Brontë childhood tales inspire Bradford-Ghana story project

Authors from Yorkshire and Ghana have produced a set of short stories inspired by the imaginary worlds the Brontës created as children.

As part of Bradford City of Culture 2025, Wandering Imaginations saw two authors from Yorkshire and two from Ghana create stories inspired by the fictitious land Angria – which maps on to West Africa – created by the Brontë siblings.

Four writers, Kristina Diprose and CM Govender from Bradford, and Akorfa Dawson and Peggy Kere Osman from Ghana, took part in workshops in Accra and Haworth before the stories went on display at the Brontë Parsonage.

Author Ms Diprose, who described herself as a “Brontë fangirl” said the project had been “a dream come true”.

“I’ve read all the Brontë novels, so when I saw this project I couldn’t believe it was a real opportunity. Even more so, when they actually picked me to be part of it,” she said.

“To see my work up in the foyer of the place that celebrates the writing of my literary heroines is incredible.”

Ms Dawson from Ghana, whose work includes Afro-futuristic themes, said this was her second time in Yorkshire.

“Yorkshire is like a scene out of a book or movie, everything is so vintage and it’s been a great experience,” she said.

“The first time I walked into the Brontë Parsonage, it felt like walking in the steps of the Brontë sisters. That was so heartwarming.”

Ms Govender, from Manningham, said working with the Brontes’ juvenilia – the work they wrote as children – had helped her work through her feelings of imposter syndrome.

She said: “A 10-year-old Charlotte Brontë created one of these books and put her name on that page as a declaration that as an adult she was going to be published, and that is so humbling to someone who struggles with imposter syndrome and is really struggling to aspire that way.

“To have a child who is so determined to make her mark in a world where women are supposed to be quiet, as a child she went there.

“They are so beyond their time, so it’s incredibly humbling to be associated with their legacies.”

Ms Osman said the project was her first time writing a short story, as she mainly writes poetry.

“I took Wuthering Heights for A-levels so that’s why I applied for the project,” she said.

“It’s a pinch-me moment. It’s a dream come true for me because I’m a Heathcliff fangirl. I’m happy to be in the environment the Brontë siblings lived in.

“The story I wrote finished on a cliff hanger, so it has encouraged me to keep on writing. It’s a fire beneath me to keep me going.”