Titi Horsfall, author of historical fiction and documentation, has launched her latest literary work, Settled Dust, in London.
The event was a highlight of the 13th African Achievers Awards, held on Friday, July 14, 2023, at the House of Lords, UK Parliament, London. Horsfall joined a host of other African and global dignitaries to share her thoughts on her writing, and launch her new book to a global audience. Horsfall also spoke at the African Achievers Annual Lecture 2023, which was held at the European School of Economics in London.
Horsfall’s fictional journey has birthed remarkable titles such as From an Orphan to a Queen Esther, Influence of a King, and now Settled Dust. The Rivers Frontier is her non-fiction book that traces the many encounters of the Niger Delta people with foreign powers from the earliest of times. She also has a collection of poems, with its workbook, for young readers.
Settled Dust has been described as “musings on race, history, love, and faith,” subjects that are dear to Horsfall’s literary sensibilities and form much of her writing. A brief outline of the blurb says, “The story of ‘Settled Dust’ takes root in the events of the last two hundred years, from the establishment of the law abolishing the importation of slaves to the New World, to the Black Lives Matter protests heard down the streets of today… Within Loma’s own story, the burden of femininity in a patriarchal world is a heavy one, and understanding lives in a lineage of ancestral women. But even with the weight of history and identity on her shoulders, Loma is a woman who raises her head despite the odds to fight for her own second chance. ‘Settled Dust’ is lyrical poetry that tells the aftermath of life-altering experiences at the intersection of race, ethnicity, gender, love, and faith. When the dust settles, clarity is found, and second chances are on the horizon.”
Settled Dust offers readers a fine blend of storytelling in the highest tradition, but spiked with drama and lyrical poetry on a broad canvas of human emotion.
Speaking after the launch of her book, Horsfall said, “I am truly grateful for the invitation by the Lord Woolley of Woodford; on behalf of the African Achievers Awards, to attend such a prestigious gathering that extolled great men and women of African descent. As to my published work, I consider it a significant contribution to society’s upliftment and therefore, urge anyone and everyone to read it.”
Settled Dust is available online and in bookstores. In anticipation of its release in Nigeria, some notable Nigerian bookstores to stock her work include Laterna, Bookville, Rovingheights, Adams Page, and Prisenda.
