Today, October 23, two powerful voices from vastly different worlds — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and celebrated Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie — will appear together at the London Literature Festival for what’s simply described as “a conversation.”
It’s a pairing that feels surprising yet somehow destined. One woman built her legacy through politics and perseverance; the other through storytelling and intellect. Both, however, understand the weight of representation — and what it means to lead meaningful, sometimes uncomfortable, conversations in the public eye.
Kamala’s Story: Politics, Resilience, and Reflection
Kamala Harris has been back in the spotlight since late September, touring to promote her new memoir, 107 Days. The book offers an intimate look at her short but intense 2024 presidential run — a campaign marked by pressure, missteps, and a deep sense of personal reckoning.
For many Democrats still grappling with the party’s defeat to Donald Trump, 107 Days reads as both a reflection and a roadmap for redemption. Harris doesn’t shy away from tough truths — she writes about loyalty, disappointment, and what it felt like to stand by the Bidens, only to feel abandoned in return. She opens up about the emotional toll of campaigning, the strain on her marriage, and the loneliness that comes with being a trailblazer constantly under scrutiny.
@kamalaharris The people of Chicago know we have some deep work to do to fight for the future of our country — and we are in it together. I am grateful to Michele Norris for the meaningful conversation. Durham, I will see you tonight.
On tour, her tone has shifted. The Kamala Harris seen in interviews and viral TikTok clips appears more candid, less guarded. Gone is the overly polished politician — in her place is a woman willing to be vulnerable, using reflection as a new form of strength. Maybe that’s why her story feels more relatable now: she’s speaking without a teleprompter and, for once, without Washington’s noise in the background.
Chimamanda’s Story: Words, Power, and Precision
Facing her on stage will be Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a literary powerhouse whose influence has long transcended the written page. Her newest novel, Dream Count, delves into identity, desire, and the immigrant experience in America — themes that might seem distant from politics, until you realize they’re rooted in the same struggles for belonging and power.
Adichie has spent her career using language as both art and activism. Her feminism is deliberate, not performative — sharp enough to challenge, yet nuanced enough to inspire. Through novels and essays alike, she’s shown how politics is not just about policy but about people: how love, loss, and migration can all carry political weight.
Her relationship with politics, like Harris’s, is layered. Adichie has often spoken about the barriers facing women in Nigeria’s sociopolitical landscape, but she approaches them from the human side — emotion, story, and truth. If Harris wields the influence of office, Adichie commands the quieter but equally potent influence of ideas.
Where Their Worlds Meet
At first glance, they couldn’t be more different. Harris drafts speeches; Adichie crafts stories. One navigates elections, the other creates worlds. Yet, when they share a stage, the space between fiction and politics suddenly seems to shrink.
Both women know what it means to be misunderstood, to be labeled too much — too ambitious, too outspoken, too confident. Both have faced criticism from systems unaccustomed to women who refuse to shrink. And both, in their own ways, have had to answer the same question:
How do you stay powerful when the world insists your power is inconvenient?
That’s what makes tomorrow’s event more than a literary talk. It’s not just about their books or careers — it’s about two women reclaiming their narratives in real time.
Whether through policy or prose, both Harris and Adichie know how to hold an audience, to stir emotion, to persuade with grace. Their upcoming conversation at the London Literature Festival promises to be more than small talk — it’s a meeting of minds, and perhaps, a shared lesson in what it truly means to lead with both strength and vulnerability.
