Mariam Mohammed, Ghanaian poet and writer, has been featured in the latest edition of the JayLit Spotlight Series, which highlights her journey, influences and aspirations as a creative writer.
The spotlight, published on August 31, 2026, explores Mohammed's early relationship with literature, her development as a writer and the experiences that have shaped her creative practice.
Mohammed traces her love for writing to primary school, when her English teacher read an examination essay she had written aloud to the class. The experience gave her confidence and showed her the excitement that could come from having others connect with her words.
Her early writing experiments included poems, letters and an attempt at writing a memoir while in Junior High School.
Mohammed's literary influences include Ghanaian writers Margaret Safo (Peggy Oppong), Lawrence Darmani and Ama Ata Aidoo, alongside several Nigerian authors. She has described African literature as a space where she could see her own world reflected and begin to imagine herself as a storyteller.
The spotlight also highlights some of her recent achievements. Mohammed won the 2026 JAY Lit Prize for Poetry and was named among Creatives Project Ghana's Top 20 Writers of 2025.
Read the full Spotlight here.