International personality proud of her Guyanese heritage

Abiola Abrams is a first-generation Guyanese-American author, columnist, speaker, filmmaker and multimedia personality who was raised in New York City.  Also a certified wellness coach, Abiola gives heartfelt, no-nonsense, stigma-free advice on self esteem and self worth, body image issues, healthy relationships, mental health, sexual health, and how to live with verve.
The first person in her Guyanese family born in the U.S., Abrams was bullied in her African American neighbourhood for being “the wrong kind of black” while attending a prestigious all-girls prep school as a child and teenager. Today, she accords her unique perspective on culture, community, empowerment, and identity to this rich, albeit conflicted, background.
On her Facebook page she describes herself as a, “New Yorker daughter of Guyanese parents, and professional big mouthed goddess! I came to this planet to share the secrets of living with more passion and zest than you ever thought possible. For the past 10 years my work has been about women getting to be who we really are. Let’s do it. Life is not a passive experience. It’s a passionate experience!”
Abrams writes books, blogs and columns and broadcasts TV and web shows about love, lifestyle and pop culture. Current projects include: BBC Radio Entertainment correspondent reporting on celebrity news and relationships, MTV teen dating empowerment coach on the reality series “Made,” blogger and editor on her lifestyle site “Abiola’s Passionista Playbook,” and host/producer of her own award-winning web series and advice blogs.
Abiola’s book, “The Passionista Playbook for Rockstar Living”, is part humorous memoir, part fun handbook, about living with passion. “Dare” (Simon & Schuster), a hip hop love story, Abiola’s popular debut novel, was taught at Amherst College and her essays have been published in anthologies such as ‘Behind the Bedroom Door’, ‘Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopaedia of Sex, and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer’.
In the past, Abiola has hosted TV shows like BET’s “The Best Shorts,” HBO’s “The Buzz” and NBC’s “Source: All Access,” starred as “Miss Picky” on VH1 reality series “Tough Love” and appears as a pop culture talking head on networks like FOX. Recent press includes being interviewed for a feature about sex toys in Essence Magazine, being quoted in The New York Times about Fashion Week and talking about the Person of the Year on The Judith Regan Show on Sirius XM Radio. Abiola has written for and been written about in publications from Gawker and Jezebel to Paper Magazine and Self.
She is a lead lifestyle and entertainment content contributor (articles, videos, celebrity interviews) in the areas of love, lifestyle and pop culture, including advertorial and branded entertainment. She has interviewed celebrities such as Patti Labelle, Quincy Jones, Chris Rock, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J and Henry Louis Gates, Junior. Clients and sites include and have included: Pepsi We Inspire, American Airlines’ Black Atlas, HP, Yahoo, Glam, Hello Beautiful, Examiner and Luv Em or Leave Em.
Abiola has given keynote addresses on empowerment at many schools such as NYU, The New School for Social Research and Howard University. She was featured in the 2010 Sex Bloggers Calendar and as a part of her ongoing safe sex initiative she directed the award-winning and critically acclaimed feminist erotica art film, ‘Afrodite Superstar’. Her social issues short films and documentaries have shown in festivals, museums and universities.
The author has a BA from Sarah Lawrence and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She curated the Chashama Gallery exhibit ‘Hos, Putas and Dragon Ladies: Our Sexuality Remixed and VDay’s Until the Violence Stops’ Film Festival at the Museum of The City of NY and the Museum of TV and Radio. She also hosted the 6th Annual African American Literary Awards in New York City. Abiola was awarded the ‘Los Angeles Web Series Festival Winner and has been featured as Paper Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People.
The notable columnist always speaks proudly of her Guyanese heritage and uses her colourful ethnic background as her inspiration to write, which she does often on her website, www.abiolatv.com