Hello from Londontown, where I find myself officially starting my summer antics for the 2026 season. And where I’ve found inspiration for this week's compilation episode. From an early episode with crime writer, Leye Adenle, to last year’s conversation with activist and social entrepreneur, Lavinya Stennett, we’ll hear a range of Pan-African perspectives on how London is local for these guests--all of which happen to also be writers.

Serial entrepreneur, investor and author of We Don’t Need Permission: How Black Business Can Change Our World, Eric Collins shares perspectives as an immigrant from the US to the UK. Lawyer, international development consultant, journalist, politician and author of Love Does Not Win Elections, Ayisha Osori helps us to understand home as presence. Award-winning author of Easy Motion Tourist, with a forthcoming new series due to launch this year with Fall From Grace, Leye Adenle shares about his London before experiencing it as a writer. As a lux-preneur herself, award-winning luxury business consultant, Elizabeth Solaru, author of best-selling book, Opulencia and LUXpreneur: How to start and build a successful luxury brand, is taking us along in her experiences transitioning from a career in the sciences to business. Architect, artist, and multi-faceted creative, Robertson Ahomka-Linsday shares how his talents from design to music helped to give his London life an artisic flair. And finally, founder of The Black Curriculum, fimmaker and author of Omitted: The Untold Black History Lessons We Need to Change the Future, Lavinya Stennett helps us to understand effective organizing techniques for impact.

If you haven’t already settled in, mind the gap and take a seat on this Tube ride through London.

Where to find full conversations and show notes from episodes with this week’s guests?
Eric Collins
Ayisha Osori
Leye Adenle
Elizabeth Solaru
Robertson Ahomka-Lindsay
Lavinya Stennett

Soundscape:
Sounds Like a Train on YouTube

Special Guests: Ayisha Osori, Elizabeth Solaru, Eric Collins, Lavinya Stennett, Leye Adenle, and Robertson Ahomka-Lindsay.

This week on the program, I had the opportunity to chat with Nigerian writer and activist, Ayisha Osori. Ayisha, also a lawyer, consultant and communication strategist has 18 years experience in the public and private sectors. Her clients include the World Bank, United Nations Development Fund, UNICEF, the Department for International Development, the Royal Institute of International Affairs and the National Democratic Institute, to name a few. She is the former CEO of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund and is currently a Director at the Open Society Foundations.

A published author with a series of children's textbooks on social studies used in primary schools and a children's reference book on Nigeria, her first book, Love Does Not Win Elections chronicles her experiences in the electoral process and Nigerian Politics as a whole. 

She kept a weekly column for five years, first as the Pedestrian Lawyer in Thisday newspaper [https://www.thisdaylive.com] and most recently, as the Nigerian Citizen for The Leadership newspaper. A regular commentator on radio and television, she has been involved in numerous campaigns to improve social justice for women and girls, governance in Nigeria and is an experienced advocate on gender and social justice issues.

It was truly a pleasure to meet and find such accord with Ayisha. Many thanks to Episode 97 guest, Kehinde Togun for making the connection, contributing to our March Herstory mission.

Where to find Ayisha?
On LinkeIn
On Twitter
On Instagram
On YouTube

What's Ayisha reading?
The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel by Kati Marton

What's Ayisha watching?
King Richard
The Tragedy of Macbeth
CODA
Modern Family
Frasier
Meet the Press

What's Ayisha Listening to?
BBC's Focus on Africa

Other topics of interest:
Africa Continental Free Trade Area
Rock the Vote
Eisenhower Fellowship
Map of Abuja
Oyo Empire

Special Guest: Ayisha Osori.