Manyika studied at the Universities of
Birmingham (UK),
Bordeaux (France), and
California (Berkeley), receiving a
PhD from the latter.
Fiction Manyika's short story "Mr Wonder" appeared in the 2008 collection
Women Writing Zimbabwe. Her first novel,
In Dependence, was originally published by
Legend Press, London, in 2008, and was chosen by the UK's largest bookstore chain as its featured book for
Black History Month. In 2009,
In Dependence, was published by
Cassava Republic, a literary press based in
Abuja, Nigeria (as well as, latterly, in the UK), with a stable of authors that includes
Teju Cole and
Helon Habila. Speaking of her decision to sign with an African publisher, Manyika has said: "I realized that by granting world rights to an African publisher I could, in a small way, attempt to address the imbalance of power in a world where the gatekeepers of literature, even for so-called African stories, remain firmly rooted in the west."
Toni Kan writes in
The Lagos Review: "Sarah Manyika has written an impressive debut novel which will find a well-deserved place in the pantheon of post-colonial literature." In 2014,
In Dependence was published by
Weaver Press in Zimbabwe, where it is a set book for the Advanced-level English Literature examination.
In Dependence has also been introduced by the
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Nigeria for candidates sitting for the 2017
UTME. She was a finalist for a 2021 Audie Award for her narration of the novel. Manyika's second novel,
Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun, on its publication in spring 2016 was endorsed by many other writers, including
Bernardine Evaristo ("Manyika's story about an elderly Nigerian woman is quiet, sophisticated and it expands the canon of contemporary African literature into welcome new territory"),
Aminatta Forna ("gorgeous and finely crafted...Sarah Manyika's novel shows ordinary people at their best. Uplifting!"),
NoViolet Bulawayo ("Astute, sensual, funny, and moving"),
Jamal Mahjoub ("Manyika writes with great verve and gentle wit, illuminating her characters with subtle insight"),
Peter Orner ("A beautiful, important new novel, and one that will continue to echo in a reader's mind for a long time after"),
E. C. Osondu ("unforgettable...a powerful meditation on loss, memory, exile and loneliness. The characters in this novel will stay with you"), and
Brian Chikwava ("A wonderfully constructed novel, always surprising"). It has been translated into several languages. "the first African novel to be considered for this prize", which was set up to reward fiction that breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel form. The novel was also shortlisted for the
California Book Award in the fiction category (alongside works by such writers as
Andrew Sean Greer,
Percival Everett, and
Viet Thanh Nguyen). Of the genesis for
Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun Manyika has said: "I've met many older women who have lived colourful lives, and yet when it comes to fiction I don't find many stories that mirror this, especially so when it comes to the lives of black women. When I cannot find stories that I'd like to read, I try writing them for myself." The novel's title is an acknowledged line from a poem by
Mary Ruefle called "Donkey On". Manyika is a contributor (with her short story "The Ambassador's Wife") to the 2019 anthology
New Daughters of Africa, edited by
Margaret Busby, participating in associated events.
Non-fiction Manyika's non-fiction writing includes personal essays, book reviews, and in-depth profiles. For example, her essay "Coming of Age in the Time of the Hoodie" tells of her worries about raising her son in modern America. She has written book reviews for
The Guardian, among them on
Glory by
NoViolet Bulawayo, and the
New Statesman, such as on
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by
Zora Neale Hurston. Her profile subjects include a piece on
Toni Morrison for
The Washington Post and
Michelle Obama.
Between Starshine and Clay Interviews with some of those from whom Manyika has drawn inspiration are the focus of her 2022 book
Between Starshine and Clay: Conversations from the African Diaspora (Footnote Press), described as "a celebration of personal and collective stories, of histories, of people making a way where there seems to be no way, making a difference, making history." Its title, as Manyika explains, is borrowed from
Lucille Clifton's poem "won't you celebrate me", which "speaks of survival through adversity and combines a blunt acknowledgement of how hard it is to survive, to forge one's own path, and yet to pull through and have something to celebrate." With a Foreword by
Bernardine Evaristo, the book features activists, artists and intellectuals including
Toni Morrison,
Wole Soyinka, Michelle Obama,
Cory Booker,
Claudia Rankine,
Henry Louis Gates Jr,
Xoliswa Sithole,
Anna Deavere Smith,
Margaret Busby,
Lord Michael Hastings and
Evan Mawarire. Manyika has said that her search in "these turbulent times" for "answers, perspective, and hope" led her to write
Between Starshine and Clay. A
Brittle Paper review stated: "All through the book, there is a powerful sense of history as these figures look back, take stock, reminisce about their lives and how they came to make the impact that they did. In the process of sharing their stories, they shed light on our moment." Olatoun Gabi-Williams writes of Manyika's book: "Her portraits of the chosen 12 are multi-media collages – richly hued stills in motion picture narratives. The guests tell their stories moving back and forth in time. Their stories are vivid: of dreams chased after; of full lives led – of purpose; of their struggles; disappointments and victories. ... In their own distinctive ways, each of them is leaving the world a far more hopeful place." Among those who have praised
Between Starshine and Clay are
David Olusoga ("Each encounter framed and presented with enormous literary skill and grace. ...a snap-shot of where the peoples of the Black diaspora stand, today in the early 21st Century, and how much has been overcome to get here"),
Delroy Lindo ("This is a one-of-a-kind book, a necessary and important one"),
Ato Quayson ("A lesson in magic from Manyika's writing"),
NoViolet Bulawayo ("Sarah Ladipo Manyika brings an intimate, eclectic, and delightfully startling freshness in this remarkably curated celebration of the African Diaspora") and Dame
Vivian Hunt ("an amazing collection that will inspire readers young and old").
Literary community Manyika works with a number of organizations that support and amplify young writers and female voices. She is President of the
Hedgebrook Board of Directors and on the Advisory Council of
826 Valencia. She previously served on the Board of the
Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco and partnered with MoAD to host an interview series, Conversations across the Dispora, featuring conversations with authors, artists, philanthropists, and scholars. She additionally hosted
OZYs video series, Write, and was the magazine's Books Editor. She has also served as a judge for literary competitions, the
Etisalat Prize for Literature in 2014, the Goldsmiths Prize in 2020, and the
Aspen Words Literary Prize in 2021. ==Personal life==