Soma Nami Podcast

Soma Nami Books
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A Social and Cultural Commentary podcast of Soma Nami Books Join the Soma Nami duo Muthoni Muiruri and Wendy Njoroge as they bridge the intersection of books with culture, community, current events and everything in between from a Pan-African lens. Soma Nami Books is an indie bookstore located in Nairobi, Kenya. Soma Nami Books specialises in books by Africans, Africans in the diaspora and women. Follow Soma Nami Books on Instagram, Twitter and subscribe to the YouTube channel where this podcast is available in video format. To connect and share feedback, email info@somanami.co.ke

  1. 12/06/2023

    S2: E8 Soma Nami Podcast meets Something Bookish Podcast and creates magic

    Links Amyn aka The LipGloss Mafia Something Bookish Podcast Muthoni Wendy

    1h 10m

  2. 12/01/2023

    S2:E7 The King was Here…let’s Unpack this Visit

    On this episode, we discuss the significance of King Charles visit to Kenya and how neo-colonialism persists and thrives at the seeming aid of African leadership. Fret not though, while leadership is the weakest link in the decolonial dialogue, artists and authors continue to push back and write alternative narratives. We share some of our reading recommendations that we feels challenge and push back against colonial narratives. Books we mention: 1. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 2. It's a Continent by Chinny Ukata and Astrid Madimba 3. Africa is not a Country by Dipo Folarin 4. Uncommonwealth by Kojo Karam 5. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 6. Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi We'd love for you to add on to this growing list.

    1h 4m

  3. 11/29/2023

    S2:E6 We Love Bookclubs and We Cannot Lie!

    This week we dive into the magical and oft times messy world of bookclubs. We reminisce on how we met, spoiler alert- it was at a book club! Together and separately, we have been responsible for founding and running some of the most successful book clubs in Kenya and we share all the wisdom we have gathered over time; some best practice and anecdotes on how to start and keep going. We hope this guide empowers you to create a thriving book club that not only discusses great literature but also builds lasting connections among its members. If you have any questions or want to share your book club success stories, reach out to us on Instagram @somanamipodcast. Happy reading!

    1h 22m

  4. 10/24/2023

    S2E5: The Highs and Lows of Organizing the African Book Fair

    What happens when two kindred spirits, driving purely by passion and vision and not so much common sense come together? They dare to put together an African Book Fair and commit to bringing in 10000 books to the country in their first attempt! Madness! This is Muthoni and Wendy’s story of bringing to life the African Book Fair, held from 1-5 August 2023 at the McMillan Memorial Library. In this episode, they go back, tracing where the idea started, how it was birthed and grew legs and then wings, and took off! It was an interesting journey to say the least, with lots of highs and lows and in-betweens, but fuelled by the support of the community around them, they executed the largest fair of African Books that Kenya has ever seen! Strap in, it's going to be a great ride!

    56 min
  5. S2E4: Everything Good Will Come with Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ - Live Podcast Recording

    04/18/2023

    S2E4: Everything Good Will Come with Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ - Live Podcast Recording

    Since her debut Stay with Me came out in 2017 to critical acclaim, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ has gone on to become a household name. The story of Yejide and Akin is one that tagged at our heartstrings and for a lot of readers, it opened up wounds and conversations and reflections. We here at Soma Nami Podcast, as with the rest of the world, have been waiting with bated breath for a sophomore book to drop, so when we heard rumours that A Spell of Good Things was in the works, we knew we had to get Ms Ayọ̀bámi on the podcast.   A Spell of Good Things, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ second book was published on 7th Feb 2023 by Knopf (US) and 9th Feb 2023 by Canongate (UK), and he reception across the globe has been really positive. We wanted to have a conversation with Ayọ̀bámi to not only introduce this new book to readers but to also talk to us a little bit about her two journey as a writer, her views on the reception of ‘Stay with Me’ and hopes for ‘A Spell of Good Things’ and  and her writing process. Ayobami candidly talks to us about all this, including the number of rejections she faced with her debut novel.  We also tease out some of the themes her two books carry - all spoiler free, we promise.   We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you.   P.S  This episode was recorded through a virtual live recording with an audience who had the chance to have their questions answered in real time.

    1h 28m

  6. 03/15/2023

    S2E3: Resisting the Bookstagram Hypnosis and Evolving as a Reader

    When we sat down to reflect on how our reading habits have changed or evolved over the years we quickly realised that this could not be a one-dimensional conversation.  As a starting point, we sought to answer the question, 'Why do we read?' And with so many things influencing why and how we read, we had to go back to the beginning to unpack. We take a journey back in time and reminisce on our reading evolution from reading age inappropriate books as pre-adolescents to reckoning with the influence of social media on our reading choices. We pose the question to the listener, what has been your reading evolution story?  On this episode; - We reflect on our early influences on reading and the kind of books we read growing up - We talk about coming into our consciousness and being deliberate with our reading choices  - We talk about how Bookstagram algorithm has affected our reading choices and debate whether this is a good or bad thing; and - Finally, we talk about our intentions moving forward.  Join us as we take several tangents, all worthy of your time, with this conversation  P.S Remember to subscribe to the podcast so you can get notified when new episodes go live. It is also a great way to support the work that we do here. You can get in touch with us through our socials or email info@somanami.co.ke

    1h 18m

  7. 02/23/2023

    S2E2: Books and Laughs: Our 10 Notable Books of 2022 and Why They Made Us Sooo Happy!!

    On this winded book recommendations episode, we touch on five books we’ve each read and liked in 2022, why the books resonated with us and why you should consider adding them to your reading list.  Wendy’s List She Would be King- Wayetu Moore When we were Birds- Ayanna Banwo Lloyd Things they Lost- Okwiri Oduor Beloved- Toni Morrison Finding Me- Viola Davis Muthoni’s List Their Eyes were Watching God- Zora Neale Hurston These Ghosts are Family- Maisy Card Against the Loveless World- Susan Abulhawa Tomorrow I Become a Woman- Aiwanose Odafen Pleasantview- Celeste Mohammed Books mentioned in passing; The Secret Lives of Church Ladies- Deesha Philyaw A Brief History of Seven Killings- Marlon James For what are butterflies without their wings- Troy Onyango Sula - Toni Morrison Born a Crime - Trevor Noah Mornings in Jenin - Susan Abulhawa A Spell of Good Things - Ayobami Adebayo The article by Nanjala Nyabola referenced in this episode can be found here  Follow The Soma Nami Podcast on Instagram and the hosts of the podcast; Wendy and Muthoni or write to info@somanami.co.ke P.S Please pardon some aspects of the sound where it's not crisp and/or some background noise can be detected. The conversation is however so good, you won't notice :-)

    1h 34m

  8. 02/15/2023

    S2E1: Literary Festivals: Are They Worth Your Time, Money and Travel?

    We missed you and are so glad to be back for another season on the podcast! When we closed for season one, we set out to find out all we can about Literary Festivals on the continent, are they worth your time, money and travel? How is curation done? What would we do different if we curated our own festival? Would we recommend that you save up for the next LitFest in your locality? In the last few months we attended 2 Literary Festivals – The Macondo Festival in Nairobi, Kenya and the Ake Arts and Books Festival in Lagos, Nigeria and boy, do we have stories for you! On this first episode of the season, we unpack Literary Festivals on the continent as talk about our individual experiences at both Macondo and Ake. How did we get to attend the festivals? What were our best and worst experiences? How were the authors we met? Who are the audiences of literary festivals? We also speak to two amazing guests and they share their own experiences at literature festivals. Are Literary Festivals really worth your time and money? Listen in to find out. If you have attended a LitFest or are planning to attend one in the near future, let us know all about it! Let's keep the conversation going on our social media platforms.

    1h 25m
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About

A Social and Cultural Commentary podcast of Soma Nami Books Join the Soma Nami duo Muthoni Muiruri and Wendy Njoroge as they bridge the intersection of books with culture, community, current events and everything in between from a Pan-African lens. Soma Nami Books is an indie bookstore located in Nairobi, Kenya. Soma Nami Books specialises in books by Africans, Africans in the diaspora and women. Follow Soma Nami Books on Instagram, Twitter and subscribe to the YouTube channel where this podcast is available in video format. To connect and share feedback, email info@somanami.co.ke

Information

  • Creator
    Soma Nami Books
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2023
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Soma Nami Books
  • Show Website
    Soma Nami Podcast