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Ayesha Harruna Attah

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Ayesha Harruna Attah
human
Ein sex anaa genderfemale Edit
Country wey e be citizenGhana Edit
Name in native languageAyesha Harruna Attah Edit
Name wey dem give amAyşe Edit
Family nameAttah Edit
Ein date of birth1983 Edit
Place dem born amAccra Edit
Languages edey speak, rep anaa signEnglish Edit
Ein occupationnovelist, writer Edit
Educate forMount Holyoke College, Columbia University School of the Arts, New York University Edit
Personal pronounL484 Edit

Ayesha Harruna Attah (dem born am December 1983) be Ghanaian-born fiction writer.[1][2] She dey stay Senegal.[3]

Ein early years den education

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Dem born Ayesha Harruna Attah for Accra, Ghana, insyd de 1980s, under military government, to mummie wey na be journalist den puppie wey na be graphic designer.[4] Attah talk say: "My parents be my first major influences. Dem run literary magazine wey dem bell am Imagine, wey get stories about Accra; articles for art, science, film, books; cartoons—wey I love especially. Dem be (wey still be) my heroes. I discover Toni Morrison na wen I dey thirteen, wey I hook. I devour everytin she wrep. I dey kai say I read Paradise, wey ein meaning evade me then, e make me feel like na ebe de most amazing book dem wrep wey one day I want wrep world full of strong female characters, just lyk Ms. Morrison do."[5]

After she grow insyd Accra, she move go Massachusetts wey she study biochemistry for Mount Holyoke College,[3][6] den she get ein Masters degree insyd magazine journalism for de Columbia University,[7] wey she receive MFA insyd creative writing for New York University.[8][9]

Ein writing

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She publish five novels.[9] She wrep ein debut book Harmattan Rain (2008) secof fellowship from Per Ankh Publishers — wey be under de mentorship of Ghanaian novelist Ayi Kwei Armah — den TrustAfrica,[10] wey dem shortlist am for de 2010 Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Africa Region).[11] Ein second novel Saturday's Shadows, World Editions publish am[12] insyd 2015,[13] dem nominate am for de Kwani? Manuscript Project,[14] wey dem san publish am for Dutch (De Geus) insyd.[15] Ein third novel be The Hundred Wells of Salaga (2019),[16] wey dey deal plus "relationships, desires den struggles insyd women dema lives for Ghana inyd de late 19th century during de scramble give Africa".[17] She wrep The Deep Blue Between, novel give young adults. Den ein fifth novel, dem go release Zainab Takes New York insyd April 2022.[18]

As 2014 AIR Award laureate, na Attah be writer-in-residence for de Instituto Sacatar insyd Bahia, Brazil.[19] She san so chop Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship insyd 2016 for proposed non-fiction book for de history of de kola nut.[20]

Harmattan Rain (2008)

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Saturday's Shadows (2015)

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The Hundred Wells of Salaga (2019)

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The Deep Blue Between (2020)

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Ein life matter

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Ayesha be de daughter of Alhaji Abdul Rahman Harruna Attah den Nana Yaa Agyeman. She sanso get sisto dem dey bell Rahma.[21]

Novels

  • Harmattan Rain. Popenguine, Senegal, West Africa: Per Ankh, 2008. ISBN 9782911928123, OCLC 310739454
  • Saturday's Shadows. London: World Editions, 2015. ISBN 9789462380431, OCLC 903399393
  • The Hundred Wells of Salaga. New York: Other Press, 2019. ISBN 9781590519950, OCLC 1035458812
  • The Deep Blue Between. London: Pushkin Press, 2020. ISBN 9781782692669

Essays

  • "Skinny Mini", Ugly Duckling Diaries, July 2015[22]
  • "The Intruder", The New York Times Magazine, September 2015[23]
  • "Cheikh Anta Diop – An Awakening", Chimurenga, 9 April 2018[24]
  • "Opinion: Slow-Cooking History", The New York Times, 10 November 2018[25]
  • "Inside Ghana: A Tale of Love, Loss and Slavery", Newsweek, 21 February 2019[26]

Oda writing

  • "Second Home, Plus Yacht", Yachting Magazine, October 2007[27]
  • "Incident on the way to the Bakoy Market", Asymptote Magazine, 2013[28]
  • "Unborn Children", in Margaret Busby, New Daughters of Africa, 2019.

References

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  1. Lee, A. C. (14 November 2013). "Young African Writers Hold Forth in Brooklyn". The New York Times.
  2. Patrick, Diane (6 December 2013). "African-American Books Around the World". Publishers Weekly.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Ogle, Connie (3 March 2022). "For This Writer, Fiction Is a Science Experiment". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  4. Ayesha Harruna Attah, "Why I Write", Authors — World Editions, 30 September 2015. Archived 31 July 2016
  5. Musiitwa, Daniel (1 May 2015). "Interview with Ghanaian Author Ayesha Harruna Attah". Africa Book Club.
  6. "Mount Holyoke Event Archive: 2008-2015". Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  7. "Alumni Bookshelf". Columbia Alumni Association. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016.
  8. Ibrahim (1 April 2010). "Ayesha: Ghana's rising literary icon". CP Africa. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  9. 9.0 9.1 "Ayesha Harruna Attah'". Pontas Agency. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  10. "Interview with Ghanaian Writer, Ayesha Harruna Attah". Geosi Reads. 2013-03-11. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  11. Ben (18 February 2010). "Shortlists for the 2010 Commonwealth Writers' Prize – Africa Region". Books Live.
  12. James, Anna (13 October 2014). "Visser of De Geus launches English language publisher". The Bookseller.
  13. Attah, Ayesha (2015). Saturday's Shadows. World Editions. ISBN 978-94-6238-043-1.
  14. "Kwani? Manuscript Project Shortlist". Kwani?. 17 June 2013. Archived from the original on 21 November 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  15. "English and Dutch Debut for New-York Based Ghanian Writer Ayesha H. Attah". Book Trade. 1 April 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  16. Forbus, Jen (24 September 2018). "Maximum Shelf: The Hundred Wells of Salaga". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  17. "One Hundred Wells" page Archived 4 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine at Pontas Agency.
  18. Ibeh, Chukwuebuka (8 August 2022). "Ghanaian Author Ayesha Harruna Attah Sells Movie Rights for Her Rom-Com Novel Zainab Takes New York". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  19. Koinange, Wanjiru (11 September 2014). "Introducing the 2014 Artists in Residency Award Laureates". Africa Centre.
  20. "Morland Writing Scholarships for 2016". Miles Morland Foundation. 24 May 2017.
  21. "Today in History: Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings loses sister". GhanaWeb. 2023-08-17. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  22. Attah, Ayesha (July 2015). "Skinni Mini". Ugly Duckling Diaries. Archived from the original on 2020-02-11. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  23. Attah, Ayesha (September 4, 2015). "The Intruder". The New York Times Magazine.
  24. Attah, Ayesha Harruna (9 April 2018). "Cheikh Anta Diop – An Awakening". Chimurenga.
  25. Attah, Ayesha Harruna (10 November 2018). "Opinion: Slow-Cooking History". The New York Times.
  26. Attah, Ayesha Harruna (21 February 2019). "Inside Ghana: A Tale of Love, Loss and Slavery". Newsweek.
  27. Attah, Ayesha (3 October 2007). "Second Home, Plus Yacht". Yachting Magazine.
  28. Attah, Ayesha (2013). "Incident on the way to the Bakoy Market". Asymptote Magazine.
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