“The feeling I do belong in the British countryside took years to arrive, and when it did, it changed my perception of who I am and what spaces I am supposed to inhabit.”
A writer and poet of Ghanaian and English heritage who lives in south-west England
My white English grandparents
It’s not the done thing – a white middle- class woman marrying a black man – her parents are opposed to the marriage.
What the natural environment means to me
My brown face didn’t look right against a rural backdrop, but I was never happier than when walking along a beach, over shingle or pebbles or sand, or staring at the blue-glass glitter of the sea.
Why I write
From Enid Blyton to angry, damaged adolescent, I didn’t feel I had a voice for the struggle to feel at home in my skin.
Louisa Adjoa Parker in conversation with Gabriel Gbadamosi
On being a mixed-race writer in the rural south-west of England, experiencing poverty, domestic violence, racism, and finding her voice.
Biography
Louisa Adjoa Parker is a writer and poet of Ghanaian and English heritage who lives in south-west England. Her debut short story collection Stay with me was recently published by Colenso Books, and her third poetry collection How to wear a skin was published by Indigo Dreams in 2019. Her other poetry collections, Salt-sweat and Tears and Blinking in the Light, were published by Cinnamon Press, and her fourth, a pamphlet entitled, She can still sing, is to be published by Flipped Eye in June 2021. She is currently working on a coastal memoir which will be published in 2022 by Little Toller Books.
Louisa’s work has appeared in a wide range of journals and anthologies including Envoi, Wasafiri, Acumen, Under the Radar, Out of Bounds (Bloodaxe), Ink, Sweat and Tears, Filigree and Closure (Peepal Tree Press) and New Daughters of Africa (Myriad).
Louisa has written books and curated exhibitions exploring ethnically diverse history in south-west England, and articles for publications including The Huffington Post, Gal-dem and Black Ballad. She is a sought-after speaker on issues including rural racism, black history, and mental health. As well as writing, she also works as an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion consultant.
