Abiola Abrams (born July 29, 1976) is an American author, podcaster, motivational speaker and spiritual life coach. Abrams has penned three books, including African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy,[1][2] her first book from self-help publisher Hay House, published on July 20, 2021.[3] Her second book, The Sacred Bombshell Handbook of Self-Love, won an African American Literary Award for Best Self Help.[4] Black Enterprise included her inspirational podcast in "20 Must-Listen to Black Women Podcasts for 2019"[5] and in 2020, her podcast was chosen by Success.com[6] as one of "16 Motivational Podcasts by Black Hosts You Need to Listen To."  Essence Magazine[7] included Abrams' annual Goddess Retreat in their roundup of "Black Girl-Approved and Operated Wellness Escapes." Abrams' website, Womanifesting.com,[8] discusses spirituality, personal growth, and entrepreneurship.

Abiola Abrams
Abiola Abrams in 2013
Born
Abiola Wednesday Abrams

(1976-07-29) July 29, 1976 (age 48)
NationalityAmerican
EducationBrearley School
Sarah Lawrence College (BFA)
Vermont College of Fine Arts (MFA)
Occupations
  • Author
  • motivational speaker
  • media personality
Known forbooks, blogging, podcasts
WebsiteWomanifesting.com

Her previous advice columns include Intimacy Intervention on Essence.com[9] and Abiola's Love Class on MommyNoire.com.[10]

Early life and education

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She is a first generation Guyanese-American who was raised in New York City. Abrams attended the Brearley School. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Vermont College of the Union Institute and University.[11]

Abrams was a featured speaker at NYC Women's Empowerment Summit.[12]

Career

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Black Enterprise magazine named her site one of the top African American lifestyle blogs.[13] Her first writing project, Goddess City, an empowerment play produced at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture,[14] was published in the anthology Say Word! by the University of Michigan Press.[15]

Dare,[16] Abrams' first novel, was published by Simon & Schuster on December 11, 2007.[17]

Her poem "Groceries" appears in the playwright/activist Eve Ensler's 2007 anthology A Memory, A Monologue a Rant and A Prayer[18] alongside work by such writers as Maya Angelou, Edward Albee, Alice Walker and Edwidge Danticat. Essays by Abrams are featured in the anthologies Behind the Bedroom Door (2008),[19] edited by Paula Derrow, and Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex (2008),[20] edited by Ellen Sussman.

In the New York Times Style Magazine,[21] filmmaker Miranda July referred to Abrams' evolution from experimental feminist art filmmaker as "just one of many inspiring paths that briefly intersected with the video Chainletter that can't be broken." Abrams' short experimental art film "Ophelia's Opera" included in Miranda July's Joanie 4 Jackie Chainletter film series[22] was acquired in 2017 by the Criterion Channel and the Getty Museum Research Institute.[23]

Television and film

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Abrams at the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan hosting a web TV show.

Abrams was a BBC entertainment correspondent from 2011 to 2012 and a former host of The Best Shorts,[17] Black Entertainment Television's (BET) indie film showcase and competition from 2006 to 2008.[24] She has hosted or co-hosted such shows as the syndicated The Source: All Access, Source magazine's hip hop show, and Chat Zone, an HBO interstitial talk show billed as "politically incorrect" for the MTV set, and appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as a part of his red carpet interview coverage of the 2007 BET Awards in Los Angeles.

Abrams directed the documentaries Taboo: The Controversy of Black/White 'Race Mixing' in America (2005), Knives in My Throat: The Year I Survived While My Mind Tried to Kill Me (2005); and short films Stranded (2004), Ophelia's Opera (2001).[25][26][27][28][29]

Works

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  • African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy (2021)[1][3]
  • African Goddess Rising Oracle Cards (2021)[30][31]
  • Enter the Goddess Temple (2021)[32]
  • Sacred Bombshell Handbook of Self-Love (2014)[33]
  • Dare: A Love Story (2008)[16]
  • Goddess City (2011)[34][35]

References

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  1. ^ a b Abrams, Abiola (2021). African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy. Carlsbad, CA: HAY HOUSE INC. ISBN 978-1401962944. OCLC 1198217780.
  2. ^ Abiola (March 19, 2021). "Hay House Presents African Goddess Initiation: My New Book Cover Reveal". Womanifest Your Power with Abiola: Spirit, Mindset, Success. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "African Goddess Initiation by Abiola Abrams: 9781401962944 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "African American Literary Awards Show". Facebook.
  5. ^ gaynete (March 19, 2019). "20 Must-Listen to Black Women Podcasts for 2019". Black Enterprise. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  6. ^ STAFF, SUCCESS (June 9, 2020). "16 Motivational Podcasts by Black Hosts You Need to Listen To". SUCCESS. Archived from the original on July 19, 2020.
  7. ^ Butler, Sana (July 2, 2019). "Black Girl-Approved and Operated Wellness Escapes For Your Next Vacation". Essence. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019.
  8. ^ Abrams, Abiola (February 14, 2018). "Womanifesting". Womanifest Your Power with Abiola: Spirit, Mindset, Success. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011.
  9. ^ Essence.com Intimacy-Intervention
  10. ^ MommyNoire.com Abiola's Love Class
  11. ^ Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. International Membership Directory. 2004. p. 2.
  12. ^ "NYC Women's Empowerment Summit Electrifies the Big Apple". F.A.M.E. NYC Magazine. July 25, 2011. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012.
  13. ^ Black Enterprise Black-Blogger
  14. ^ New York Public Library NYPL Archived May 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ University of Michigan Press Say Word!
  16. ^ a b Abrams, Abiola (December 11, 2007). Dare. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-7737-9.
  17. ^ a b "Abiola Abrams Biography". Simon & Schuster. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
  18. ^ Ensler, Eve (2007). A memory, a monologue, a rant, and a prayer. Mollie Doyle. New York. ISBN 978-0-345-49791-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  19. ^ Derrow, Paula (2008). Behind the Bedroom Door: Getting it, Giving it, Loving it, Missing it. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 978-0-440-33824-6.
  20. ^ Sussman, Ellen (2008). Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex. New York: Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 978-1-59691-474-2. OCLC 191697286.
  21. ^ Schilling, Mary Kaye (January 30, 2017). "Miranda July Shares Her Vintage Feminist Film Archive". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  22. ^ "Ophelia's Opera – Joanie 4 Jackie". 2003. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020.
  23. ^ "Joanie 4 Jackie". The Criterion Channel. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  24. ^ "Abiola Abrams". AbiolaAbrams.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  25. ^ "Abiola Abrams". IMDb. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  26. ^ "Abiola Abrams". Co-Creator Network. 2009.
  27. ^ Sutton, Wayne (February 21, 2010). "#28DaysofDiversity: People of color impacting the social web. Day 21 Abiola Abrams @AbiolaTV". socialwayne.com.
  28. ^ "CineWomen On Screen - A NYWIFT series". New York Women in Film and Television. March 1, 2010. Archived from the original on October 9, 2010.
  29. ^ Knight, Magda (September 3, 2014). "Abiola Abrams". Mookychick.
  30. ^ "African Goddess Rising Oracle by Abiola Abrams: 9781401963101 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  31. ^ Abrams, Abiola (2021). African Goddess Rising Oracle. Calsbad, CA: Hay House. ISBN 9781401963101.
  32. ^ "Goddess Temple Podcast - Motivation, Inspiration, Spirituality - Divine Feminine Goddess Gifts of the Spring Equinox". www.hipcast.com. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  33. ^ Abrams, Abiola (2014). The Sacred Bombshell Handbook of Self-Love : The 11 Forbidden Secrets of Feminine Power. New York, NY: Love University Press. ISBN 978-0-9660707-8-1. OCLC 884459838.
  34. ^ Banks, Daniel (2011). Say Word!. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-07132-6.
  35. ^ Goddess City. Archived from the original on October 31, 2015. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)

Further reading

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  • Alick, Claudia. "Identity and the Word." American Theatre vol. 29, no. 10 (2012): 54-55.
  • Luckett, Sharrell D. "Say Word! Voices from Hip Hop Theater: An Anthology (review)." Theatre Topics 22, no. 1 (2012): 105-06.
  • The Cambridge Companion to Hip-Hop. Cambridge University Press. 2015. p. 90. ISBN 9781107037465.
  • Toni Schlesinger. "Shelter." The Village Voice November 30, 2005 volume 50 issue 48
  • Charli Penn. "How Can I Manifest More Love Into My Life?" Essence 50, no. 5 (2019): 130-31.
  • Barnes, Sherri L. "Black Women Misbehavin': A New Politics of Sexuality" Feminist collections (Madison, Wis.), 2015-06-22, Vol.36 (3-4), p.1
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