California. Founded in 1903, it is the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States. Membership is open to everyone. Ac ...

in the fiction category (alongside works by such writers as

Andrew Sean Greer Andrew Sean Greer (born November 1970) is an American novelist and short story writer. Greer received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel ''Less''. He is the author of ''The Story of a Marriage'', which ''The New York Times'' has ...

, Percival Everett, and

Viet Thanh Nguyen The Vietnamese people ( vi, người Việt, lit=Viet people) or Kinh people ( vi, người Kinh) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day Northern Vietnam and Southern China (Jing Islands, Dongxing, Guangxi). The native lang ...

). Of the genesis for ''Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun'' Manyika has said: "I've met many older women who have lived colourful lives, and yet when it comes to fiction I don't find many stories that mirror this, especially so when it comes to the lives of black women. When I cannot find stories that I'd like to read, I try writing them for myself." The novel's title is an acknowledged line from a poem by Mary Ruefle called "Donkey On". Manyika is a contributor to the 2019 anthology '' New Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent'', 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' ...

, participating in associated events.

Non-fiction

Manyika's non-fiction writing includes personal essays, book reviews, and in-depth profiles. For example, her essay "Coming of Age in the Time of the Hoodie" tells of her worries raising her son in modern America. She has written book reviews 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 ...

'', including on '' Glory'' by

, and ''

The New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members o ...

'', including on ''Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick'' by

Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on Hoodoo (spirituality), hoodoo. The most ...

. Her profile subjects include a piece on

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed '' So ...

for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' and

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

. Interviews with some of those from whom she has drawn inspiration are the focus of Manyika's 2022 book ''Between Starshine and Clay: Conversations from the African Diaspora'' (Footnote Press), described as "a celebration of personal and collective stories, of histories, of people making a way where there seems to be no way, making a difference, making history." With a Foreword by Bernardine Evaristo, it features activists, artists and intellectuals including

Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...

, Michelle Obama, Cory Booker,

Claudia Rankine Claudia Rankine (; born September 4, 1963) is an American poet, essayist, playwright and the editor of several anthologies. She is the author of five volumes of poetry, two plays and various essays. Her book of poetry, '' Citizen: An American L ...

, Henry Louis Gates, Jr,

Xoliswa Sithole Xoliswa Sithole (born 31 December 1968) is a South African actress and documentary filmmaker, raised in Zimbabwe. she won a BAFTA in 2004 for her documentary ''Orphans Of Nkandla''. She won a Peabody Award in 2010 and a BAFTA in 2011 for her do ...

, Anna Deavere Smith,

, Lord Michael Hastings and Evan Mawarire. Among those who have praised ''Between Starshine and Clay'' are

David Olusoga David Adetayo Olusoga (born January 1970) is a British historian, writer, broadcaster, presenter and film-maker. He is Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester. He has presented historical documentaries on the BBC and contribu ...

("Each encounter framed and presented with enormous literary skill and grace. ...a snap-shot of where the peoples of the Black diaspora stand, today in the early 21st Century, and how much has been overcome to get here"),

Delroy Lindo Delroy George Lindo (born 18 November 1952) is an English-American actor. He is the recipient of such accolades as a NAACP Image Award, a Satellite Award, and nominations for a Drama Desk Award, a Helen Hayes Award, a Tony Award, two Critics' Cho ...

("This is a one-of-a-kind book, a necessary and important one"),

Ato Quayson Ato Quayson (born 26 August 1961) is a Ghanaian literary critic and Professor of English at Stanford University. He was formerly a Professor of English at New York University (NYU), and before that was University Professor of English and inaug ...

("A lesson in magic from Manyika's writing"),

("Sarah Ladipo Manyika brings an intimate, eclectic, and delightfully startling freshness in this remarkably curated celebration of the African Diaspora") and Dame

Vivian Hunt Dame Vivian Yvonne Hunt (born July 1967) served as a senior partner for consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where she provided strategic advice to leading firms in the private, public and third sectors, and also served as Managing Partner for th ...

("an amazing collection that will inspire readers young and old").

Literary community

Manyika works with a number of organizations that support and amplify young writers and female voices. She is President of the Hedgebrook Board of Directors and on the Advisory Council of

826 Valencia 826 Valencia is a non-profit organization in the Mission District of San Francisco, California, United States, dedicated to helping children and young adults develop writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. It was ...

. She previously served on the Board of the

Museum of the African Diaspora The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) is a contemporary art museum in San Francisco, California. MoAD holds exhibitions and presents artists exclusively of the African diaspora, one of only a few museums of its kind in the United States. Locate ...

(MoAD) in San Francisco and partnered with MoAD to host an interview series, Conversations across the Dispora, featuring conversations with authors, artists, philanthropists, and scholars. She additionally hosted '' OZY''s video series, Write, and was the magazine's Books Editor.Sarah Ládípọ̀ Manyika
biography at ''OZY''. She has also served as a judge for literary competitions, the

Etisalat Prize for Literature The 9mobile Prize for Literature (formerly the Etisalat Prize for Literature 2013–16) was created by Etisalat Nigeria in 2013, and is the first ever pan-African prize celebrating first-time African writers of published fiction books.

in 2014, the Goldsmiths Prize in 2020, and the

Aspen Words Literary Prize The Aspen Words Literary Prize, established in 2018, is an annual literary award presented by Aspen Words, a literary center in Aspen, Colorado Aspen is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pit ...

in 2021.

Personal life

She and her husband

James Manyika James M. Manyika is a Zimbabwean-Americans, American academic, consultant, and business executive. He is known for his research and scholarship into the intersection of technology and the economy, including artificial intelligence, robotics autom ...

married in

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

, Zimbabwe, in 1994.

Honours and recognition

In December 2022, Manyika was listed by ''

New African ''New African'' is an English-language monthly news magazine based in London. Published since 1966, it is read by many people across the African continent and the African diaspora. It claims to be the oldest pan-African monthly in English, as well ...

'' magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of the year.

Works

Novels

* '' In Dependence'' (

, 2008;

Cassava Republic Press Cassava Republic Press is a steering African book publishing company established in Nigeria in 2006 and headed by Bibi Bakare-Yusuf,

, 2009) * ''Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream To The Sun'' (Cassava Republic Press, 2016, ).

Non-fiction

* ''Between Starshine and Clay: Conversations from the African Diaspora'', Foreword by Bernardine Evaristo (Footnote Press, 2022)

Short stories

* "Mr Wonder" in ''Women Writing Zimbabwe'' (

Weaver Press Weaver Press is a Zimbabwean independent publisher formed in 1998 in Harare.Weaver Press website
The press was ...

, 2008) * "Modupe" in ''African Love Stories'' (Ayebia Clarke Publishing Ltd, 2006) * "Girlfriend" in ''Fathers & Daughters'' (Ayebia Clarke Publishing Ltd, 2008) * "The Ambassador's Wife" in

(editor), '' New Daughters of Africa'' (

Myriad Editions Myriad Editions is an independent UK publishing house based in Brighton and Hove, specialising in topical atlases, graphic non-fiction and original fiction, whose output also encompasses graphic novels that span a variety of genres, including me ...

, 2019)

Book chapters

* "Oyinbo" in ''Prolematizing Blackness'' (Routledge, 2003)

Selected essays

* "Coming of Age in the Time of the Hoodie", ''

'', 23 June 2015. * "Betting on Africa", '' Brittle Paper'', 28 March 2016. * "For the Love of Older Characters in Good Books", '' OZY'', 29 October 2017. * "Game of Tomes: The Struggle for Literary Prizes", ''OZY'', 2 November 2017. * "On Meeting Toni Morrison", '' Transition'', No. 124, Writing Black Canadas (2017), pp. 138–147.

Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes 140 ...

Hutchins Center for African and African American Research The Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, also known as the Hutchins Center, is affiliated with Harvard University. The Center supports scholarly research on the history and culture of people of African descent around the world, ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. * "What James Baldwin Means To Me", ''Brittle Paper'', 4 March 2019. * "On Meeting Mrs Obama", '' Granta 146: The Politics of Feeling'', 22 March 2019. * "On Meeting Margaret Busby", ''Granta'', 19 October 2020.

Research reports

''Ph.D. Programs in African Universities: Current Status and Future Prospects. Report to the Rockefeller Foundation''
Co-authored with David Szanton (University of Berkeley, California, 2002).

References

External links

Official websiteListen aloud to readings from ''In Dependence''Introduction to Black History MonthReview of ''In Dependence''
on the Catch a Vibe site
Review of ''In Dependence''
by Andreas Martin Widmann. *Sarah Ladipo Manyika interviewed by Nkrumah Bankong-Obi
"My Life, My Writings"
''P.M. News Nigeria'', 26 March 2014. *Ovo Adagha

''African Writing'', No. 9.
Sarah Ládípọ̀ Manyika
on ''OZY''
"Toni Morrison In Conversation"
Mario Kaiser & Sarah Ladipo Manyika in conversation with Toni Morrison. ''Granta'', 29 June 2017.
"Twenty Questions with Sarah Ladipo Manyika"
''

TLS TLS may refer to: Computing * Transport Layer Security, a cryptographic protocol for secure computer network communication * Thread level speculation, an optimisation on multiprocessor CPUs * Thread-local storage, a mechanism for allocating vari ...

''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Manyika, Sarah Ladipo 1968 births 21st-century British writers 21st-century Nigerian women writers 21st-century Nigerian writers 21st-century novelists Alumni of the University of Birmingham Black British women academics Black British women writers British expatriate academics in the United States British expatriates in France British expatriates in Kenya Living people Nigerian emigrants to the United Kingdom Nigerian people of British descent Nigerian women academics San Francisco State University faculty University of Bordeaux alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Writers from Ibadan Yoruba women writers

Early life

Career

Fiction

Non-fiction

Literary community

Personal life

Honours and recognition

Works

Novels

Non-fiction

Short stories

Book chapters

Selected essays

Research reports

See also

References

External links