📝  Why did you apply for the Wandering Imaginations opportunity?

I studied ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Brontë for my A-levels! That’s the first thing that drew me to apply for the opportunity when I saw it. I thought it’d be a nice platform for me to come out or debut into the writing world, to have my first published work to be turned into an animation or audio book. 

📝  What did you get up to during the residency in Accra, Ghana?

We visited the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and the Ghana National Museum. We also had some workshops with some already established writers like Ivana Akotowaa Ofori, the author of ‘The Year of Return,’ and Mamle Wolo, the author of ‘Flying Through Water‘. We had a very profound workshop with the Professor Eli Sutherland and she took us through Ghanaian and African folklore and mythology. She introduced us to how it came about, some of the stories, some of the folklores that are circulating around that could probably inspire us for the stories we’re writing. We had some 1-on-1 time with our mentors to help map out the kind of story we would like to write, and free time to write and brainstorm.

📝   You also visited Bradford for the first time. How did you find it? 

It was my first international flight experience so that was really memorable for me – and I think Haworth is a very quaint neighbourhood. It was really quaint. I like the shops by the roadside, the cobblestones […] even though it was cold, I really loved it. We walked on the moors and then we had a tour of the church where [the Brontës] were buried and the school that Charlotte taught in. The people were really welcoming! They always asked questions when we were walking and would stop and ask where we were from and just have a little chat with us. I really liked how tight-knit the community was there. 

📝  Can you share any memorable moments from the residencies?

There were so many artefacts that I saw and stories that I heard about Kwame Nkrumah that was really new to me and I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to visit those places. For Bradford, the most memorable for me would be the tour around the Brontë Parsonage Museum. Seeing the dining table that they wrote most of their stories on, the couch that Emily died on, Bramwell’s room – they set it up as if he was still there…

We had a chance to go out and pick stones and pebbles and make some abstract artwork. It was very engaging. To get inspiration by doing practical artwork, I think has made me grow as a writer.  

📝  How did you find the writing process?   

If it’s a poem, I can write it, done and dusted but I never finish a story, so I was initially scared: ‘Will I finish this?’

But they said to be able to keep track of your writing process it’s good to have a writing buddy and a set schedule during the week. Thankfully, we are four writers – two from Ghana and two from Bradford – so we always keep in contact with each other and check up on each other. That has helped us progress in our writing and scheduling and stay on the deadline.

Between the mentors and us writers always having back and forth, it has helped me stay on track and, thankfully, I’m done with my story! It was daunting at first but, just with the community they provide it has been easy to finish on time.  

📝  What stands out to you about the Wandering Imaginations project?

Most of the time, the opportunity to be mentored and given a platform to come out as a female writer with your original work is a bit scarce. I believe its such an empowering opportunity – to have your first published work already have an exhibition and turned into an animation and audio is a solid start to a writing career. 

is a Bradford-based, British-South African writer whose work explores faith, identity and belonging with a focus on fantasy fiction. She has also worked with Manchester International Festival, Bradford Literature Festival, and Yorkshire Festival of Story.

📝  Why did you apply for the Wandering Imaginations opportunity?

The biggest hook for me was the link to Ghana. The opportunity to connect with other writers whose practice and interest was the continent that gave me life. My housemate saw the call out and sent it to me, and was like, ‘Have you seen this?’ and I was like, ‘Oh, no, the deadlines are like, two days, crap…’. I never in a million years thought I would get it. To be paid to write is extraordinary. That’s not an opportunity I’ve ever had in my life. I loved the Bradford connection as well, because I moved here several years ago and Bradford is my home. I cannot imagine living anywhere else.

📝  Did you know much about the Brontës going into this project?

When I used to work for Bradford Literature Festival, I was part of creating the Brontë strand of work that they always put out. I knew quite a lot about them but I actually didn’t know a lot about their juvenilia. I don’t know if you’ve been to the Brontë Parsonage but they have these tiny, little books that were beautiful.

At the front of them there was a title page that had Charlotte Brontës’ name on it… she was 12 years old or something when she created these books, she absolutely believed and backed herself that she would get published… in a world where women couldn’t even publish under their names […] that’s really inspiring.

📝  Tell us about your time in residency. What was it like in Accra, Ghana?

Going to any country in Africa, it’s like every single sense in your body — whether it’s the temperature, the smell, the colours, what you’re hearing, what you’re tasting, even just the way you feel in your skin — is amplified 10,000 times. I remember we walked out of the airport — and the airport was really cool and beautiful — and we were like, ‘Oh great, this is fine, we can hack this!’ and then we walked into what felt like the thickest sauna of hot air, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m South African, and this is really hot!’ but it was amazing.

We had the most incredible opportunities with the Writers Project of Ghana team, who were so generous with their time and the stories they shared about Ghana. Everyone had really interesting stories about spiritual and supernatural experiences that are so much a part of Ghanaian culture and very different from anything I’ve known. I’d learn the most in our incidental conversations, often over breakfast or dinner, or when we were travelling somewhere. It felt like such a gift. The Woman of Fire wouldn’t be what it is without that time together.

We saw the university campus, which was beautiful. We drove a lot around the city centre… we went to the beach. We went to the Freedom monument that they have. We went to an Accra museum, which is so interesting because there are so many differences between Akan people versus other tribes. We learned a lot about Ghanaian culture there. I’m a big foodie, so, just trying loads of different food. Harry tried African land snail. Loved it!

📝  How was your residency experience in Bradford?

The Bradford residency was incredible because I just got to see my city through the eyes of a tourist and I got to rediscover it again. It was like a playground. We did so many things that I’ve wanted to do for ages and just haven’t got around to because I’ve been working.

We saw the incredible Aida Muluneh exhibition and got to explore the moors, which was also beautiful. We did this incredible session with Herfa Thompson where we just played with clay, and we painted things, and we made weird collages and it was just space to be creative. It was Pancake Tuesday when they were here and that was the best fun! We made so many pancakes and we had so many toppings. It was like a pancake banquet.

📝  How does it feel to be part of a project like Wandering Imaginations?

It has been transformational. As a Northern writer and a woman of colour, these opportunities don’t come around every day. The publishing sector is so centred in London; programmes like this are rare, and really competitive. Wandering Imaginations has completely changed my writing practice and supercharged my determination to be published. I’ve learned so much.

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. 

📝   Why did you want to take part in the Wandering Imaginations project? 

As a writer, the idea of having my story brought to life through sound and illustration is thrilling. Wandering Imaginations is a fusion of creativity, cultural preservation, and artistic exchange. And that’s exactly the kind of work I want to be doing. 

📝   What sparked your interest for fantasy and sci-fi writing?

In 2020, I participated virtually in a University of Iowa’s International Writing Programme “Crafting the Future: Writing and Workshopping in Speculative Forms” with Nisi Shawl. It opened up a whole new layer of fiction for me, where the writer is free to build worlds that stretch beyond current realities. Later, during a fellowship focused on storytelling for children and climate change, I used sci-fi elements in my work and discovered how freeing it was. Speculative fiction lets me ask “what if?” and explore those answers without limitation. 

📝   Have you worked across audio and animation before? What was that like?

While in university, I was part of a creative collective that produced an audio drama exploring themes of love, betrayal and filial relationships. It was a powerful medium which sparked my interest in exploring storytelling beyond the written page. I enjoyed lending my voice to the characters to bring them alive. 

📝   Can you share with us your highlights from the residencies?

During the Bradford residency, we participated in workshops purposefully designed to stir up our creativity, visited the Brontë Parsonage Museum, where I picked up a collection of the sisters’ works, and captured lots of memories in photos. It was both a sombre and pinch-me moment walking through where the great Brontë sisters walked. 

Claire hosted a beautiful pancake evening that turned into a heartfelt bonding moment. Travelling with Peggy and Mamle was such a delightful experience. My first morning in Haworth, I got a Brontë welcome with a stunning sunrise.

In Ghana, we visited the National Museum, which was a first for me. I was moved when I saw my late uncle’s name listed on a board recognising contributors to Ghanaian visual arts. It was such an unexpected moment. One highlight was our session with Professor Esi Sutherland, who spoke about African mythical creatures. It highlighted for me how folklore can be woven into contemporary storytelling. That conversation left me brimming with ideas for my story. 

📝   Did you pick up any new insights through this exchange?

Personally, it reaffirmed the power of shared creative space and forging meaningful connections. Professionally, I have developed a deeper appreciation of cross-cultural collaboration within the creative sector. Having the opportunity to work with a dedicated mentor to refine my story has been a great learning opportunity, and I’ve picked up some elements of storytelling I need to polish up. 

📝   What makes the Wandering Imaginations project special to you?

This project is rare in how it connects worlds, literally, with writers from Ghana and the UK coming together to imagine, co-create, and share stories that blend our realities and our dreams. Most people know the Brontë sisters for their iconic novels, but this project also shines a light on their juvenilia, where their early imaginations wandered widely. Many years ago, when the Brontë sisters were building Glass Town, Angria and Gondal, they may not have thought that in some years to come, the geographical placement of their imaginary towns would land at the coast of West Africa, establishing a connection between writers from Ghana and Bradford to participate in the historic Bradford 2025 City of Culture through the Wandering Imaginations project. This project is important in how it celebrates where we come from and also where our imaginations can take us,

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. 

📝   What drew you to apply for the Wandering Imaginations project?

Fantasy was my first love as a reader — I don’t think I’d be a writer without it. I remember being obsessed with The Roundabout Horse by Rosemary Sutcliff as a preschooler; I practically had it on permanent loan from Bridlington library.

I’d read the Brontë novels but hadn’t realised how much fantasy was in their juvenilia. That angle really intrigued me — these whole imaginary worlds they built as children. On top of that, the chance to connect with Ghanaian writers and explore the surprising geographical links in the Brontës’ writing felt so exciting. Writing can be solitary, so I’m always seeking opportunities to be in conversation with other writers and to build community.

📝   What do you make of the Brontës’ Tales of Angria?

I’m the Brontë fangirl of the group, but I wasn’t familiar with the Angria and Gondal stories before this project. I was really struck by the young Brontës’ curiosity about the world beyond Haworth and the breadth of influences — they named their characters after military heroes and Arctic explorers, and they reference everything from Shakespeare and Bible verses to Byron and Greek mythology. And of course there’s the setting, which they took from magazine articles about British expeditions in West Africa. It’s an extraordinary work of imagination and world-building, and a whole different side to them!

I’m also fascinated by the fact that we don’t have the full texts of Emily and Anne’s Gondal writing — just fragments and tantalising glimpses through the character perspectives in their surviving poems.

📝   How was your experience travelling to Ghana?

We stayed in Aburi, up in the mountains outside Accra. It was a beautiful, peaceful place to exchange ideas and stories. At night you could look down over the valley and see this huge constellation of city lights. I was struck by how alive the environment felt. On the first evening, I recorded the night chatter — insects, birds, monkeys — and the next day, I shared my morning swim with a diving swallow. Incredible! She became the chief character in my story.

Accra itself was beyond my imagination — busy markets, intense traffic, thick heat, a very different vibe from Aburi! A little overwhelming for a small-town girl. But a fascinating place. Our producer Harry and I became obsessed with the bumper sticker sayings that are everywhere when you’re waiting in traffic, that are kind of philosophies in miniature. I’m excited to spend more time there when we go back for Pa Gya! Festival, and to eat kelewele again.

📝   Can you share a highlight from your residency?

One evening, three Ghanaian writers — Kofi Dzogbewu, Ivana Akotowaa Ofori, and Jacob Osae — joined us for dinner. They read from their novels and we talked about the influences in their work, which were all so different. Jacob is a science teacher, so his writing was very sci-fi, while Kofi explained how he was inspired by the vampiric folklore of the Ewe people. And I found Akotowaa’s ghost story The Year of Return, which explores the present-day hauntings and ramifications of the transatlantic slave trade, incredibly moving. It was good to connect across genres and cultures like that.

📝   How has the project supported you as a writer?

For a long time, I carried a lot of imposter syndrome because I didn’t study English beyond GCSE. I thought writing would always just be a hobby. But at some point, you realise that if something is your passion, you owe it to yourself to take it seriously.

This project has been a brilliant opportunity to learn from published writers about their craft, and to work with a mentor — shout out to Temi Oh — to push my storytelling out of its comfort zone. If you’d told me at the beginning of this process that I would write a 6,000 word story — I normally write flash fiction, which is teeny tiny, and poetry — I wouldn’t have thought I had it in me. But I did, and I’m super proud of it. I hope it’s just the beginning — for me and for everyone involved.