The Slumflower to write on 'aloneness' for Quadrille

Quadrille is to publish the "highly anticipated" debut book from blogger Chidera Eggerue, known online as The Slumflower, in July 2018.

The work, entitled What a Time to Be Alone, is billed as a guide to owning your own story and embracing aloneness, featuring short essays and original artworks from the author.

Eggerue's Peckham upbringing was peppered with Igbo proverbs from her Nigerian mum. In her debut book, Eggerue collects these poetic sayings and her own original artwork into one volume, along with short essays on everything from bad friends to being loved, "making it the perfect handbook for modern life", according to the publisher.

Susannah Otter, commissioning editor at Quadrille, acquired world rights from Laura McNeill at Peters Fraser & Dunlop.

Otter said: "In a world and an industry that is still all too ready to silence and ignore young, black women, Chidera’s galvanising determination to help women everywhere across all platforms is nothing short of incredible. Working with the raw, infectious energy of this book has been a great honour, and Ican’t wait to publish it this July."

Eggerue said: “After having spent two years slowly writing, I am absolutely delighted to see that my words have become a book which will bring people comfort, clarity and confidence. In a world where everyone feels alone sometimes, why don’t we celebrate solitude more often?!”

Eggerue has been referred to by Elle magazine as a "millennial mastermind" and was the only British girl to make it on to Buzzfeed’s "30 Black Girls You Should Follow on Instagram" list. She is also the founder of the body positivity movement #saggyboobsmatter.

What A Time To Be Alone: The Slumflower’s Guide to Why You Are Already Enough will be published by Quadrille on 26th July 2018.