What is your book all about?

Sierra Leone in The Diaspora is a lively collection of poems about my home land Sierra Leone, a West African country. It addresses issues such as girls’ human rights, political corruption and being a black immigrant in Britain.

What inspired you to write the book?

I was inspired by my motivation to call attention to certain issues in Sierra Leone that I feel are negatively impacting on the lives of our females back home. Sierra Leonean women are subjected to misogynistic and patriarchal norms of how females should behave and conduct their lives. My book aims to c challenge these notions.

What is your target audience for the book?

Though I have an English Literature background and write for English language students, anyone can pick up a copy of Sierra Leone in The Diaspora and read and enjoy the poems.

What do you hope readers could get out from your book? I hope readers who visit Authors Lounge and buy my book on Amazon will appreciate Sierra Leonean literature as I utilise imagery from our beautiful landscape metaphorically to enhance the message in my poems. My themes are rooted in quintessentially African issues such as child marriages and poverty.

What are your future goals/plans for the book?

I hope it will be used in Sierra Leonean schools as part of the English Literature curriculum to help students learn English; you can access a link to the book here:

Sierra Leone in The Diaspora: Revised Edition: Amazon.co.uk: James, Bee: 9798407691044: Books

And something more about yourself.

I’m a British poet who was born in Sierra Leone. I’m a mum and a keen distance runner who’s competed in over 32 races. I was also a Special police constable.

l would like to thank Authors Lounge for this feature.