Abiola Abrams 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'', her first book from self-help publisher Hay House, published on July 20, 2021. Her second book, ''The Sacred Bombshell Handbook of Self-Love'', won an African American

Literary Award A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award ceremony. Ma ...

for Best Self Help. Black Enterprise included her inspirational podcast in “20 Must-Listen to Black Women Podcasts for 2019” and in 2020, her podcast was chosen by Success.com as one of “16 Motivational Podcasts by Black Hosts You Need to Listen To.” Essence Magazine included Abrams' annual Goddess Retreat in their roundup of “Black Girl-Approved and Operated Wellness Escapes.” Abrams' website, Womanifesting.com, discusses spirituality, personal growth, and entrepreneurship. Her previous advice columns include ''Intimacy Intervention'' on Essence.com and ''Abiola's Love Class'' on MommyNoire.com.

Early life and education

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 Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...

and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Abrams was a featured speaker at NYC Women's Empowerment Summit.

Career

''Black Enterprise'' magazine named her site one of the top African American lifestyle blogs. Her first writing project, ''Goddess City'', an empowerment play produced at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, was published in the anthology ''Say Word!'' by the University of Michigan Press. ''Dare'', Abrams' first novel, was published by Simon & Schuster on December 11, 2007. Her poem "Groceries" appears in the playwright/activist

Eve Ensler V, formerly Eve Ensler (; born May 25, 1953), is an American playwright, performer, feminist, and activist. V is best known for her play ''The Vagina Monologues''.

's 2007 anthology ''A Memory, A Monologue a Rant and A Prayer'' alongside work by such writers as

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), '' The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), '' A Delicate Balance'' (1966) ...

, Alice Walker and

Edwidge Danticat Edwidge Danticat (; born January 19, 1969) is a Haitian-American novelist and short story writer. Her first novel, '' Breath, Eyes, Memory'', was published in 1994 and went on to become an Oprah's Book Club selection. Danticat has since written ...

. Essays by Abrams are featured in the anthologies ''Behind the Bedroom Door'' (2008), edited by Paula Derrow, and ''Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex'' (2008), edited by Ellen Sussman. In the New York Times Style Magazine, 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 was acquired in 2017 by the Criterion Channel and the

Getty Museum Research Institute Getty may refer to: The Getty family and its businesses * Getty family * George Getty (1855–1930), American lawyer and father of J. Paul Getty * J. Paul Getty (1892–1976), wealthy American industrialist and founder of Getty Oil * Talitha ...

Television and film

Abrams was a BBC entertainment correspondent from 2011 to 2012 and a former host of ''The Best Shorts'',

Black Entertainment Television Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

's (BET) indie film showcase and competition from 2006 to 2008. 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 Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

interstitial talk show billed as "politically incorrect" for the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

set, and appeared on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

'' 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).

Works

* ''African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy'' (2021) * ''African Goddess Rising Oracle Cards'' (2021) * ''Enter the Goddess Temple'' (2021) * ''Sacred Bombshell Handbook of Self-Love'' (2014) * ''Dare: A Love Story'' (2008) * ''Goddess City'' (2011)

References

External links