Wandering Imaginations
New writing inspired by the Brontës’ imaginary worlds.
The Brontës’ childhood stories provide the launchpad for four new fantasy and science-fiction stories created for Bradford 2025.
As children in Haworth, the Brontë siblings dreamed up a series of imaginary worlds – including Angria, a fantastical kingdom that maps on to the coast of West Africa. Now, nearly 200 years later, we’ve invited four emerging writers – two from Bradford, two from Ghana – to use these imaginary worlds as inspiration for four new fantasy and science–fiction stories, and you can discover them in September as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
Wandering Imaginations collects these four new stories, written following residencies at Pa Gya! A Literary Festival in Accra and the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth. You can listen to them at a new exhibition at Brontë Parsonage Museum, which also features animations and illustrations inspired by the stories; meet the writers at a special launch event, taking place as part of the annual Brontë Women’s Writing Festival in September 2025; and download the stories for free from 24 September.
Meet the writers
Akorfa Dawson is a Ghanaian short-fiction writer whose work explores friendship, childhood, nostalgia and love. Blending sci-fi with Ghanaian narratives and Afro-feminism, her work preserves everyday moments while offering readers connection and escapism.
Kristina Diprose grew up on the Brontës’ favourite stretch of Yorkshire coast and now lives in Saltaire. Her shape-shifting writing explores ecological and mythological themes, and our entanglement with the more-than-human world.
CM Govender is a Bradford-based British–South African writer whose work explores faith, identity and belonging, with a focus on fantasy fiction. She has worked with Manchester International Festival, Bradford Literature Festival and Yorkshire Festival of Story.
Peggy Kere Osman, who also writes under the pen name Selah, is a poet and author from northern Ghana whose work explores the complexities of human relationships and emotions, drawing from deep observations of the world around us.
Supported by The British Council.
Lead image: © Andrew Benge
