Bio
Sarah Ladipo Manyika is a profound writer of novels, short stories, essays and non-fiction works. Born in 1968 to a Nigerian father and British mother, she grew in Nigeria and has spent parts of her life in Kenya, Zimbabwe, France, England as well as the Unites States. After having studied at the University of Birmingham and Université de Bordeaux, Manyika conducted her doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She has also taught literary courses at San Francisco State University for numerous years.
In 2008, Manyika gained popular acclaim with her debut novel In Dependence, a narrative bridging the connection between Nigeria and England. It combines elements of romance and realism by exploring both cultural and sexual tensions in light of radical change. The book was later nominated for the 2021 Audie Award. The writer’s second publication, a shorty story titled Zvakwana (2014), then follows several characters as they are struggling with economic issues in Zimbabwe. Her latest novel Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream To The Sun (2016), which was shortlisted for the California Book Award and Goldsmiths Prize for fiction, subsequently plays around with narrative form whilst investigating topics related to black womanhood. Between Starshine and Clay: Conversations from the African Diaspora (2022) is her latest work, a non-fiction collection tracing her conversations with various black icons, including Toni Morrison, Claudia Rankine and Michelle Obama. Moreover, her work has been featured in the anthology New Daughters of Africa (2019) as well as places such as Granta, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and Transfuge. Her writing has also been translated into a wide range of languages.
Manyika is an active member of the literary community due to her engagement with various artistic efforts. She for instance holds a position as the Board Chair of the Hedgebrook Women's Writing Residency. The author was previously the Board Director of the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, and has worked as a judge for the Goldsmiths Prize, California Book Awards, Aspen Words Literary Prize, and Chair of the Pan-African Etisalat Prize. She is also the host of OZY's video series "Write." In 2023, Manyika was appointed as a Royal Society of Arts fellow, solidifying her image as an important figure within literary culture.
The author also works as a cultural critic and essayist whereby she focuses on her goal to amplify the voices of young female authors. This paints Manyika as a multifaceted and critical author who lends a transnational perspective to studying black narratives in Britain and beyond.
• https://www.sarahladipomanyika.com/
Selected Prizes and Nominations
• Etisalat Prize for Literature Patron
• Goldsmiths Prize
• California Book Awards
• Audie Award 2021
Bibliography
Busby, Margaret, editor. New Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent. Oxford, 2019.
Gerald, A. D., Iorkegh Denen Donatus, and A. R. Dooshima. “The Epistolary Form of Narrative and Communication in Abubakar Gimba’s Letters to My Children and Sarah Ladipo Manyika In Dependence.” Conference on Applied and Practical Sciences, 2023: pp. 48-60.
Ghosh, Subham and Singh, Smriti. “Towards a Cosmopolitan Worldview: Investigating the Process of de-Bordering through Sarah Ladipo Manyika’s In Dependence.” African Identities, 2023: pp. 1-13.
Gleibermann, Erik. “Cross-Cultural Romance with Global Itinerary: A Conversation with Sarah Ladipo Manyika.” World Literature Today, vol. 94, no. 1, 2020: pp. 46–49.
Manyika, Sarah Ladipo. In Dependence. London, Legends Press, 2008.
–. Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun. Cassava Republic Press, 2016.
–. Between Starshine and Clay Conversations From the African Diaspora. Footnote Press, 2022.
–. “December’s People.” HuffPost, 27 Dec. 2016, Web.
–. “July’s People.” HuffPost, 11 Aug. 2016, Web.
–. “What Virginia Woolf Forgot to Say.” Thrive Global, 20 March 2020, Web.
–. “Coming of Age in the Time of the Hoodie.” AGNI Online, 1 July 2015, Web.
–. “This Is San Francisco.” BLARB, 10 Nov 2016, Web.
–. “What James Baldwin Means to Me.” Brittle Paper, 5 March 2019, Web.
–. “On Meeting Toni Morrison.” Transition, no. 124, 2017: pp. 138–47.
–. “Jewel of the Harlem Renaissance.” New Statesman, vol. 149, no. 5525, June 2020: pp. 46–47.
–. “A Nigerian Composition.” Wasafiri, vol. 25, no. 4, 2010: pp. 66-70.
–. “Why I chose an African publisher over a western one.” The Guardian, 20 April 2016, Web.
Raji, Wumi. “In Place/Out of Place.” Matutu, vol. 47, no. 1, 2016: pp. 37-55.
Otosirieuze. “Sarah Ladipo Manyika is Curious About Culture Icons.” Open Country Mag, 20 July 2023, Web.
Sousa, Sandra. “The Nigerian Diaspora in the United States and Afropolitanism in Sarah Ladipo Manyika’s Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun.” African Studies Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 2, 2152–2448, Feb. 2019: pp. 39–53.
Staunton, Irene. Women Writing Zimbabwe. Weaver Press, 2008.
