by Michelle Kim Hall

Today I’m speaking with Ayesha Harruna Attah, a novelist, ice cream shop owner, and survivor of a wild birth story. I’m enamored by Ayesha’s spirit. Although Ayesha endured intense medical trauma during childbirth, she approached her experience with curiosity. Postpartum also coincided with a major career milestone: Ayesha sold her third novel when she was hospitalized before giving birth.

In our conversation Ayesha shared how her personal experience helped her better understand one of her character’s during the revision process. Ayesha’s novel The Hundred Wells of Salaga is about female friendships, the power of womanhood, and her own family’s story. That book also gave birth to another story: The Deep Blue Between, which reads as a standalone novel about twin sisters torn apart during a slave raid at a time when slavery was being abolished in West Africa. We’re thrilled to partner with Lerner Publishing Group to give away FIVE COPIES of The Deep Blue Between. All subscribers to The Slice are eligible! Receive additional entires for liking and commenting on the episode in the Substack app. Giveaway closes on June 30, 2023, 11:59pm pacific standard time.

Can’t wait for the giveaway? Get Ayesha’s books on our Bookshop.org page. Buying books through our page supports The Slice at no additional cost to you.

Ayesha is a Ghanian-born writer. She lives in Senegal where she runs the ice cream shop, Popenglace. You can read more about Ayesha’s work at her website.

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