Esinam Bediako is a Ghanaian American writer from Detroit. She is the author of the Ann Petry Award–winning novel Blood on the Brain (2024) as well as the essay/poetry chapbook Self-Talk (2024). You can find some of her recent work in Porter House Review, Cathexis Northwest Press, Great River Review, North American Review, and Southern Humanities Review. Esi lives in Claremont, California, with her husband and their two sons, who create stories, videos, and other artwork with enviable speed and imagination.