“Storytelling is everything: it’s how we make sense of the world, it’s how we escape, and it's how we imagine better futures for ourselves and for our children.” - Shani Akilah
To celebrate Black History Month, the Royal Borough of Greenwich met with Shani Akilah, an award-winning Black British Caribbean author who grew up in Woolwich.
Shani was inspired to start writing again after meeting Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo, who also spent her childhood in Woolwich, at Woolwich Common Community Centre Library in 2019. Shani’s debut book, For Such a Time as This, won Best Short Story Collection at the 2024 Cosmopolitan Book Awards. Bernardine described Shani as ‘a glittering new voice in the literary firmament’.
Shani’s work is firmly rooted in local community. She is passionate about mentoring young people, giving back, and inspiring the next generation of creative writers. She is a tutor at the Creative Writing course run in partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the Greenwich Cooperative Development Agency (GCDA).
In recognition of her contributions to literature and community, the Shani Akilah Library opened in October 2024 in Woolwich Front Room. Shani will be donating paperback copies of For Such a Time as This to Woolwich Library.
Shani is the co-founder the Nyah Network book club and The Orange Room Collective, an open mic evening that spotlights and celebrates Black creatives from London, with a special emphasis on artists from Woolwich.
Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich said: “We want to thank Shani for all she has done to champion creativity in Royal Greenwich. I urge everyone to read For Such a Time as This. The stories speak out to the experiences of Black British Londoners as they navigate their way through life – the ups and the downs – to find the strength and optimism in community. It is also fantastic to see Woolwich mentioned so many times in print.”
Councillor Jackie Smith, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy, Business, Skills and Greenwich Supports said: “We are very lucky to have Shani as tutor as part of Greenwich Learns. We hope her story and work inspires other budding authors to start their creative writing journey and encourage them to look at the courses that are currently available.”
Mel Taylor, Head of Learning and Deputy CEO at GCDA said: “It is such a delight to have Shani work with us at GCDA as an adult learning tutor. She is a talented and gifted writer, with so many ideas and real inspiration. It was a pleasure to work with her to develop her tutoring skills and it’s a real benefit to GCDA to have someone like Shani work with us. Her enthusiasm and passion for writing shines through to inspire a whole new set of people to become writers!”
Shani holds a Master’s degree in African Studies from the University of Oxford and, prior to becoming a full-time writer, held several managerial roles in the UK Civil Service.
The interview took place at local, independent café Boulangerie Jade, a place where Shani has often gone to write.
If you are inspired by Shani’s story, you can find out more about the adult learning courses available at Greenwich Learns, which is supported by the Mayor of London.
How would you describe For Such a Time as This?
I always describe it as an interconnected short story collection set largely in South London - in Woolwich specifically (but also includes stories set in Jamaica and Ghana) - that explores Black love, friendship and community during the pandemic years. It very much is an exploration of lots of life challenges, hardships but the beauty in community, joy and experiences of life as well.
What was it like having Bernardine Evaristo as a mentor?
I've always loved writing, but my younger sister Rasheeda interviewed Bernardine at Woolwich Community Centre Library. It was a Q&A exploring her book Girl, Woman, Other. I went up to her afterwards and I said, ‘I'd love to develop my craft. What would you recommend?’
She spoke about the importance of doing courses and mentioned that she was running a masterclass for 16-to-25-year-olds at the Tramshed, so I signed up. I remember that very first session I was like, this is the thing that I want to do right. This is the thing that makes sense.
Having Bernardine as a source of guidance over the past six years has been truly incredible. She has read some of my work and has given me feedback. She gave me the most amazing quote as well, which went on the front cover of my book! We often meet up and it's just been amazing to see her journey as a writer and all the amazing things that have come along with that as well.
Woolwich is the backdrop for many stories in the book, with mentions that will be familiar to local readers. What does Woolwich mean to you?
Woolwich means so much to me. It’s the area that I grew up in. I went to Plumstead Manor and Plumcroft School, which now has a campus in Woolwich on Vincent Road. I went to church in the area and the nursery run by SIMBA in the nineties. In my adult life, it's been important for my creative process. It was in Woolwich Community Centre Library that I went to the session with Bernardine. That was the moment that I discovered writing was a thing that I wanted to do full-time and have a published book.
It's also the place where I've done a lot of editing, so I've spent a lot of time at Woolwich Works and Boulangerie Jade. Woolwich is an important part of my life and my creative practice. In terms of community, a lot of my friends are from the area. We would hang out in Woolwich after school and now there's the Shani Akilah Library on Powis Street in Woolwich Front Room, which is amazing!
I've also taught a number of creative writing classes with GCDA at the Woolwich Front Room. It’s been an important part of my journey and as a writer, I really wanted to showcase this side of south London that often isn’t mentioned in contemporary fiction.
The GCDA creative writing class has inspired one student to write her aunt's biography: from her aunt’s childhood in Jamaica to her experiences moving to the UK in the 1960s to present day. How important is storytelling within diaspora communities?
Storytelling is massively important. Stories are a powerful way to memorialise our experiences, particularly the past. For Black and Brown communities, it is the way to share our history, our struggle but also for the next generation to learn from what they've been through. I have always been really interested in the stories of my grandparents. They're part of the Windrush generation from Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana. I've learned so much from them. Storytelling is not just the written word; it's also oral story tradition. Those experiences and stories have informed a lot of my writing. Storytelling is everything: it’s how we make sense of the world, it’s how we escape, and it's how we imagine better futures for ourselves and for our children.
You dedicated your book to your grandparents. What is your favourite family story or memory?
I have a lot of memories. My grandad passed away a few years ago and I have a story in my collection inspired by my last time I was with him in Jamaica. One of the things my grandad used to do was drink aloe vera. He would slice it and put the gel into a blender with Guinness, raw eggs and oranges. It tasted so disgusting! I've got memories of me having a sip and just wanting to be sick! Now I'm really trying to get into health and wellbeing, and I started buying aloe vera. The other day I was slicing it and remembered that moment.
I also have just memories of being an adult in Jamaica and telling my grandad that I'm vegan now and I don't eat meat, and he would say not even mutton! I was like, no Grandad, not even mutton.
Jamaica for me has always been a space of creativity. When I was doing my English GCSE, I had to write a piece of coursework, and I had writer's block for ages. I then went to Jamaica, and I had an idea for a story. I'm really grateful to my grandad for his decision to come to the UK but to then return to Jamaica. Him doing that has ensured I’ve had a connection with the island, which I continue to this day, even though he's now no longer with us.
The library in Woolwich Front Room is named after you and features books donated from your personal collection. What is your recommended read?
That’s a great question. I love Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. I even mentioned it in my book - it's probably my favourite book of all time. I love The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, Open Water and Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson and Small Island by Andrea Levy. There's so many but those are often books I return to that encourage me to be a better writer.
What is The Orange Room Collective?
The Orange Room Collective celebrates creativity, music and bringing people together. It's the open mic night and flagship community event run by myself, my sister Rasheeda and my cousin Mya. It’s essentially an extension of the Orange Room, the front room in our family home. Growing up, it has always been a space of creativity, music, food and fellowship. We really wanted to extend that to the local community, so we often do events at Woolwich Works, the Tramshed and Woolwich Front Room.
What’s next on the horizon?
I'm currently working on my next book, which is a novel. It's very big in terms of the word count but also in terms of geography. It's a creative challenge for me, but I'm really excited about it.
I've been doing a lot of speaking engagements, using my book as a tool for exploring themes including diversity and inclusion in the workplace. I'm just trying to look after myself, enjoy life and every day be intentional about finding moments of joy. Every week now it seems, I’m reminded of the fragility of life, so I’m spending time with those I love because you never know when your time is up.