Louisa Adjoa Parker is a British writer and poet of English and Ghanaian heritage who lives in south west England. Her first poetry collection, Salt-sweat and Tears and pamphlet were published by Cinnamon Press. Her third collection, How to wear a skin, which is an exploration of identity set in the south west, was published by Indigo Dreams in 2019. She began writing to talk about the racism and domestic violence she experienced as a child, and she is passionate about telling the stories of marginalised voices and making literature accessible to everyone.
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). She has been highly commended by the Forward Prize; twice shortlisted by the Bridport Prize; and commended by the National Poetry Competition 2019 for her grief poem, Kindness.
Louisa has delivered many creative writing workshops and talks in schools, prisons, universities, colleges, and community settings. She has taught for the Arvon Foundation, and she has held several writing residencies.
Louisa has written several books and exhibitions exploring BAME history in the south west, including Dorset’s Hidden Histories, and 1944 We Were Here: African American GIs in Dorset. She has also written articles and essays for Gal-dem; Black Ballad; Media Diversified; Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine; and The Clearing, amongst others. She has work forthcoming in the Royal Literary Fund online. She has recently begun writing and speaking about her mental health struggles, and how this was impacted by belonging to intersecting marginalised groups. In 2019 she delivered mental health and writing workshops at Tate Britain and Tate Modern.
Her first short story collection, Stay with me will be published later this year with Colenso Books; and she is writing a coastal memoir which will published by Little Toller Books in 2020/21.
To find out more about her work visit: www.louisaadjoaparker.com
Follow her on Twitter: @LouisaAdjoa