#35: Muthoni Maina on the power of Literature, Sacrifice and wholesome vanilla women

The Busy Being Born Podcast

In this episode the BBB duo engage the skilled wordsmith, novelist and girl with the shiny shoes that turned into a queen in a Black Panther T-shirt. Kamande and Kigondu engage the mighty smart literature buff - Muthoni Maina (Twitter: @iamnonimaina). They trace her roots from Turi, before and beyond - picking gems along the path that build her for the better. Their conversation frolicks with history, Africanism, religion, becoming, belonging and so much more as the guest tells of her story through books, heartbreaks, school, stories, wins and losses. Using books and characters as time markers and pacesetters to her engaging storytelling, the guest speaks of progeny, purpose, Pangani, Midnight in Paris, the corporate rat race, friendship, family and the lessons and story gems therein. From comics, to novels to music, the Shakespeare and Lit lover shares on how she built her muscle and courage into writing and self publishing, noting the rejected drafts, poems, average papers, lessons and challenges she had to overcome. A great listen that is coloured by eccentric characters from kind landlords in foreign lands to Winker Watson and bullies in boarding school, debonair dads with charisma from the ears to Beethoven and cycling in nature, emotional vampires, Conan O'brien, Chimamanda, James Baldwin and so many others. The convo highlights the honour of teaching as a calling, the visceral burden of carrying stories and characters within one and the journey to Muthoni Maina's debut novel; Leaves of May.

This episode is brought to you by Prevail Presents.

Show notes

• Taking children seriously
• Cabinet Secretary on Corporal punishment
• Shakespeare Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
• Peter Kimani
• On Mary Wollstonecraft and feminism
• 'Give me back my wrapper!' Chimamanda speech on return of African artifacts

Book recommendations / mentions

• The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
• Dune by Frank Hubert
• Britain's Gulag in Kenya
• The state of Africa book
• Louis Leakey book on the Maumau in the Kikuyu

LINK to purchase guest's debut novel; LEAVES OF MAY on NURIA