Novel Writers

Ayobami Adebayo, Stay with Me

Spike Island, Bristol

Friday 9 June, 6.30-8pm

On Friday 9 June at 6.30pm, Ayobami Adebayo will be reading from and in conversation about her debut novel Stay with Me as part of Spike Island’s Novel Writers series.

Shortlisted for the 2017 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, Stay with Me by Lagos born Ayobami Adebayo is a devastating story of the fragility of married love, the undoing of family, the wretchedness of grief, and the all-consuming bonds of motherhood. Unravelling against the social and political turbulence of 1980s Nigeria, Stay With Me sings with the voices, colours, joys and fears of its surroundings.

‘A thoroughly contemporary style that is all her own … clever and funny … despite the intense sadness of her subject matter, she has produced a bright, big-hearted demonstration of female spirit, as well as the damage done by the boundlessness of male pride.’ – Diana Evans, The Guardian

Novel Writers

Each month we invite a debut novelist to read from and talk about their work in an informal setting. Prior knowledge of the text is not essential. Topics of discussion include theme, structure, inspiration and the craft of writing. These sessions are a great way to discover new writing talent and great books. The series is a partnership with Bristol Festival of Ideas and this edition has been hosted in partnership with University of Bristol.

Ayobami Adebayo

Ayobami Adebayo was born in Lagos in 1988. Her short fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies including the Weaverbird Collection, Lawino Magazine and East Jasmine Review. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and is fiction editor for Saraba magazine. Stay with Me is her first novel; it was shortlisted for the 2013 Kwani? Manuscript Project, the 2017 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction and is published by Canongate in the UK.

http://www.ayobamiadebayo.com/