About Petra

Petra Okeke-Bestman grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, in a family of storytellers. Every night when she was little, her father told her folktales and fables from his childhood, a tradition handed down from his parents and their parents before them. Spellbound, Petra listened to stories about animals and birds that could talk, wise women and warriors, princesses and villains, and couldn’t wait to become herself a storyteller. Petra wrote her first short story when she was six and now writes fiction for adults and children.

As a trained social worker, Petra worked with diverse families: low income, single parent, and immigrant families. She developed and provided social programs aimed toward building and nurturing healthy children and families.That experience made Petra decide to write stories that challenge detrimental socio-cultural beliefs and practices, foster healthy families, strengthen and uplift children, and encourage reflection and dialogue.

In her spare time, Petra’s either mixing and sampling culinary spices and herbs from all over the world or traveling and capturing images of things that spark her interest.