“We did not name our children after our parents, after ourselves; we feared if we did they would not be able to say their names, that their friends and teachers would not know how to call them. We gave them names that would make them belong in America, names that did not mean anything to us: Aaron, Josh, Dana, Corey, Jack, Kathleen”.-We need new names by NoViolet Bulawayo
A name gives you a sense of identity and belonging and people can use your name when referring to to you. A big thank you to my friends who managed to help me translate the names below in their languages.
A happy new week my lovely readers. I trust that you had a restful weekend and you are ready for the new week.
During the weekend I : *went to church. *binge-watched Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19, these two made me laugh and cry *had a date with my wonderful bed. *managed to chat with my friends and family. *Did a little bit of spring cleaning and it was therapeutic. *Prepared one of my favourite dishes for supper
Smiley face😊
Realised that I: *I miss listening to SoProfound’s voice on the radio. *How much I had missed reading and not reading a book is good as torture to my overactive imagination😩.
Grateful for: *The gift of life, good health and a roof over my head. *For my best friend’s recovery.
Photo credit me🤣🤣
I would like to know how your weekend was, can’t wait to read your comments😊
You were there for me when the whole world walked away. You held my hand and you gave me something to look forward to. I am not the person I was a year ago. The two of you were the light that helped me find my way out of the dark tunnel.
Each day is a chance to learn something new and you made me believe that. How can I talk about consistency and not think about the two of you? Consistency is key and you taught me that there is power in collaboration.
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Not all good days are good days But you reminded me that I should never give up. Thank you for being my friends, For being spaces where I can pour out anything from my overactive oveimagination. The smiles and the positive feedbacks always encourage me to do more. Cheers to more podcast episodes and blog posts!
Did you guess right? I hope you did, this is an appreciation post for my blog and podcast. You can listen to my podcast to My podcast
A happy new week to you my lovely readers, there are so many reasons for you to smile and if you haven’t been taking care of yourself start doing so today!
World Mental Health Day is celebrated on the 10th of October every year. I believe that there need to be more conversations around mental health in our family circles and our communities. When someone has a tummy ache, they can either throw up or have a running stomach. But when people are depressed they might suffer in silence. Someone who is depressed can pretend to be okay but they might be hurting inside. Some people walk with their heads held high and laugh during the day but at night they soak their pillows wet.
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You should never compare your pain with the next person. It is not fair and it’s selfish to laugh at the next person because she has admitted that answering phone calls from her boss or being in public places makes her feel anxious. One might struggle to cope with a divorce but someone might say it is the best thing that has ever happened to them.
Never put your life on hold because of the next person, always make the best decisions for yourself. You can’t go around trying to please everyone.
When you are feeling overwhelmed and confused find someone to talk to. It might be a family member you can confide in or a professional but talking to someone who will not judge you feels like a lot has been lifted from your shoulders.
Be kind to yourself and remember to check on your loved ones. You can listen to an episode on my podcast
“How is it that the world keeps going, breathing in and out unchanged, while in my soul there is a permanent scattering?” -Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda takes her readers on an emotional journey as she explores the emotions she felt around the time that she lost her Father. The book is based on true events and focuses on a family that is grieving. The grieving experience takes place during the Covid- 19 pandemic, she takes the reader through the experience of not being able to physically mourn and comfort each other. She explores the Igbo mourning culture and how there are higher expectations on women as compared to men to “wear” their grief. She explores how cultural practices have a different meaning when you are grieving a loved one. She looks into how the pandemic has affected mourning practices and how everything now takes longer than usual. Chimamanda makes use of the flashback technique to look back on the wonderful memories she and her siblings had with their father.
Notes on Grief enabled me to get a better understanding of how we all go through the experience grief but have different ways of handling grief. Notes on Grief is a great piece of literature that I highly recommend.Readers who enjoyed the writer’s Half of a yellow sun will enjoy reading Notes on grief.
I trust that you enjoyed reading the review and I liked how Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie was open about her emotions and feelings after the death of her father. The review was written by Tadiwanashe Teresa Pomerai who is a dedicated human rights lawyer. She is an avid reader who particularly enjoys African literature. She enjoys knitting in her spare time. She is lives in Zimbabwe with her husband.
You cannot wait for the day that you have everything you want to be happy. You deserve to be happy always and that is why you should live in the moment. Maybe you will tick the boxes on your to-do list a few months later but for now, be kind to yourself and take one day at a time.
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Sometimes you are so hard on yourself and you compare yourself with your agemates or colleagues. But life is not a competition what matters at the end of the day is to reach our destination. There are different lessons that every one of us will learn depending on the route we used to get to the top. Be patient and keep hope alive.
Never belittle yourself, but always look in the mirror and say “I am enough, and I am proud of myself”.
The Spring season is one of my favourite seasons because there are a lot of life lessons you can draw from it. But the season is filled with allergies and my eyes have been so itchy.
When I was in high school, the blooming of the Jacaranda tree was a good clock for the exam classes. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the school calendar and the examination dates. But if you ever saw the blooming Jacaranda trees the examination fever would immediately kick in. And one would busy themselves with the exam preparation.
The Jacaranda tree
Spring ushers in the Summer season and it reminds us that nothing lasts forever. We should never be scared of change because if we take a leap of faith we might fall in love with what is in the future.
The leaves are gaining their green colours and the flowers are now blooming. The land has become colourful. There are some bad habits that you should let go and challenge yourself to try or learn something new.
I am an Author of three published books to date. Life Will Humble You, Chances and Appearances or Not. In my day job I work as a Head Office Hardware Buyer for a Chain Wholesaler. I am a single parent to three girls. I am a Christian and attend Celebration Church. I come from Chihota and I grew up in Avondale West. I attended Avondale School and then Waddilove Primary, and then the High School up to Alevel. I have a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing with the Institute of Marketing Management (IMM-S.A).
When did you know that there was a creative writer in you? I started experimenting with writing in High School and it was mostly songs. I was a music junkie and an avid reader. My essays and short stories were over the top. English is the only subject I would get an A without effort.
What inspired you to become a published author? I went through a life changing event in 2018 and as I was venting in my journal, I figured I could write something to actually entertain, inspire and motivate someone out there. I told my sisters, the 4 Cousins after I had finished writing LWHY and they encouraged me to publish. I also told my Pastor then Ivy Shamhu, she also also encouraged me to publish. She told me to embrace my voice and see it as a new season and as steps into my purpose. So I did and the rest is history.
What are some of the pros and cons of being a self published author? The pros are that you have ownership of your manuscript. You also benefit directly from the sales proceeds. The cons are that you have to do the marketing on your own. You also have to handle distribution on your own. All processes that could have been handled by a more experienced publishing house now fall in your lap and you have to navigate the uncharted waters. Obviously you will make mistakes and some are costly. However I have adopted the learning and unlearning attitude, in the fullness of time I will get there.
Books written by Audrey Chirenje😊
What are some of the lessons you have learnt along the way? I have learnt its not as easy as it looks. I have learnt to put my introvert personality aside and engage with people as they ultimately buy my books. I have learnt that social media is the current craze so its either you embrace it or lose out. I have learnt there are people who will want to use you along the way so it’s critical to have your guard up. Networking is the Teamwork in the book business, so every opportunity will add up to something great, either in terms of your profile or an actual sale. I am still learning and unlearning everyday.
What is the secret to being consistent? I think for me I have always been structured in my approach to things so this has helped with this regard. In my head it has to be done in a certain way everyday, every week and every month. Your why as in the reason you are doing things also helps. If its strong enough, you have no choice but to be consistent.
What do you think should be done to promote the reading culture in Zimbabwe? In Zimbabwe most people will only read a novel because its a school set book. So the idea has to be sold that you can read for fun, to learn and to explore other possibilities to life whether it’s a place, culture or anything new. Children need to embrace the reading culture from an early age and they impart to their children and so on. Its a pity we are fighting with screen time on gadgets like phones and computers but I believe the figures are still manageable. Books need to be accessible to all in the urban and rural areas.
Any advice to an aspiring author and anyone who wants to take the self-publishing route? They should continue believing in their dream. They must read a lot of books with different genres and have an open mind. They must embrace their uniqueness… versus being the next great name of another Author, they have a name, they must be that. Most importantly they must start and write and write some more until they have something ready for editing with a professional Editor.
Audrey Chirenje
Lastly please share three of your favourite books?
Redeeming Love – Francine Rivers The Santangelos – Jackie Collins A Family Affair – Sue Nyathi
You can follow Audrey Chirenje on her social media accounts which are: Audrey Chirenje Author- Facebook @anchirenjethe – Twitter audreychirenjeauthor -Instagram
Author: Peace Adzo Medie Cover rating: 3/5 Overall rating:3/5 Themes: love, secrets, family, values, ambition, marriage
Afi is told that she will have to be Elikem Ganyo’s wife and she is married while Elikem is away on a trip. Afi is chosen by Aunty and her family because they do not like Mina although Elikem loves her deeply. After the traditional wedding, Afi leaves for Accra and she realises that Ho is completely different from Accra. She is granted a chance to stretch her wings and go to a fashion school. She enjoys being at school and she is willing to learn too. Her marriage is not what she imagined because her husband continues to spend time with Mina and Aunty reminds her that she should stay with Elikem. The family goes on to remind Afi that she is where she is because of the family and in the end her mother believes that she owes the Ganyos.
Unfortunately, Elikem is not able to choose between Mina and Afi and Afi makes a decision to leave Elikem. Although Aunty and her family are against the idea she does not change her mind.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK Afi was able to choose her happiness and stand up to Aunty.
FAVOURITE QUOTES “When you dismiss my pain and suffering as unreasonable. When you refuse even for a minute to empathize with me. How would you feel if I cheated on you? If I told you I wanted to be with another man while married to you?”
“Since my mother told me that I would be marrying Eli, I had felt as though I was balancing our two families like a basin of water, which was full to the brim, on my head. It wasn’t easy being the key to other people’s happiness, their victory, and their vindication.”
FAVOURITE CHARACTER: Evelyn
DO I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK? : Yes
WILL I BE READING A BOOK WRITTEN BY THIS AUTHOR? : A big Yes
You are doing okay Soldier on, don’t give up. Never let your faults and imperfections bring you down. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Forgive yourself for your past mistakes Please be kind to yourself.
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Cry, dance, write it down Just look for a way to express your emotions and feelings. Always remember that nothing lasts forever. Spring is a reminder that something beautiful is coming your way!
