Joyce Ashuntantang. A Basket of Flaming Ashes (Poems). 2010 | Langaa RPCIG, Cameroon | 78 pages | Paperback. Available from ABC and Amazon. £15.95 (UK)/$19.95 (US)
Reviews
“Ashuntantang is an extraordinary weaver of words who showcases vivid pictures that compete with 3D simulation. Her greatest asset is her use of the beautiful traditional Cameroonian anchor that evokes folk tales with its moonlight romance and glory. You feel, laugh, weep, shiver, wonder, and hail the triumphant spirit of the persona as it navigates African post-colonial and global experiences with the melancholy of an exile who is purposeful, strategic, and a lot of fun.”
Chinyere G. Okafor, Professor of English and Women’s Studies, Wichita State University, Kansas
“A Basket of Flaming Ashes may be Joyce Ashuntantang’s debut poetry collection but it already displays the lyricism and craftsmanship of an experienced poet. The poems flow naturally with feminine elegance and course through myriad forms of love. These are poems that the reader will always go back to read because of their enduring freshness and evocation of experiences that one can easily identify with. I find the collection enthralling.”
Tanure Ojaide, Frank Porter Graham Professor of Africana Studies, University of North Carolina
