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Between Starshine and Clay Conversations from the African Diaspora
In a series of incisive and intimate encounters Sarah Ladipo Manyika introduces some of the most distinguished Black thinkers of our times, including Nobel Laureates Toni Morrison and Wole Soyinka, and civic leaders first lady Michelle Obama and Senator Cory Booker.
She searches for truth with poet Claudia Rankine and historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. She discusses race and gender with South African filmmaker Xoliswa Sithole and American actor and playwright Anna Deavere Smith. She interrogates the world around us with pioneering publisher Margaret Busby, parliamentarian Lord Michael Hastings and civil rights activist Pastor Evan Mawarire � who dared to take on President Robert Mugabe and has lived to tell the tale. We also meet the living embodiment of the many threads, ideas and histories in this book through the profile of her fabulous 102-year-old friend, Mrs Willard Harris.
In journeys that book-end the collection, Sarah Ladipo Manyika reflects on her own experience of being seen as ‘oyinbo� in Nigeria, African in England, Arab in France, coloured in Southern Africa and Black in America, while feeling the least Black and most human among her fellow travellers, explorers all, against the sharp white relief of the South Pole.
She searches for truth with poet Claudia Rankine and historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. She discusses race and gender with South African filmmaker Xoliswa Sithole and American actor and playwright Anna Deavere Smith. She interrogates the world around us with pioneering publisher Margaret Busby, parliamentarian Lord Michael Hastings and civil rights activist Pastor Evan Mawarire � who dared to take on President Robert Mugabe and has lived to tell the tale. We also meet the living embodiment of the many threads, ideas and histories in this book through the profile of her fabulous 102-year-old friend, Mrs Willard Harris.
In journeys that book-end the collection, Sarah Ladipo Manyika reflects on her own experience of being seen as ‘oyinbo� in Nigeria, African in England, Arab in France, coloured in Southern Africa and Black in America, while feeling the least Black and most human among her fellow travellers, explorers all, against the sharp white relief of the South Pole.
275 pages, ebook
Published October 6, 2022
9 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Ladipo Manyika
11books168followersSarah Ladipo Manyika was raised in Nigeria and has lived in Kenya, France, and England. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and for several years taught literature at San Francisco State University. Sarah currently serves on the boards of Hedgebrook and the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. Sarah is a Patron of the Etisalat Prize for Literature and host to OZY’s video series “Write.� Her second novel
Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun
was shortlisted for the 2016 Goldsmiths Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 31, 2023
was so very kind to send me an advance copy of this book, and I was remiss not to read it sooner, more fool me. I Five Starred my first two Ladipo Manyika reads Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun and In Dependence, both fiction, so I was not actually expecting those heights with a work of non-fiction.
Manyika begins with sharing her thoughts and experiences of how she felt and was treated initially and sometimes continuously based on her external appearance in different parts of the world, and that's just the beginning of this fascinating read, and puts a marker in the sand for what will follow. "Intimate encounters and/or interviews" of the most prominent Black thinkers/influencers alive when this was written. The interview is just... just. It makes me want to read everything she has ever written.
If you're like me and prefer to go into a book totally blind I will try not to mention most of the other people who opened up their homes, experiences and/or thoughts to Ladipo Manyika; but I can't but help give a shout out to centenarian Mrs Willard Harris who has an absorbing chapter.
So I finally began reading this book on a Sunday afternoon and was completely consumed by it until I finished it on Monday evening. Maybe it's the commonality of the British-Nigerian background that makes Ladipo Manyika's voice tune into my head so seamlessly. On my way to work I got stuck on a bus for two hours, caught up in a traffic jam, I could have walked to work, but I was reading this and happily sat there reading whilst more than half the passengers alighted to walk to work. That's what this book did me, it made me not care about the passage of time, it made me think, it made me think of what kind of legacy I want to leave, myself. This book also gave me my my first knowledge of Jamaican poet another stellar, thought stirring, entertaining and awe inspiring encounter with Ladipo Manyika put on paper.
When I started writing this I didn't know what I was going to write, I was confused about what I really wanted to say other than it is a Five Star read; and I might come back and put this down in a more cohesive way; this book touches my African Diaspora soul. Easily, this superbly written and so so so entertaining and inspiring read hits a 10 out of 10, Five Stars for me, technical making Ladipo Manyika my all-time favourite writer. Also if you read this book you get to read about Ladipo Manyika's (and hubby's) South Pole adventure :)
2023 and 2023 read, yep, so good that I had to read twice in the same month!
Manyika begins with sharing her thoughts and experiences of how she felt and was treated initially and sometimes continuously based on her external appearance in different parts of the world, and that's just the beginning of this fascinating read, and puts a marker in the sand for what will follow. "Intimate encounters and/or interviews" of the most prominent Black thinkers/influencers alive when this was written. The interview is just... just. It makes me want to read everything she has ever written.
If you're like me and prefer to go into a book totally blind I will try not to mention most of the other people who opened up their homes, experiences and/or thoughts to Ladipo Manyika; but I can't but help give a shout out to centenarian Mrs Willard Harris who has an absorbing chapter.
So I finally began reading this book on a Sunday afternoon and was completely consumed by it until I finished it on Monday evening. Maybe it's the commonality of the British-Nigerian background that makes Ladipo Manyika's voice tune into my head so seamlessly. On my way to work I got stuck on a bus for two hours, caught up in a traffic jam, I could have walked to work, but I was reading this and happily sat there reading whilst more than half the passengers alighted to walk to work. That's what this book did me, it made me not care about the passage of time, it made me think, it made me think of what kind of legacy I want to leave, myself. This book also gave me my my first knowledge of Jamaican poet another stellar, thought stirring, entertaining and awe inspiring encounter with Ladipo Manyika put on paper.
When I started writing this I didn't know what I was going to write, I was confused about what I really wanted to say other than it is a Five Star read; and I might come back and put this down in a more cohesive way; this book touches my African Diaspora soul. Easily, this superbly written and so so so entertaining and inspiring read hits a 10 out of 10, Five Stars for me, technical making Ladipo Manyika my all-time favourite writer. Also if you read this book you get to read about Ladipo Manyika's (and hubby's) South Pole adventure :)
2023 and 2023 read, yep, so good that I had to read twice in the same month!
September 11, 2022
won't you celebrate with me
what i have shaped into
what i have shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed
The title of this essay collection is taken from Lucille Clifton’s poem (reproduced above), just as the author’s Goldsmith Prize shortlisted novel “Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun� was taken from Mary Ruefle’s “Donkey On�.
Primarily it is a series of twelve encounters with members of the African diaspora which as the author explains: “This book highlights twelve people who illustrate, for me, the essence of Clifton's poem. Each of them has charted a new path, often in the face of danger and fierce opposition. They've told stories past and present through fiction, autobiography, film and theater; they've uncovered, collected and curated old histories. And they've continued, each in their own way, to push for change and progress. This book is also a meeting of people and perspectives about Africa and its diaspora, with chapters that speak to each other, almost in call and response � sometimes in agreement, sometimes not - highlighting the diversity of views and experiences.�
The twelve are divided into three sections: Creators (which includes to Nobel Prize winners � Toni Morrison and Wole Soyinka), Curators (which includes the British publisher Margaret Busby, as well as rather brilliantly a 102 � and a half � year old friend of the author) and Changemakers (which includes Michelle Obama and Cory Booker).
Some of the sections are more essay like, others transcripts of interviews and conversations � in which it is obvious that both that their author knows her and some hybrids. A number of the subjects are known to each other � in one case two of the subjects join the other’s interviews. A number of the subjects were also part of Henry Louis Gates Jr (one of the subject)’s “Finding Your Roots� and reflect on they learned there of their ancestry. But as the author’s comments imply there are also differences in their experiences and in the way they relate to their heritage.
The twelve parts are bookended by two personal sections � the first some autobiographical reflections as part of an introduction to the book, the second the tale of a trip to the Antarctic -
Given that I started to read the novel on Booker shortlist today I was fascinated (although not surprised) that even in the opening chapter links were made (one explicit and one implicit) to two of the Booker shortlisted books: with a mention of NoViolet Bulawayo’s “Glory� (which the author brilliantly reviewed in the Guardian) and references to a number of Black victims of US police violence and the lynching of Emmett Till (which of course is immediately reminiscent of Percival Everett’s “The Trees�)
And further for Booker fans (and I know many who follow me on ŷ are more typically readers of literary fiction than non-fictional essays so I hope this peaks your interest in this brilliant collection) � the first meeting with Margaret Busby takes place in March 2019 with Bernadine Evaristo (who writes an excellent foreword to this collection) at the same event. Seven months later at a dinner I was fortunate enough to attend at the Guildhall, Evaristo would be crowned Booker Prize winner (and go on to a long overdue recognition of her influence) and Busby would be approached by Peter Florence about being the next chair of Booker judges (something she resisted on the night but later thankfully agreed to � giving us the excellent “Shuggie Bain� as the 2020 winner on a shortlist which also included novels by Maaza Mengiste and Tsitsi Dangarembga � the latter also being mentioned in the book).
Incidentally I first encountered the author on ŷ after I reviewed Wole Soyinka (interestingly an alumni of my wife’s University and my own college)’s “Chronicles from the Land of The Happiest People in Earth� which was inexplicably overlooked for the 2021 Booker Prize which chose instead to represent Africa by two white South Africans.
Overall I thought this was an excellent collection � really thought provoking and also inspiring with the legacy each of the subjects has created (and I was really encouraged that some of the subjects mentioned the importance of their Christian convictions).
My thanks to the author and publisher for a review copy.
February 12, 2024
While some of the chapters felt they didn’t quite have enough depth to stand alone, those that did were wonderful state of the nation pieces, particularly Claudia Rankine and Xoliswa Sithole. I’d also never heard of Margaret Busby, Britain's youngest and first black female book publisher, which was insightful on how publishing works and how you have to work to get different voices heard.
August 28, 2022
Such a concentrated amount of black excellence in this book! This is a wonderful set of interviews of some of the most influential contemporary black people, divided in three, creators, curators and changemakers. From Toni Morrison and Michelle Obama to Henry Louis Gates Jr and many others more, the selection is exquisite, the questions asked always relevent and the book perfectly edited. I found it fascinating to learn more about all these people's upbringing and how they came to do what they do best for a living but also to read about how they perceive themselves and their blackness in our current world.
I was lucky enough to be sent this Arc by Netgalley and Footnote press but I absolutely want to purchase a copy when the book comes out in October this year as I found it so inspiring!
Very timely, I highly recommend.
I was lucky enough to be sent this Arc by Netgalley and Footnote press but I absolutely want to purchase a copy when the book comes out in October this year as I found it so inspiring!
Very timely, I highly recommend.
March 25, 2023
I took my time over this gem of a read from Ladipo Manyika. It is an unusual book, featuring a mix of interviews, reflection (or “encounters,� as the author refers to them, with people and their work), and memoir. Among the literary luminaries: Toni Morrison, Wole Soyinka, Claudia Rankine, and Margaret Busby (my always-favourite). Other famous people: Evan Mawarire, Zimbabwean pastor and hero, whose interview broke my heart; Xoliswa Sithole, South African (and Zimbabwean-raised) filmmaker, an interview I very much enjoyed for its bits of history; Cory Booker, the US Senator who seems the very embodiment of hope and vision; and Henry Louis Gates Jr., historian and a man whose youthful travels managed to intersect with one of the most amazing periods in African history.
This is a very thoughtful and grounded book, centred on Manyika’s own documentary sensibilities, and her connection to these people. In that sense, it reads very much as her memoirs, a feeling reinforced by her fascinating and otherworldly account at the end of the book of her travels to the South Pole (so interesting as well for the women she met on that trip). I will admit to reading very closely for the Zimbabwean connections–something entirely unintended when I started reading, but Zimbabwe is a very small country, and she inserts things that will mean something to many Zimbabweans, also unintended on her part I’m sure. Undoubtedly, my positionality brought something extra to my thoughts on the book; however, this is still a wonderful read for what it is.
Thank you very much to Footnote Press and to NetGalley for access to this very enjoyable book.
This is a very thoughtful and grounded book, centred on Manyika’s own documentary sensibilities, and her connection to these people. In that sense, it reads very much as her memoirs, a feeling reinforced by her fascinating and otherworldly account at the end of the book of her travels to the South Pole (so interesting as well for the women she met on that trip). I will admit to reading very closely for the Zimbabwean connections–something entirely unintended when I started reading, but Zimbabwe is a very small country, and she inserts things that will mean something to many Zimbabweans, also unintended on her part I’m sure. Undoubtedly, my positionality brought something extra to my thoughts on the book; however, this is still a wonderful read for what it is.
Thank you very much to Footnote Press and to NetGalley for access to this very enjoyable book.
December 18, 2022
This book has been an education without being preachy . Sarah sets the scene so you feel you are in the room and part of an intimate conversation. It’s a wonderful opportunity to hear the views and experience of a remarkable set of people. It invites you to reflect on the difficult subject of racism and challenges you think about what you can contribute to society . It’s a book that can be read on many levels, Just as a good read or something more radical.
July 14, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book for the second time, it is captivating-- encourages dialogue and celebrates the power of diverse voices, something which is timely in this period that we exist.
It has become a key reading for our seminal readings list with young people participating in our leadership programs at my organisation.
It has become a key reading for our seminal readings list with young people participating in our leadership programs at my organisation.
December 28, 2022
Incredible. What a beautiful book and such an intelligent author.
My favourite profile was Evan Mawarire. I was gripped and moved by his story from the beginning to the end.
My favourite profile was Evan Mawarire. I was gripped and moved by his story from the beginning to the end.
October 16, 2024
An exhilarating book of dialogues with prominent intellectual figures across the Black diaspora.
January 15, 2024
Before Starshine and Clay by Sarah Ladipo Manyika was sent to me by the wonderful people over at the publishing house, Footnote. This doesn't bias my opinion, but I thought you should know ☺️
"Conversations with the African diaspora" is the tag line for this book, as Ladipo Manyika interviews and chats with people from across the continents. There were names here I was familiar with, such as Toni Morrison, as well as a lot of individuals I had never heard of before. But each and every person had a fantastic and gripping story to tell and I'll now follow them eagerly in the future.
The individuals that Ladipo Manyika talks to are: Toni Morrison, Claudia Rankine, Xoliswa Sithole, Wole Soyinka, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Margaret Busby, Anna Deavere Smith, Willard Harris, Michelle Obama, Michael Hastings, Evan Mawarire, and Cory Booker.
This book touches on a lot of topics. From racism, to feminism, to colonisation, gentrification, and dictatorships. All of them talking about the individual impact, as well as the larger effect. I was absorbed in each persons story and whilst I feel like everything wrapped up well, I definitely want to do some more of my own research on each of these people and discover more of their work.
On CAWPILE I rated this: Research: 9, Authenticity: 8, Readability: 9, Personal Impact: 9, Intrigue: 9, Informativeness: 9, Enjoyment: 9, giving an average of 8.86 and a 4.5* rating.
Content warnings: discussions of persecution, death, racism, xenophobia, confinement, colonisation, violence, genocide, war, hate crime, classism.
I loved being exposed to so many more individuals that I likely wouldn't have heard of without this collection. I am definitely bumping this up to 5*! This is a perfect read for me in November (Non-fiction November to be specific) but I recommend it all year round!
"Conversations with the African diaspora" is the tag line for this book, as Ladipo Manyika interviews and chats with people from across the continents. There were names here I was familiar with, such as Toni Morrison, as well as a lot of individuals I had never heard of before. But each and every person had a fantastic and gripping story to tell and I'll now follow them eagerly in the future.
The individuals that Ladipo Manyika talks to are: Toni Morrison, Claudia Rankine, Xoliswa Sithole, Wole Soyinka, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Margaret Busby, Anna Deavere Smith, Willard Harris, Michelle Obama, Michael Hastings, Evan Mawarire, and Cory Booker.
This book touches on a lot of topics. From racism, to feminism, to colonisation, gentrification, and dictatorships. All of them talking about the individual impact, as well as the larger effect. I was absorbed in each persons story and whilst I feel like everything wrapped up well, I definitely want to do some more of my own research on each of these people and discover more of their work.
On CAWPILE I rated this: Research: 9, Authenticity: 8, Readability: 9, Personal Impact: 9, Intrigue: 9, Informativeness: 9, Enjoyment: 9, giving an average of 8.86 and a 4.5* rating.
Content warnings: discussions of persecution, death, racism, xenophobia, confinement, colonisation, violence, genocide, war, hate crime, classism.
I loved being exposed to so many more individuals that I likely wouldn't have heard of without this collection. I am definitely bumping this up to 5*! This is a perfect read for me in November (Non-fiction November to be specific) but I recommend it all year round!
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