projects I’m proud to have been a part of …

Carrying Culture Book Contract with University Press of Colorado

I am thrilled to announce that I will be working on my first book project, tentatively titled “Carrying Culture: How Somali Women are Rhetorically Remaking and Reimagining Home after Displacement.” It is under contract with University Press of Colorado (Utah State University Press) and will be out in the world in about a year or two.

Growing Up African in Australia, Black Inc. Books

I had no idea that having my piece selected for this collection was going to be so restorative. The story titled “Home” is a trek through some of the many homes I have lived in growing up in Australia (a little before, and beyond also). Growing up African in Australia was quite the experience, and this anthology speaks to the nuanced ways we all collectively survived. Cheers to that, and to us. 

“Compiled by award-winning author Maxine Beneba Clarke, with curatorial assistance from writers Ahmed Yussuf and Magan Magan, this anthology brings together voices from the regions of Africa and the African diaspora, including the Caribbean and the Americas. Told with passion, power and poise, these are the stories of African-diaspora Australians.”

Refuge Lansing

My friend and photographer, Jeremy Herliczek, gathered together a group of writers and photographers in the Lansing community to tell the stories of families who have resettled in mid-Michigan and now call it home. I was fortunate enough to share the story of Otis Ebulela.

“Refuge Lansing is a storytelling project celebrating decades of refugee resettlement in mid-Michigan. These are stories about families who have fled violence and persecution in their home countries and are now an integral part of the Lansing region - buying homes, starting businesses, sending their children to local schools, and adding to the diverse quilt that makes us such a unique, welcoming community.”