I don’t often use this blog to talk about personal news, but since this personal news is also professional news, I figured it was okay to share. I’m going to Ghana in March, 2025 because I won a residency from the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora (LOATAD). To say I am thrilled is an understatement.

What is the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora

The Library of Africa and the African Diaspora is an exquisite organization with a unique origin story.

From the website:

“The Library Of Africa and The African Diaspora (LOATAD) is a private library in Accra, Ghana, founded in 2017 under the name, Libreria Ghana, by Sylvia Arthur. Using 1,300 of her own books, which she’d accumulated over a period of about five years, the idea was to give local people access to contemporary, culturally-relevant literature not easily available in Ghana. The majority of the books in her collection were by writers of African descent.

Started in a one-room office, the library attracted significant national and international attention and quickly outgrew itself. In 2020, Libreria rebranded as the Library Of Africa and The African Diaspora and moved to a bigger space that includes a special collections/archive room, a screening room and extensive outdoor event space.”

Today LOATAD describes itself as “a private library with a public mission,” and that mission essentially is to bring wider attention to the contributions of African writers to the world. They want to redefine the so-called literary cannon, which is incredibly Eurocentric and white, and they want to uplift and celebrate the works of African authors. They have several initiatives to do this work, one of them is their residency program for writers of the African Diaspora. That’s where Lori enters this story.

The LOATAD Residency

LOATAD offers several different types of residency programs throughout the year, but the most exciting one is the month-long, funded residency open to writers of the African Diaspora. The idea behind this residency is to bring writers of African descent to Ghana where they can work on their individual writing projects, while at the same time, they have the opportunity to network and collaborate with other Black writers from all over the world. This mission is so close to my heart, I was so excited to learn I was selected as one of the Black Atlantic Residents for 2025, alongside nine other global scribes.

Five Reasons Why I’m Excited to Write in Ghana

There are many reasons why I am excited to participate in this residency. First and foremost, I am truly honored to have been chosen for this prestigious opportunity. But here are five specific reasons why this chance to write in Ghana really resonates for me.

Bucket List Destination. True confession. I have been dreaming about going to Ghana ever since I read Maya Angelou’s travel memoir, All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes more than 20 years ago. But in 2016, I discovered that much of my Test Tube DNA ancestry results showed a connection to Ghana, so my dream became a bucket list goal. So, not only am I excited to participate in this residency for my writing career, but also, because Ghana has been on my bucket list for a really long time. (BTW: I am apologizing in advance for the amount of fabric I intend to bring home in my suitcase.)

The Publishing Renaissance in Africa. Just two days ago, The New York Times ran a story entitled, “In African Publishing, ‘There is a Renaissance Going On.’ As the headline suggests, there is a lot of energy and excitement on the continent about all things literary. “A radical shift is underway, transforming the region’s literary landscape from within, and opening up possibilities unimaginable to previous generations of writers,” is how the article begins, and then goes on to spotlight new publishers, hot new authors, exciting multinational literary festivals, and cross-country initiatives meant to strengthen and grow Africa’s literary ecosystem. As a self-described global literary citizen, I am thrilled I get to experience some of the energy of this ‘Renaissance’ while in Ghana, working, writing, and learning from other African writers.

*Proof that Lori L. Tharps is a global literary citizen and book nerd. When she travels, she takes pictures of herself with books.*

The Library Lifestyle.While I am participating in this month-long residency, I will be working on a new novel. With all of the uninterrupted time I can dedicate to the manuscript, I really hope to come back home with a draft that’s ready to hand in to my agent. Suffice it to say, I am truly grateful that this residency will provide me with uninterrupted time to dedicate to my writing, as well as opportunities to workshop with other writers, but the real joy for me is that I get to live in the Library!

While I won’t be actually snuggling up in the stacks, the residents do stay in the same building where the Library is housed. So, I can wake up, write, and go to bed surrounded by this incredible collection of literature representing the African diaspora. This is truly a dream come true for me because I am a true library nerd.

Expanding my (Reading) Horizons. Even though I like to consider myself an equal-opportunity reader, a reader who is intentional about reading BIPOC authors, I admit my bookshelf contains mostly American authors. The second-largest author demographic represented on my shelves are Caribbean authors. So, winning this residency and knowing I will be in community with other African authors, I have been deliberately reading authors from the Continent. I just re-read Homegoing by Yaa Gyassi (which is kind of a cheat, I know) and I’m currently making my way through An African History of Africa by Zeinab Badwai. Since I only have a month and a half before departure, I’m probably going to focus on reading Ghanian authors for now, although I am always open to suggestions and literary whimsy that could lead me to authors of other African nationalities.

Idris Elba. This last reason makes me just sound petty and superficial, but I have to be honest. I heard Idris Elba is moving to Ghana because he wants to build a movie studio there. All I”m saying, is that while I’m in the country, if I happen to run into Mr. Elba, and he wants to talk books, or have me star in his latest film production, I wouldn’t be mad.

Follow Lori’s Journey to Ghana

If you want to follow my journey to write in Ghana at the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora, please feel free to follow me on Instagram (@LoriLTharps) and on my new YouTube channel (@LiteraryLori.) I’ll be chronicling the whole experience on these platforms. And if you have any advice to help me prepare for my trip, I’m all ears. Stay tuned!