Ghanaian-British spoken word artist and writer Abaka Debrah is the winner of the 2025 #Merky Books’ New Writers’ Prize for his debut Where Geezers Call Home.
The novel is inspired partly by Debrah’s experiences moving to the UK from Ghana at the age of two and partly by the 2024 far-right anti-immigration riots in the UK. The story takes place in a speculative future in which race riots lead to the United Nations (UN) taking over the UK government. From the synopsis:
The United Nations steps in to bail out the UK and the protagonist, Xavier, is relocated to Essex where strict ‘Unity Laws’ are in place and rebellion is on the rise. Xavier must navigate life as one of the few Black members at his workplace, community, and even in his cul-de-sac. Amid growing anti-UN sentiment, the cracks in racial harmony can no longer be ignored. Who can Xavier trust, and where will he turn?
Debrah was selected from over 700 entries as the winner from by a panel of judges: British musician and #Merky Books founder Stormzy, theatre critic Arifa Akbar, authors Nicola Dinan and Yomi Sode, and bookseller Zakiya Sultana.
Stormzy praised Debrah’s novel, saying:
Where Geezers Call Home is super sharp, powerful and for me it was genuinely impossible to put down,” Stormzy said. “Abaka’s more than just a writer – he’s an incredible storyteller through and through and what an honour it is for us to have the opportunity to publish his work.
Debrah reflects on his win as symbolic:
This is for all young Black boys who grew up wanting to be writers instead of footballers…I am excited for the opportunity to develop this quirky story, to grow as a writer and share what’s been rattling about in my head.
#Merky Books is an award-winning imprint launched in 2018 by Stormzy and Penguin Random House UK with “a clear ambition to publish books that will own – and change – the mainstream.” Their goal is to increase the representation in books for a new generation of writers and readers in the UK. The #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize is an annual writing competition that is open to young, underrepresented and unpublished writers from across the UK and ROI.
The winner of the New Writers’ Prize will receive a publishing contract with #Merky Books. All shortlisted writers will also be invited to our Writers’ Camp, where they will get the chance to participate in writing workshops, panel talks, editorial one-to-ones and meet the #Merky Books team. The prize will also aim to provide all applicants with the tools, information and access they need to develop their ideas, progress their writing and set off on the path to publication.
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