Bernardine Evaristo on London, Nigeria, Brazil, the Royal Society of Literature, on travelling as a Black woman in Estonia, on the Booker, on marble bathrooms, and on Never Giving Up -- with TWBC

Welcome to the travel/literary podcast The Wandering Book Collector with host Michelle Jana Chan. This is a series of conversations with writers exploring what's informed their books around themes of movement, memory, sense of place, borders, identity, longing and belonging, and home.

In this second edition, I speak with writer and journalist Bernardine Evaristo discussing her latest book Manifesto: On Never Giving Up, as well as looking back to her body of work, particularly Lara, a semi-autobiographical novel in verse, and her Booker-winning Girl, Woman, Other.

Also note, in 2021 Bernardine curated a new series called Black Britain: Writing Back (Penguin) of lost or hard-to-find books, now rediscovered, by black writers who wrote about black Britain and the diaspora across the last century. Check them out -- and consider supporting your local bookshop.

The Wandering Book Collector would like to thank the supporters of this podcast:

Abercrombie & Kent — Creating unique, meticulously planned journeys into hard-to-reach wildernesses and cultures.

TUMI — Creating world-class business, travel and performance luxury essentials.

Ultimate Library — Creating bespoke book collections to educate and inspire.

This edition was recorded in Singapore's performing arts centre Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.

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For more on the podcast, book recs, what books to pack for where’s next, and who’s up next, I’m across socials @michellejchan. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’ve missed any, do catch up. From Janine di Giovanni to Afua Hirsch to Carla Power, they’re all gripping.

Thank you for listening!

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