Nigerian novelist and author of Daughters Who Walk This Path, Yejide Kilanko, wants to write more children’s books in the future: ‘I have had the privilege of publishing two children’s picture books. I want to write more children’s books that feature diverse characters. Every child should be able to see themselves represented in accessible books.’
First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
I read widely while growing up. My picks ranged from my father’s books which includes an expansive list of authors such as Wole Soyinka, Lobsang Rampa, Chinua Achebe, Alex Haley, and James Herriot. I also read Archie and Asterix comics. And I loved the African Writers Series and the Pacesetters Series. I still do. In my early teens, I also read many Mills & Boon novels. Romance is good for the soul. The truth is I read pretty much anything I could lay my hands on. Even books that were cut in half. Making up the beginnings or endings was much fun.
If your life so far was a series of texts, which text (fiction or non-fiction) represents you at this moment?
Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone Alphabet series is fitting as I feel like I am usually playing detective while navigating different aspects of my life. The series ends with Y Is for Yesterday. Y is also for Yejide. She always has a story to tell...
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