literature, being a creative and d.i.y identity with tope folarin
Tope Folarin is a Nigerian-American writer based in Washington DC. He serves as Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Studies and the Lannan Visiting Lecturer in Creative Writing at Georgetown University
He has garnered many awards for his writing, including the Caine Prize for African Writing and the Whiting Award for Fiction.
Tope joins me to talk about his love for literature, he mentions some of his favourite books and how his love for books was nurtured by his father.
I really liked hearing about how his father nurtured his brain and asked for his views on books. This gives tope the space and opportunity to state his views and make arguments
Thank you for reading this…
Some of the books that he mentioned were: Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin, Slaughterhouse-Five and The bluest eyes by Tony Morrison.
Tope also mentions how his father would make him watch a documentary about booker t Washington, how his story had stood out to tope as a young boy.
tope also talks about his time at oxford that proved to be a time for reflection and inspiration. It is here that he pondered on becoming an author.
WE TALKED ABOUT HIS BOOK “A PARTICULAR KIND OF BLACK MAN” jUST LISTEN TO WHAT HE FEELS THE BOOK IS ABOUT AND THE INTENTIONS BEHIND IT.
I REALLY LOVED THIS CONVERSATION, TALKING TO TOPE ABOUT BOOKS AND IDENTITY WAS REALLY INTERESTING. I PERSONALLY DID NOT LIKE READING AT ONE POINT BUT I HAVE STARTED TO REALLY ENJOY IT. AS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE, THERE HAVE BEEN CERTAIN BOOKS THAT HAVE HAD AN INFLUENCE ON ME.
the first book I ever finished was George orwell’s 1974. If you have not read this book then please do. I loved the social commentary it provided and the love story really centred the story.
I also love this book. I love learning about space, black holes and planets. I actually listened to this book on audible which I must admit takes you on an audible journey through space.
plus it was written in a way that anybody can understand and makes learning accessible.
