I Thought I Would Wear Heels To My Wedding

I Thought I Would Wear Heels To My Wedding was not the title the author, Tikia Aludria, wanted for her first publication, but it was what kept ringing in her head until it took root. She wanted something short, catchy, a potential hashtag, but the book had its plan. It was this title and minimalist book cover design that captured the readers’ hearts. Talk about judging a book by its cover.

On Friday, 14th March we had a book reading event where we had an intimate conversation with Tikia Aludria commonly known as Tikia with Grace on her journey thus far as a young memoir author in Uganda. Our moderator, Belinda Katumba, delicately balanced the conversation between the audience and the author to leave nothing out.

Tikia Aludria (Author), on the left, in conversation with Belinda Katumba (moderator) on the right

The conversation began with the author reading an excerpt from the first chapter of her book. From there, we had a free-flowing conversation where the author spoke about faith, vulnerability, and the intentionality behind creating art with her audience.

When asked about how she deals with shame, her response was “I write to redeem, and there’s no shame in speaking my truth because people move on.” For her, writing isn’t just self-expression; it’s a means of facilitating healing, and that remains her sole focus when her fingers are busy tapping away on her keyboard in the wee hours of the night.

You can find her book at mahiribooks.com at 65,000 ugx.