Welcome to The Author As A Reader where your favourite authors reveal the books that shaped them. In this series, we dive into their reading lives, from the stories that bring them comfort to the books they can’t stop recommending. They’ll share the novels they’d love to see on screen, the covers they can’t resist, and even the book that made them believe in the power of words. It’s a cozy, behind-the-scenes look at the books that have left a mark and who knows, you might just find your next memorable read.
Ama! Ama Asantewa Diaka AKA Poetra Asantewa is a Ghanaian poet, visual storyteller, spoken-word artist, and entrepreneur. After years of rejections, she released her debut full-length collection, Woman, Eat Me Whole, with Ecco Books (HarperCollins), a meditation on body identity, trauma, and womanhood that draws from her experiences in both Ghana and the U.S. In 2024, she followed this with, Someone Birthed Them Broken (a 2025 book club pick), a vivid collection of interconnected short stories capturing the hopes, heartbreaks, and resilience of the Ghanaian youth.
But her creative grind doesn’t stop on the page. Ama founded Black Girls Glow, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting young Ghanaian women in poetry and music, and Tampered Press, a publishing platform amplifying African voices, plus Yobbings, a culture-inspired design. Her roots in spoken-word performance, community empowerment, visual design, and publishing give her a truly multifaceted voice.
The Author As A Reader | Ama Asantewa Diaka
My earliest reading memory: I can’t recall the absolute first but the earliest book I loved so much I reread it endlessly and even slept with it was Peter Rabbit. The evidence of this is the battered box set sitting in my parents living room.
A book I’d like to see adapted to the screen is: I’ll be shamelessly biased and say my own, Someone Birthed Them Broken. I can already see it as a 13-part Netflix special. But I’d also choose Kintu, a novel that redefined layered storytelling for me. I can imagine it doing even more magic on screen.
A book that reminded me why I wanted to be a writer in the first place: Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend
The most recent book I’ve seen with the most gorgeous cover: I decide what to read next when I finish a book by: how deeply or nuanced a book made me feel about a familiar thing. I look for the next one that can stir me in the same way or completely upend that feeling.If my book had a soundtrack, the first song would be… Dangerous by Daddy Lumba
The last book I purchased: How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
A book that made me recognize the power of words: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
An author I discovered late who made me wish I’d found them sooner: Ken Liu
A book with the best opening line: “You, Yunior, have a girlfriend named Alma, who has a long tender horse neck and a big Dominican ass that seems to exist in a fourth dimension beyond jeans” from Alma in This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
The book I’m most ashamed not to have read: Namwali Serpell’s The Old Drift. I love her writing so it’s mildly embarrassing I haven’t read this yet.
A book I picked up specifically to challenge myself as a reader: A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa
If I could recommend one book to my younger self, it would be: Not one specific book, but I read mostly non-African authors growing up. I wish my younger self had discovered African writers much, much earlier.
Something Bookish Curators are always on the lookout for the next great read to add to your #TBR. Whether it’s a backlist gem, a breakout debut, the book everyone will be talking about next, or a beloved classic, we’ve got recommendations you won’t want to miss. Join the conversation and read along with us on social!
