Podcasts about Caine Prize

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Best podcasts about Caine Prize

Latest podcast episodes about Caine Prize

The Best of Weekend Breakfast
Book Review: Midnight in the Morgue: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2024

The Best of Weekend Breakfast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2025 12:06


Gugs Mhlungu speaks to Author, Morabo Morojele for a review of their book Midnight in the Morgue, which is said to be a gripping anthology of African stories exploring family, feminism, class, and more. Featuring Sibongile Fisher, Morabo Morojele, and Caine Prize winner Nadia Davids.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LitHouse podcast
A Brief History of African Dreaming. Lecture by Wole Talabi

LitHouse podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2025 44:04


For decades, African speculative fiction has weaved together past and future, combining myths and legends with space exploration and social criticism and broadening the scope of both African and speculative literatures.In this original lecture, invited by The House of Literature and recorded digitally, Nigerian author Wole Talabi presents a timeline of African speculative fiction from its early beginnings and until the present day. Here, he reflects on the influence and importance of the genre, citing its central works and defining its distinguishing features.Wole Talabi is a Nigerian engineer and author of speculative fiction currently living in Perth, Australia. His published works include the short story collections Incomplete Solutions (2019) and Convergence Problems (2024), as well as the novel Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon (2023), which won the Nommo award for best novel in 2024. His short stories have been nominated for and won several awards, including the Sidewise, Nommo and Locus awards, as well as being awarded the Caine Prize for African Writing.Talabi also compiled a database of published works of African speculative fiction, which he edited from 2015 to 2021. He is also the editor of several anthologies of African speculative fiction, including the landmark publication Africanfuturism. An Anthology (2020) and remains one of the field's chief advocates and central thinkers.Works mentioned:Early Works (1930s – 1960s):Jean-Louis Njemba Medou – Nnanga Kon (1932)Muhammadu Bello Kagara – Gandoki (1934)D.O. Fagunwa – Forest of a Thousand Daemons (1938)Amos Tutuola – The Palm-Wine Drinkard (1952)Post-Independence Flourish (1960s – early 2000s):Sony Labou Tansi – Life and A Half (1979)Buchi Emecheta – The Rape of Shavi (1983)Kojo Laing – Woman of the Aeroplanes (1988)Ben Okri – The Famished Road (1991)Kojo Laing – Major Gentl and Achimota Wars (1992)Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o – The Wizard of the Crow (2004/2006)The Internet Age and Genre Recognition (early 2000s – early 2010's)Nnedi Okorafor – Zahrah the Windseeker (2005)Ahmed Khaled Towfik – Utopia (2008) Lauren Beukes – Moxyland (2008)Lauren Beukes – Zoo City (2010)Nnedi Okorafor – Who Fears Death (2010)Ivor Hartmann (ed.) – Afro SF (2012)Increasing Global Recognition (2010s – present):Deji Bryce Olukotun – Nigerians in Space (2014)Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi – Kintu (2014) Tade Thompson – Rosewater (2016)Tochi Onyebuchi – Beasts Made of Night (2017)Akwaeke Emezi – Freshwater (2018)Namwali Serpell – The Old Drift (2019)Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki – Ife-Iyoku, the Tale of Imadeyunuagbon (2020)Other works mentioned:Chinua Achebe – Things Fall Apart (1958)Helen Oyeyemi – The Icarus Girl (2005)Wole Talabi – Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon (2023)Weird Tales, fantasy and horror magazineJungle Jim, bi-monthly African pulp fiction magazineOmenana Speculative fiction magazineBlack Panther (dir. Ryan Coogler, 2018)“Afro-mythology and African futurism”, essay by Pamela Phatsimo SunstrumNnedi Okorafor – “Spider the Artist”Phoenix, publishing imprint at Ouida BooksMother, publishing imprint by Jacana MediaChikodili Emelumadu – Dazzling (2023)Yvette Lisa Ndlovu – Drinking from Graveyard Wells (2023)Pemi Aguda – Ghostroots (2024)Tlotlo Tsamaase – Womb City (2024)Suyi Davies Okungbowa – Warrior of The Wind (2023)T. L. Huchu – The Library of The Dead (2021)The Sauúti collective Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Books in Literature
Chikodili Emelumadu, "Dazzling" (Harry N. Abrams, 2023)

New Books in Literature

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2024 29:33


Today I talked to Chikodili Emelumadu about Dazzling (Harry N. Abrams, 2023). Treasure and Ozoemena are young Nigerian girls forced to deal with spirits after losing their fathers. Treasure is forced to beg in the marketplace as her mother lies bedridden and depressed, and a wicked spirit finds her there and tries to make her his wife. He promises to bring her father back to life if she helps him by finding other girls for his friends. Ozoemena's father has disappeared, leaving the family with questions and responsibilities. She learns from her grandmother that she is descended from a wild, ancient beast, the Leopard from an Igbo legend, which gives her terrible dreams and sometimes takes over her body. Touching on Igbo mythology and African folklore, Emelumadu's dual-voiced stories focus on family, traditions, growing up, and the forces that conspire to prevent people from overcoming their grief. Chikodili Emelumadu was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire and raised in Awka, Nigeria. Her work has been shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Awards (2015), the Caine Prize for African Literature (2017 & 2020) and has won a Nommo award (2020 & 2024). In 2019, she emerged winner of the inaugural Curtis Brown First Novel prize for her debut novel, Dazzling. Her short fiction is available in many magazines and anthologies such as Isolation: The Horror Anthology (2022), Screams from the Dark (2022), Experimental Writing: A Writer's Guide and Anthology (2024) and as part of the Royal Literary Fund's Writer's Mosaic. She can be found raving about books and art on Twitter @chemelumadu, or Instagram @chikodiliemelumadu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

The Best of Weekend Breakfast
SA writer Nadia Davids wins 2024 Caine Prize

The Best of Weekend Breakfast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2024 11:38


Playwright, academic, novelist and short story writer Nadia Davids, on what to make of her recent award for the 2024 Caine Prize for African Writing for her short story, Bridling, published in The Georgia Review in 2023, which saw a record-breaking 320 entries from 28 African countries all competing for the coveted prize.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LitHouse podcast
My African Reading List: Leila Aboulela

LitHouse podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2024 30:05


Leila Aboulela is a Sudanese writer, currently living in Scotland. She is the author of six award winning novels, including The Translator (1999), Bird Summons (2019) and River Spirit (2023), as well as a number of plays and short story collections. Aboulela was the first ever winner of the Caine Prize for Fiction, and an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.This is Leila Aboulela's reading list:Maaza Mengiste, The Shadow KingTayeb Salih, Season of Migration to the North The Wedding of ZeinNaguib Mahfouz, The Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street) The Thief and the dogs Ahdaf Soueif, In the Eye of the SunFatin Abbas, Ghost Season Isabella Hammad, The Parisian Enter Ghost In this podcast series the House of Literature in Oslo, Norway invites writers and thinkers to talk about their work, what they read and present their reading list from the African continent and diaspora. Host in this episode Åshild Lappegård LahnEditing and production by the House of LiteratureMusic by Ibou CissokhoThe House of Literature's project to promote African literature is supported by NORAD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Litteraturhusets podkast
My African Reading List: Leila Aboulela

Litteraturhusets podkast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2024 30:05


Leila Aboulela er en sudansk forfatter som bor i Skottland. Hun er forfatter av seks kritikerroste og prisvinnende romaner, blant annet The Translator (1999), Bird Summons (2019) og River Spirit (2023), samt en rekke skuespill og flere novellesamlinger. Abouela var den aller første vinneren av Caine Prize for Fiction, og hun er valgt inn i The Royal Society of Literature.Dette er Leila Aboulelas leseliste:Maaza Mengiste, The Shadow King (Skyggekongen)Tayeb Salih, Season of Migration to the North (Trekket mot nord) The Wedding of ZeinNaguib Mahfouz, The Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street) - Kairo-trilogien (Mellom to slott, Begjærets palass, Sukkerhuset) The Thief and the dogs Ahdaf Soueif, In the Eye of the SunFatin Abbas, Ghost Season Isabella Hammad, The Parisian (Pariseren) Enter Ghost (Gjenferdet inn) I denne podkastserien inviterer Stiftelsen Litteraturhuset forfattere og tenker til å snakke om sine forfatterskap, lesepraksis og sin leseliste fra det afrikanske kontinentet og diaspora. Intervjuer i denne episoden er Åshild Lappegård LahnRedigering og produksjon ved Stiftelsen Litteraturhuset. Musikk av Ibou Cissokho Litteraturhusets satsning på afrikansk litteratur er støttet av NORAD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drama of the Week
Short Works - 'My Grandmother's Degree'

Drama of the Week

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2024 14:17


Amira Ghazalla reads a new short work from Leila Aboulela, as a woman remembers a childhood gift from her vibrant and beloved grandmother. Produced by Eilidh McCreadie Leila Aboulela is the first-ever winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing. Nominated three times for the Orange Prize (now the Women's Prize for Fiction), she is the author of novels, including Bird Summons, The Kindness of Enemies, The Translator (a New York Times Notable Book of the Year), Minaret and Lyrics Alley, Fiction Winner of the Scottish Book Awards. Her collection of short stories Elsewhere, Home won the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year. Leila's work has been translated into fifteen languages, and her plays The Insider, The Mystic Life and others were broadcast on BBC Radio. She grew up in Khartoum, Sudan, and now lives in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Monocle 24: The Briefing
Tuesday 3 October

Monocle 24: The Briefing

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2023 31:37


We discuss Nato's weakest flank in the Balkans, the growing rift in the US Republican Party as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's future is in question and the spread of the far right in Germany. Plus: we talk to Fareda Banda, judge of the Caine Prize for African Writing 2023, about last night's winners.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BookRising
Color of Publishing 3, perspectives from the United Kingdom

BookRising

Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2023 47:52


In the third episode of Color of Publishing, we focus on publishing perspectives from the United Kingdom with two prolific editors and writers, Margaret Busby and Ellah P. Wakatama. Host Bhakti Shringarpure engages the two experts in a wide-ranging conversation about the history of publishing in the UK, questions of diversity and representation, book acquisitions, taste and culture-making, and structural racism. Busby and Wakatama have been witness to the long arc of how publishing has evolved and they speak about the transformations they have witnessed in the business over the years but they also recall the times when diversity was almost non-existent. They are keen to celebrate the successes and the changes taking place in UK publishing as there are more opportunities now for Black, Asian and international writers. However, even as prizes, festivals and book advances grow, they worry whether the shift can be sustained. Busby and Wakatama also acknowledge the importance of camaraderie and shared mission between each other as Black women in publishing over the years .Margaret Busby is a Ghanaian born writer, editor and broadcaster. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisher when she co-founded the publishing house Allison and Busby in the 1960s. She has edited the Daughters of Africa anthology and the second New Daughters of Africa anthology. She was awarded the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement award in 2021 and the CBE, and she is a member of The Royal Society of Literature. She was appointed the president of English PEN in 2023.Ellah P. Wakatama was born in Zimbabwe, educated in the US and has been a London-based writer and editor for the past many years. She is editor-at-large at Canongate Books and chair of the Caine Prize for African Writing. She has edited several anthologies and has contributed to several of them as well. She was given an OBE for services to the publishing industry in 2011, and New African Magazine also named her one of “100 Most Influential Africans” in 2016.

The Diverse Bookshelf
Ep20: Leila Aboulela on historical fiction, recentering women and River Spirit

The Diverse Bookshelf

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2023 55:58


Leila Aboulela is one of my go-to authors. I know her words are always full of wisdom and inspiration, telling fascinating and insightful stories. I've read quite a few of her books over the last few years, and so I'm so thrilled that she was my guest on the show.In this episode, we talk about her new novel, River Spirit which is out in March 2023, published by Saqi Books in the UK. We also talk about historical fiction, re-centring women in historical narratives, understanding slavery and how it differed over time and throughout the world, and the role that faith plays in Leila's writing. Leila Aboulela is the first-ever winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing. Nominated three times for the Orange Prize (now the Women's Prize for Fiction), she is the author of numerous novels, including Bird Summons, The Kindness of Enemies, The Translator, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Minaret and Lyrics Alley, which was Fiction Winner of the Scottish Book Awards. Her collection of short stories Elsewhere, Home won the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year. Leila's work has been translated into fifteen languages, and her plays The Insider, The Mystic Life and others were broadcast on BBC Radio. She grew up in Khartoum, Sudan, and now lives in Aberdeen, Scotland.You can find Leila on instagram on: @leilaaboulela If you enjoyed this episode, please like and follow the podcast on your platform of choice and do consider leaving a review. It helps more people find the podcast.Connnect with me on social media:www.instagram.com/readwithsamiawww.instagram.com/thediversebookshelfpod Support the show

LitHouse podcast
My African Reading List: Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

LitHouse podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2023 39:13


Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is an author, screenwriter, and former head of the Zanzibar International Film Festival. In 2003, the Kenyan won the Caine Prize for African Writing, and her 2013 debut novel, Dust, won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature. In 2015, Owuor visited the House of Literature, a visit that resulted in the Norwegian publication of Dust. The critically acclaimed The Dragonfly Sea followed in 2019. These authors are on Yvonnes reading list:Makena OnjericaOduor OkwiriDennis MugaaIdza LuhumyoTroy OnyangoRemy NgamijeGloria MwanigeKwame NyongoAleya KassamIn this podcastseries the House of Literature in Oslo, Norway invites writers and thinkers to talk about their work, what they read and present their readinglist from the African continent and diaspora. Interviewer in this episode Nosizwe Lise BaqwaEditing and production by the House of LiteratureMusic by Ibou Cissokho The House of Literature's project to promote African literature is supported by NORAD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Litteraturhusets podkast
My African Reading List: Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

Litteraturhusets podkast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2022 39:13


Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor er forfatter og manusforfatter fra Kenya. Hun har tidligere ledet Zanzibar internasjonale filmfestival. I 2003 vant hun novellekonkurransen Caine Prize for African Writing, og i 2013 kom debutromanen Dust, som ble tildelt Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature. I 2015 gjestet hun Litteraturhuset, et besøk som resulterte i norsk oversettelse og utgivelse av Dust. I 2019 fulgte den kritikerroste The Dragonfly Sea. Disse forfatterne er på Yvonnes leseliste. Makena OnjericaOduor OkwiriDennis MugaaIdza LuhumyoTroy OnyangoRemy NgamijeGloria MwanigeKwame NyongoAleya KassamHaji Gora HajiI denne podkastserien inviterer Stiftelsen Litteraturhuset forfattere og tenker til å snakke om sine forfatterskap, lesepraksis og sin leseliste fra det afrikanske kontinentet og diaspora. Intervjuer i denne episoden er Nosizwe Lise BaqwaRedigering og produksjon ved Stiftelsen Litteraturhuset. Musikk av Ibou Cissokho Litteraturhusets satsning på afrikansk litteratur er støttet av NORAD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SemiScribbled Podcast
On Rotation aka "What is Romance?"

SemiScribbled Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2022 24:02


Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 4 of Season 3 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this episode, I am falling into romance...get it? Lol. I talk about On Rotation: A Novel by Shirlene Obuobi. 2022 has been a rough year and I was looking for an escape from the usual tough, hard, challenging themes that this book delivered. It also goes with my own personal theme of the year on building community and working with a love ethic. The other themes: first-born African daughters who are raised to overachieve, discover themselves, freeing themselves from expectations are found within this book and were the perfect recipe for me. Also, what the avid romance readers and avid readers call spice was plenty! I recommend this read as we ease into the last quarter of this year. The something-to-note section is also full of what I've been doing out and about Nairobi to do with books! Clips from this section are from a) 2022 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction, b) Idza Luhumyo wins the Caine Prize 2022, and c) Macondo Literary Festival. Our editing maestro is THE Tevin Sudi. Please follow me on Twitter and Instagram (both @podcast_semi) I'd love to engage with you. You can also send me an email: semiscribbledpod at gmail.com In this episode: Music by Coma-Media from Pixabay Music by TuesdayNight from Pixabay Music by TuesdayNight from Pixabay

LARB Radio Hour
Namwali Serpell's "The Furrows"

LARB Radio Hour

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2022 37:03


On this special LARB Book Club episode of the Radio Hour, Boris Dralyuk and Medaya Ocher are joined by Namwali Serpell, to speak about her new novel, The Furrows. One of the most daring and protean literary voices working today, Serpell is a Zambian-born novelist and essayist, and a professor of English at Harvard University. Her debut novel, The Old Drift, a genre-bending saga tracing the legacies of three families, appeared in 2019 and won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction, and the Los Angeles Times's Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. Her equally unclassifiable — a compliment, that — work of nonfiction, Stranger Faces, appeared the following year, as part of Transit Books' series of Undelivered Lectures, and was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award. Serpell is also the recipient of a 2020 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, the 2015 Caine Prize for African Writing, and a 2011 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award. Like The Old Drift, The Furrows defies narrative conventions and readerly expectations, but it does so with a narrower aim in view, homing in on the after-affects — which are, truth be told, manifold — of a particular, though uncertain, trauma, an event that fractures the protagonist's life and sense of self at the age of 12. Blamed for the death of her younger brother, Cassandra is haunted by the presence of his absence — or is it simply his presence? — for the rest of her days. What Serpell's novel tells us is what Cassandra promises to tell us: not what happened, but how it felt. Also, Kathern Scanlan, author of Kick the Latch returns to recommend Charles Reznikoff's Testimony: The United States 1885-1915: Recitative.

LA Review of Books
Namwali Serpell's "The Furrows"

LA Review of Books

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2022 37:02


On this special LARB Book Club episode of the Radio Hour, Boris Dralyuk and Medaya Ocher are joined by Namwali Serpell, to speak about her new novel, The Furrows. One of the most daring and protean literary voices working today, Serpell is a Zambian-born novelist and essayist, and a professor of English at Harvard University. Her debut novel, The Old Drift, a genre-bending saga tracing the legacies of three families, appeared in 2019 and won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction, and the Los Angeles Times's Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. Her equally unclassifiable — a compliment, that — work of nonfiction, Stranger Faces, appeared the following year, as part of Transit Books' series of Undelivered Lectures, and was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award. Serpell is also the recipient of a 2020 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, the 2015 Caine Prize for African Writing, and a 2011 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award. Like The Old Drift, The Furrows defies narrative conventions and readerly expectations, but it does so with a narrower aim in view, homing in on the after-affects — which are, truth be told, manifold — of a particular, though uncertain, trauma, an event that fractures the protagonist's life and sense of self at the age of 12. Blamed for the death of her younger brother, Cassandra is haunted by the presence of his absence — or is it simply his presence? — for the rest of her days. What Serpell's novel tells us is what Cassandra promises to tell us: not what happened, but how it felt. Also, Kathern Scanlan, author of Kick the Latch returns to recommend Charles Reznikoff's Testimony: The United States 1885-1915: Recitative.

BookRising
Chinelo Okparanta: On Literature for Social Justice

BookRising

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2022 56:20


Nigerian-American writer Chinelo Okparanta joins host Bhakti Shringarpure for an episode of BookRising as part of our Trailblazing African Feminists series. Okparanta was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States when she was 10 years old. She rose to prominence with her short story collection Happiness, Like Water (2013) which was a bittersweet reflection on the lives of Nigerian women living in Nigeria and in the US. Her next book Under the Udala Trees (2015) told the story of desire between two young girls as the war rages in 1960s Nigeria. This novel of queer, forbidden love established Okparanta as a fearless writer who could tackle difficult, politically charged topics. She has been the winner Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction in 2014 and 2016 and the Publishing Triangle's inaugural Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award. Her books have been shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing, the Etisalat Prize for Literature and many others, and she was selected by Granta for their Best of Young American Novelists list which is announced every decade. Okparanta's most recent novel is Harry Sylvester Bird which is a searing meditation on race in the United States and in which Okparanta writes through the consciousness of a liberal, white American male. In this podcast, she spoke honestly about her motivations for taking on this complicated experiment. Undergirding all her writing is her experience as a migrant in the US and challenges she is forced to navigate on a daily basis. Okparanta admits that her writing has always been motivated by a sense of social justice and a desire to work through all kinds of societal problems that plague her deeply. Bhakti Shringarpure is the Creative Director of Radical Books Collective.

Keen On Democracy
Namwali Serpell on Grief and Its Association With Religion and Writing

Keen On Democracy

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2022 30:01


Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Namwali Serpell, author of The Furrows. Namwali Serpell was born in Lusaka, Zambia, and lives in New York. She received a 2020 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, the 2015 Caine Prize for African Writing, and a 2011 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award. Her debut novel, The Old Drift, won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction, and the Los Angeles Times‘s Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction; it was named one of the 100 Notable Books of 2019 by the New York Times Book Review and one of Time magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of the Year. Her nonfiction book, Stranger Faces, was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism. She is currently a professor of English at Harvard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Shift (on life after 40) with Sam Baker
Nana-Ama Danquah on the triple burden of mental health, menopause and being Black - THE SHIFT REVISITED

The Shift (on life after 40) with Sam Baker

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2022 45:43


One of my favourite things about making The Shift podcast is all the fascinating women I get to interview - and learn a little bit from. So I'm revisiting a few of my favourite episodes while I finish putting together the new season. I had never heard of Nana-Ama Danquah before I started The Shift and speaking to her was one of my most enlightening conversations. Nana-Ama's writing has recently found a new audience and was shortlisted for this year's Caine Prize.Here are the original show notes:My guest today is the Ghanaian American writer Nana-Ama Danquah. Nana-Ama found herself in the public eye when, in the late 90s, she published her memoir Willow Weep For Me about suffering from clinical depression - one of the first books to openly discuss black women's mental health experience. Critically acclaimed by the likes of the late, great Maya Angelou, its description of the shame, dismissal, denial and out and out despair experienced by many black women started a much-needed conversation that was widely credited with “saving lives”. (It's currently not published in the UK - publishers I AM LOOKING AT YOU!)Now 53, Nana-Ama joined me from her home in (sunny) California (grrr) to talk about the double - in fact, make that triple - burden of mental health, menopause and being black, why black women are driving change right now, how menopause turned her into a hot mess and how she's finally learnt the joy of doing what you do until you die.• You can buy all the books mentioned in this podcast at Bookshop.org, including the book that accompanies this podcast, The Shift: how I lost and found myself after 40 - and you can too by Sam Baker. Willow Weep For Me by Nana-Ama Danquah is not published in the UK, but you can buy it from amazon.co.uk or abebooks.co.uk.* And if you'd like to support the work that goes into making this podcast and get a weekly newsletter plus loads more content including transcripts of the podcast, please join The Shift community. Find out more at https://steadyhq.com/en/theshift/• The Shift (on life after 40) with Sam Baker is created and hosted by Sam Baker and edited by Emily Sandford. If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate/review/follow as it really does help other people find us. And let me know what you think on twitter @sambaker or instagram @theothersambaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PAGECAST: Season 1
Joy and Mary Watson chat about Mary's latest book, 'Blood to Poison'

PAGECAST: Season 1

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2022 38:33


About the book Seventeen-year-old Savannah is cursed. It's a sinister family heirloom; passed down through the bloodline for hundreds of years, with one woman in every generation destined to die young. The family call them Hella's girls, named for their ancestor Hella; the enslaved woman with whom it all began. Hella's girls are always angry, especially in the months before they die. The anger is bursting from Savannah - at the men who cat-call her in the street, at her mother's disingenuous fiancé, even at her own loving family. Each fit of rage is bringing her closer to the edge and now Savannah has to act to save herself. Or die trying. Because the key to survival lies in the underbelly of Cape Town, where the sinister veilwitches are waiting for just such a girl. Blood to Poison is a furious and mesmerising story about discovering magic, historical rage and love in all its guises. About Mary Watson Mary Watson is a South African author who won the Caine Prize in 2006 for her short story Jungfrau. Watson is the author of Moss, a collection of short stories published in 2004. Watson completed her master's degree in creative writing under André Brink at the University of Cape Town. Jungfrau originated as part of this 2001 master's thesis. After receiving a second master's degree at the University of Bristol in 2003, she returned to Cape Town to teach film studies while pursuing a PhD. Watson has lived in Galway, Ireland, since 2008. Blood to Poison is her third novel for young adults and the first rooted in her South African heritage. About Joy Watson Joy is a feminist researcher and writer. Her areas of specialisation are analysing public policy and service delivery, as well as tracking funding flows from the perspective of building social equity. She has many years of experience in developing feminist responses to public policy and has worked on research initiatives in South Africa as well as internationally, including for the UN Habitat's Safer Cities programme and UN Women initiatives. Together with Amanda Gouws, she has co-edited the book, Nasty Women Talk Back: A Collection of Feminist Essays on the Global Women's Marches (Imbali, 2018). You can find her book reviews and reflections on life and its joys and sorrows on the pages of Daily Maverick Life. Her debut novel, debut novel, 'The Other Me', published in 2022 is a gripping read about love, life and the harrowing lengths one woman will go to survive. Enjoy this exciting, casual and funny chat between the overly talented Watson sisters.

PAGECAST: Season 1
Joy and Mary Watson chat about Mary's latest book, 'Blood to Poison'

PAGECAST: Season 1

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2022 38:33


About the book Seventeen-year-old Savannah is cursed. It's a sinister family heirloom; passed down through the bloodline for hundreds of years, with one woman in every generation destined to die young. The family call them Hella's girls, named for their ancestor Hella; the enslaved woman with whom it all began. Hella's girls are always angry, especially in the months before they die. The anger is bursting from Savannah - at the men who cat-call her in the street, at her mother's disingenuous fiancé, even at her own loving family. Each fit of rage is bringing her closer to the edge and now Savannah has to act to save herself. Or die trying. Because the key to survival lies in the underbelly of Cape Town, where the sinister veilwitches are waiting for just such a girl. Blood to Poison is a furious and mesmerising story about discovering magic, historical rage and love in all its guises. About Mary Watson Mary Watson is a South African author who won the Caine Prize in 2006 for her short story Jungfrau. Watson is the author of Moss, a collection of short stories published in 2004. Watson completed her master's degree in creative writing under André Brink at the University of Cape Town. Jungfrau originated as part of this 2001 master's thesis. After receiving a second master's degree at the University of Bristol in 2003, she returned to Cape Town to teach film studies while pursuing a PhD. Watson has lived in Galway, Ireland, since 2008. Blood to Poison is her third novel for young adults and the first rooted in her South African heritage. About Joy Watson Joy is a feminist researcher and writer. Her areas of specialisation are analysing public policy and service delivery, as well as tracking funding flows from the perspective of building social equity. She has many years of experience in developing feminist responses to public policy and has worked on research initiatives in South Africa as well as internationally, including for the UN Habitat's Safer Cities programme and UN Women initiatives. Together with Amanda Gouws, she has co-edited the book, Nasty Women Talk Back: A Collection of Feminist Essays on the Global Women's Marches (Imbali, 2018). You can find her book reviews and reflections on life and its joys and sorrows on the pages of Daily Maverick Life. Her debut novel, debut novel, 'The Other Me', published in 2022 is a gripping read about love, life and the harrowing lengths one woman will go to survive. Enjoy this exciting, casual and funny chat between the overly talented Watson sisters.

Afternoon Drive with John Maytham
Caine Prize for African Writing

Afternoon Drive with John Maytham

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2022 7:00


Guest: Rachel Zadok | Convener, Editor, and Fundraiser for Short Story Day AfricaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SemiScribbled Podcast
Finding Me..../The Other Black Girl/AKO Caine Prize Shortlist 2022

SemiScribbled Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2022 25:27


Hello Everyone! I'm back and I missed you. Thank you for tuning in to Episode 2 of Season 3 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this comeback episode, I talk about Finding Me by Viola Davies, a memoir that I can get with. Authentic and so well written that I would definitely place it in my top 10 of 2022 and would easily revisit it. Viola is truly an artist of many talents. The journey of her life is so interesting and lets us into her personality and the choices we have seen her make publicly, which perhaps gives us a little more understanding. I also talk about The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris. I struggled with TOBG and I do my best to articulate why. I need to DNF books and let y'all know about it. Finally, I speak about the 2022 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing Shortlist! I am beyond excited about this year's list. This episode, the Something To Note Section, includes a clip of the 2021 Chair of Judges, Goretti Kyomuhendo obtained from the 2021 AKO Caine Prize Award Ceremony. Our editing maestro is THE Tevin Sudi. Please follow me on Twitter and Instagram (both @podcast_semi) I'd love to engage with you. You can also send me an email: semiscribbledpod at gmail.com In this episode: Music by Coma-Media from Pixabay Music by TuesdayNight from Pixabay

Better Words
Female anger and family curses with Mary Watson

Better Words

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2022 54:45


Mary Watson is from Cape Town and now lives on the west coast of Ireland. She's worked as an art museum guide, library assistant, theatre duty manager, and an actor in children's musicals. She has a PhD from the University of Cape Town where she taught for many years. She won the Caine Prize in 2006, and the Philida Award in 2022. She writes short stories, young adult fantasy and thrillers. Her YA debut, The Wren Hunt, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards. Today we are discussing her new YA novel, Blood to Poison. Our interview begins at  00:12:00 Caitlin recommends: Book Lovers by Emily Henry A fun read that plays on (and twists) our favourite romance tropes. Michelle recommends: One Ordinary Day at a Time by Sarah J Harris A moving and beautiful contemporary novel about two unlikely friends who have the power to change each other's lives. In this interview, we chat about: How Mary's own family curse and grief inspired the novel Female anger, shame and intergenerational anger The joy Mary found in writing about her South African homeland after writing about Ireland in her previous YA books The magic Mary invented for the novel and the 'real strange' found in South Africa Mary's publishing journey and moving from adult literary books to YA after a career as an academic Books and other things mentioned: Beach Read and You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry Follow Mary Watson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/marym_watson/ (@Marym_watson) Blood to Poison is available now. Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending us copies of the book to read in preparation for the interview. Connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterwordspod/ (@betterwordspod)

Black & Published
I Don't Write Bad Sentences with Nana Nkweti

Black & Published

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2022 44:49


On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Nana Nkweti, author of the short story collection, Walking on Cowrie Shells. Nana is a Caine Prize finalist and alumna of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her work has garnered fellowships from MacDowell, Kimbilio, Ucross, and the Wurlitzer Foundation, among others. She is a professor of English at the University of Alabama.Episode Notes _________________________On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Nana Nkweti, author of the short story collection, Walking on Cowrie Shells. Nana is a Caine Prize finalist and alumna of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her work has garnered fellowships from MacDowell, Kimbilio, Ucross, and the Wurlitzer Foundation, among others. She is a professor of English at the University of Alabama.During the conversation, Nana breaks down the financial difference when it comes to selling a short story collection versus selling a novel and why she wants to be remembered for writing the stories of the weird and quirky, complicating the narrative, and telling the stories of the domestic interior. She also explains her writing process and balancing those instinctual thunderclap moments with the craft of discipline that comes in revision. Support the show (https://paypal.me/nikeshaelise)

BookRising
Leila Aboulela: Writing Muslim Lives

BookRising

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2021 50:31


Sudanese writer Leila Aboulela spoke with host Bhakti Shringarpure about East African and Sudanese literature, about Abdulrazak Gurnah's Nobel prize win, on writing about Muslim lives and Muslim cultures, and the ways in which the exciting shifts in readership across the Muslim world are shifting publishing paradigms. She commented on the ways in which the events of 9/11 and the ensuing wars altered the reception of books by her and other Muslim authors. Leila Aboulela is a writer from Sudan and currently lives in Aberdeen, Scotland. She has published five novels, two short story collections and many radio plays. She was the first every recipient of the Caine Prize for African Writing in the year 2000 for her short story "The Museum" and her novels have been long-listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction. Aboulela's short-story collection Elsewhere, Home was the winner of the 2018 Saltire Fiction Book of the Year Award. Bhakti Shringarpure is the Creative Director of the Radical Books Collective and the host for their BookRising podcast.

BookRising
Yvonne Owuor on Abdulrazak Gurnah and Swahili Literature

BookRising

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2021 23:02


Meg Arenberg is joined by Kenyan novelist Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor to celebrate the momentous occasion of Abdulrazak Gurnah's Nobel Prize, in her words, "a family win." Owuor talks about Gurnah the man and the mentor, the textures of his writing and how it has influenced her own, and reflects on the cartographic imagination that nourishes both poetry and prose born from the Swahili seas. The conversation between Owuor and Arenberg is followed by a short reading from By the Sea (2001), one of Gurnah's most poignant depictions of the migrant experience and the rippling effects of colonial violence in the lives of ordinary people. In a few deft strokes, the passage orients us to the layered histories of Zanzibar's encounters with the world in both their raucous beauty and their brutality. Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor was born in Nairobi, Kenya. She studied English and History at the Kenyatta University, earned a Master of Arts degree at the University of Reading, UK, and an MPhil (Creative Writing) from the University of Queensland, Brisbane. From 2003 to 2005, she was the executive director of the Zanzibar International Film Festival under the remit of which a literary forum was established. Her short story, The Weight of Whispers, earned her the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2003. She is the author of two novels, Dust (2014) and The Dragonfly Sea (2019). Meg Arenberg is a writer, translator and scholar. She is a postdoctoral fellow in AMESALL at Rutgers University and Managing Director of the Radical Books Collective.

Lannan Center Podcast
Special Event: Tope Folarin | 2021-2022 Readings & Talks Series

Lannan Center Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2021 69:01


On November 30th, 2021, the Lannan Center presented a reading and talk featuring author Tope Folarin Introduction by Aminatta Forna.About Tope FolarinTope Folarin is a Nigerian-American writer based in Washington, D.C. He won the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2013 and was shortlisted once again in 2016. He was also recently named to the Africa39 list of the most promising African writers under 40. Folarin was educated at Morehouse College and the University of Oxford, where he earned two Masters degrees as a Rhodes Scholar. He is the author of A Particular Kind of Black Man (Simon & Schuster, 2019), and is currently the Lannan Creative Writing Visiting Lecturer at Georgetown University and Director of the Institute for Policy Studies.From A Particular Kind of Black ManShe told me I could serve her in heaven.She accompanied me to school each day. School was about a mile away, and a few hundred feet into my trek, just as my family's apartment building drifted out of view behind me, she would appear at my side.I don't remember how she looked. Memory often summons a generic figure in her place: an elderly white woman with frizzled gray hair, slightly bent over, a smile featuring an assortment of gaps and silver linings. I do remember her touch, however—it felt cool and papery, disarmingly comfortable on the hottest days of fall. She would often pat my head as we walked together, and a penetrating silence would cancel the morning sounds around us. I felt comfortable, protected somehow, in her presence. She never walked all the way to school with me, but her parting words were always the same:“Remember, if you are a good boy here on earth, you can serve me in heaven.”I was five years old. Her words sounded magical to me. Vast and alluring. I didn't know her, I barely knew her name, but the offer she held out to me each morning seemed far too generous to dismiss lightly. In class I would think about what servitude in heaven would be like. I imagined myself carrying buckets of water for her on streets of gold, rubbing her feet as angels sang praises in the background. I imagined that I'd have my own heavenly shack. I'd have time to do my own personal heavenly things as well.How else would I get to heaven?One day I told my father about her offer. We were talking about heaven, a favorite subject of his, and I mentioned that I already had a place there. “I've already found someone to serve,” I said.“What do you mean?”Dad smiled warmly at me. I felt his love. I repeated myself:“Daddy, I'm going to heaven.”“And how are you going to get there?”I told him about the old lady, my heavenly shack, the streets of gold. My father stared at me a moment, grief and sadness surging briefly to the surface of his face. And then anger. He leaned forward, stared into my eyes.“Listen to me now. The only person you will serve in heaven is God. You will serve no one else.”Music: Quantum Jazz — "Orbiting A Distant Planet" — Provided by Jamendo.

The Lives of Writers
Tope Folarin

The Lives of Writers

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2021 48:46


Michael talks with Tope Folarin about his first trip back to Salt Lake City in 27 years, decolonizing art, the whiteness of autofiction in the critical sphere, directing The Institute of Policy Studies, his debut novel A Particular Kind of Black Man, the naming of main characters in autofiction, a next book in progress, and more.Tope Folarin is a Nigerian-American writer based in Washington DC. His debut novel, A Particular Kind of Black Man, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2019, and he has garnered many awards for his work, including the Caine Prize for African Writing and more recently the Whiting Award for Fiction.If you'd like to hear Tope Folarin talk more about autofiction and whiteness (and more), check out his previous conversation with Teresa Carmody and Ryan Rivas on the Autofocus YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc7T0yQ45fg.Podcast theme: DJ Garlik & Bertholet's "Special Sause" used with permission from Bertholet.

Line by Line
Episode 6: Ellah Wakatama and John Self

Line by Line

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2021 38:32


Our guests this week are Ellah Wakatama, chair of the Caine Prize for African writing and Editor-at-large for Canongate Books and the critic John Self, who writes about books on his own blog Asylum, as well a broad variety of newspapers and radio programmes. If you would like the read the extracts discussed in this episode go to linebyline.substack.com.Comments and feedback to @tds153 on Twitter. Line by Line is produced by Ben Tulloh with readings by Deli Segal. Music by Dee Yan-Key.

The Inner Loop Radio: A Creative Writing Podcast
Contest to Book Deal with Tope Folarin

The Inner Loop Radio: A Creative Writing Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2021 50:57


Publishing a book is a long and unpredictable process that can seem opaque to new writers. Tope Folarin, author of A Particular Kind of Black Man, takes us on his journey from winning the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing to landing a book deal to being awarded the 2021 Whiting Award for Fiction. We laugh at the Oscar-style ceremony in which he won his first prize, and then cry when we hear his editor slashed 50 pages of his manuscript. Plus, Tope, Courtney, and Rachel take a stab at magical realism during our signature writing exercise.

Sentimental Garbage
The Bodyguard (1992) with Irenosen Okojie

Sentimental Garbage

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2021 69:19


If I should stay, I would only get in your way. Caroline and Irenosen Okojie get extremely giddy about The Bodyguard, arguably the best date movie of all time. We talk about the tragic history of Whitney, the power of sister relationships in art, and the psychological weight of assassinations within contemporary culture. Irenosen is the author of several books, including the most recent Nudibranch. She is the winner of the Betty Trask award, the Caine Prize for African Writing, and was recently awarded an MBE for her services to literature. Caroline is an author and eats trash for dinner See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Shades of Us
The Review: Born On A Tuesday by Elnathan John

Shades of Us

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2021 22:16


From two-time Caine Prize finalist Elnathan John, Born on a Tuesday is a novel about a young boy struggling to find his place in a society that is fracturing along religious and political lines. We review this book on this episode of Shades of Us: The Review. #ShadesofUs   Facebook: Shades of Us. Twitter: Shades of Us Media. LinkedIn: Shades of Us. Instagram: Shades of Us Media. Blog: Shades of Us Vlog: Shades of Us Africa Credit: Born On A Tuesday by Elnathan John Image: Credit: Elnathan John Website

Reading Women
Interview with Meron Hadero

Reading Women

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2021 44:42


In this week's episode, Kendra talks with Meron Hadero about her short story, “Street Sweep”, which recently won the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. Plus, Didi sent along questions for Meron too! #TeamWork Thanks to our sponsors! House of CHANEL, creator of the iconic J12 sports watch. Always in motion, the J12 travels through time without ever losing its identity. Try MUBI for 30 Days at MUBI.com/ReadingWomen Check out our Patreon page to learn more about our book club and other Patreon-exclusive goodies. Follow along over on Instagram, join the discussion in our Goodreads group, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for more new books and extra book reviews! Things Mentioned AKO Caine Prize for African Writing - About the Prize Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing Didi's Introduction to the AKO Caine Prize Didi's Q&A with Iryn Tushabe Didi's Q&A with Meron Hadero Didi's Q&A with Doreen Baingana Books Mentioned “Street Sweep” by Meron Hadero A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times: Stories Meron Recommends The Other Shortlisted Cain Prize Authors What it Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories by Danielle Evans The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste Addis Ababa Noir (Akashic Noir) edited by Maaza Mengiste About the Author Meron Hadero is an Ethiopian-American who was born in Addis Ababa and came to the U.S. via Germany as a young child. She is the winner of the 2020 Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the 2019 Caine Prize for African Writing and published in Zyzzyva, Ploughshares, Addis Ababa Noir, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, New England Review, Best American Short Stories, among others. Website | Twitter | Facebook CONTACT Questions? Comments? Email us hello@readingwomenpodcast.com.  SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website Music by Miki Saito with Isaac Greene Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Real Fiction Radio
Rémy Ngamije

Real Fiction Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2021 28:13


Rwandan born Namibian writer Rémy Ngamije discusses his debut novel THE ETERNAL AUDIENCE OF ONE set in Windhoek, Namibia. Shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing. More information about this author: www.realfictionradio.com

Color Forward
46. Learning to Win as an Outsider

Color Forward

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2021 28:23


Today we're talking about getting comfortable in our own skin and overcoming self-doubt. Being an outsider doesn't mean you don't belong! Join Alisa, Rosa, and Dr. Merary as they chat with Elizabeth Colón-Revera, President & CEO of Metaphrasis Language & Cultural Solutions LLC, about how to own your reality by reframing it in a powerful way. Or as she puts it, "You don't have to compete with anyone. Not even yourself. You just have to be you." ––– "You can actually leverage being an outsider, in order to be the most unique and be the biggest voice in the room, and bring a new perspective to things that everybody else takes for granted." — Namwali Serpell, 2015 winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing ––– https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13927541/ (Join our LinkedIn group!) More from Elizabeth Colón-Rivera: https://metaphrasislcs.com/ (Metaphrasics.com) More from Rosa Santos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosa-santos-7b6ab02/ (LinkedIn) More from Dr. Merary Simeon: https://merarysimeon.com/ (MerarySimeon.com) More from Alisa Manjarrez: https://www.thehappycactus.club/ (The Happy Cactus) Get transcripts and more at https://www.colorforward.com/ (colorforward.com)

The Cultural Frontline
Literature in lockdown: Meron Hadero and Emilia Clarke

The Cultural Frontline

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2021 27:10


On this week's Cultural Frontline we consider the pleasure and the pain of literature in lockdown from the perspective of both writers and readers. Meron Hadero, the first Ethiopian writer to win The Caine Prize for African Writing, tells presenter Datshiane Navanayagam how she found refuge on the page in the pandemic and why she is drawn to write about displacement. The award-winning Australian novelist Tara June Winch reveals the impact of the coronavirus on her writing routine. The British actor and Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke discovered the essays of the late British author Jenny Diski during lockdown. Emilia speaks to poet and academic Dr Ian Patterson, who was married to Jenny, to discuss the power of cultural escapism in isolation. And, after revisiting her own early work during the pandemic, the renowned Russian author Ludmila Ulitskaya looks back on the radical reading that made her a writer in the Soviet Union. Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producers: Kirsty McQuire, Olivia Skinner, Paul Waters (Photo: Meron Hadero Credit: Meron Hadero)

Third Culture Africans
Helon Habila, Bringing African Literature to the Rest of the World

Third Culture Africans

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2021 44:36


Helon Habila believes in hard work, perseverance, and believing in himself and his capabilities. His motivation to be a great writer led him to defy the wishes of his parents and to challenge the negative beliefs of some of his fellow authors. He always believed his dream was possible, even if he didn't realize how big that dream could be and the reach it would have. Helon was willing to make big sacrifices in pursuit of his writing career, including leaving Nigeria, a country that was suffering from the consequences of a totalitarian military regime. Despite having won awards for his work, Helon maintains a humble attitude. He recognizes that he has had a lot of luck, which he could only leverage thanks to his preparation. Helon's determination is a big part of what allowed him to become a published author by Penguin, one of the world's top publishing houses. His advice to writers is to own their voice by understanding their culture and where they come from. Only then will they be able to see where they can innovate and how they can make their impact on the world. About Helon Habila Helon Habila is a Nigerian writer, poet, literary, and pioneer when it comes to African literature. He is an award-winning author, having earned prestigious recognitions such as the National Poetry Award and the Caine Prize. He has also been nominated for numerous other awards. Helon is currently a professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and he is in the process of writing his next novel, tentatively titled The Fortress. Highlights of the episode: 02:17: Helon Habila's journey to literature after trying to meet parental expectations by studying engineering.  06:57: How Helon had to hide his decision to become a writer for fear of being misunderstood. 11:06: Helon's start in the writing industry as a struggling romance story writer.  14:14: The “I made it” moment that encouraged Helon to keep writing.  16:40: The hardships faced by the publishing industry.   21:25: Helon's decision to enter his work into a contest posing as a publisher 23:50: The experience of being part of a community that believed in making cultural changes in Nigeria.  25:05: The need to leave the country to be able to write due to the anti-culture atmosphere in Nigeria. 29:23: Visualizing success and believing in the quality of his work helped Helon get where he wanted to be.  31:43: The need for a new model that allowed African writers to be published.  36:34: What it means to own your voice. 40:14: The process of reinventing yourself and adapting after arriving in a new country and how this can impact creativity. Mentioned Resources Third Culture Africans Malée Helon Habila

Writers of Color Reading Series
Arinze Ifeakandu

Writers of Color Reading Series

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2021 20:17


Arinze Ifeakandu was born in Kano, Nigeria and studied English at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is a recent MFA graduate from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where he was the winner of the 2018 Richard Yates Short Story Contest. Arinze was also shortlisted for The Caine Prize in 2017, and was the winner of a 2015 A Public Space Emerging Writer Fellowship, for his story “God's Children Are Little Broken Things.” He is currently on a teaching fellowship at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and his stories have recently appeared in A Public Space and One Story. The music for this podcast is "Ira" by Blake Shaw. Ongoing support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and from the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Phase 1 is an initiative of Arts Midwest and its peer United States Regional Arts Organizations made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Writers of Color Reading Series is produced by the Englert in Iowa City, Iowa, and is supported by Friends of the Englert. Visit www.englert.org/friends to support our programming. -------------------- Host: Jesus “Chuy” Renteria Line Producer & Audio Engineer: Savannah Lane Executive Producers: John Schickedanz & Andre Perry

Haymarket Books Live
Songlands: John Feffer and Tope Folarin in Conversation

Haymarket Books Live

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2021 87:38


Join John Feffer and Tope Folarin as they discuss Feffer's "Songlands," the stand-alone finale to the Splinterlands trilogy. 2052. The world is a mess. The climate change meltdown has triggered an endless cycle of natural disasters. Nationalist paramilitaries battle against religious extremists. Multinational corporations, with their own security forces, have replaced global institutions as the only real power-brokers. Waves of pandemics have closed borders with such regularity that travel has become mostly virtual. describes humanity 's last shot at solving the world 's problems. Can Aurora assemble a team to reverse the splintering of the international community and avert an even more dystopian future? Speakers: John Feffer is a playwright and the author of several books including Aftershock: A Journey into Eastern Europe's Broken Dreams and the novels Splinterlands, and Frostlands. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, Salon, and others. He is the director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies. Tope Folarin is a Nigerian-American writer based in Washington DC. He serves as Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Studies, and as the Lannan Visiting Lecturer in Creative Writing at Georgetown University. He has garnered many awards for his writing, including the Caine Prize for African Writing and the Whiting Award for Fiction. He was educated at Morehouse College and the University of Oxford, where he earned two Masters degrees as a Rhodes Scholar. His debut novel, A Particular Kind of Black Man, was published by Simon & Schuster. Order a copy of Songlands: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1654-songlands Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/0G3VcvWfzeU Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

The Best of Weekend Breakfast
Profiling Writer & Journalist, Percy Zvomuya

The Best of Weekend Breakfast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2021 42:48


Percy Zvomuya, a writer and critic who has written for numerous publications, including Chimurenga, the Mail & Guardian, Moto in Zimbabwe, the Sunday Times and the London Review of Books blog. He is a co-founder of Johannesburg-based writing collective The Con and, in 2014, was one of the judges for the Caine Prize for African Writing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lannan Center Podcast
A Reading Featuring 2020 Caine Prize Winner Irenosen Okojie

Lannan Center Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2021 54:52


On April 20, 2021, we held a virtual reading and conversation with Irenosen Okojie, winner of the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. Moderated by Prof. Lahra Smith, Director of African Studies Program.Irenosen Okojie is a Nigerian-British writer. She is the winner of the 2020 AKO Caine Prize For Fiction for her story, “Grace Jones.” Her debut novel Butterfly Fish won a Betty Trask award and was shortlisted for an Edinburgh International First Book Award. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Observer, the Guardian, the BBC and the Huffington Post amongst other publications. Her short stories have appeared internationally in publications including Salt's Best British Short Stories 2017, Kwani? and The Year's Best Weird Fiction. She was named at the London Short Story Festival by Booker Prize winning author Ben Okri OBE as a dynamic writing talent to watch and featured in the Evening Standard Magazine as one of London's exciting new authors. Her short story collection Speak Gigantular, published by Jacaranda Books was shortlisted for the Edgehill Short Story Prize, the Jhalak Prize, the Saboteur Awards and nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her collection of stories Nudibranch which includes her AKO Caine Prize winning “Grace Jones” is published by Dialogue Books.Lahra Smith is Director of the African Studies Program at Georgetown University. Smith is a Political Scientist with a particular interest in African politics, migration and refugees, and citizenship and equality. Her book, Making Citizens in Africa: Ethnicity, Gender and National Identity in Ethiopia, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2013. She teaches courses on migration, women and politics and theory and policy in Africa. Music: Quantum Jazz — "Orbiting A Distant Planet" — Provided by Jamendo.

Tendrils of Grief
Being Resilient When Life Seems Unfair

Tendrils of Grief

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2021 41:57


Tope Folarin is a Nigerian-American writer. He won the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story "Miracle". In his first novel, A Particular Kind of Black Man, Tope writes about a Nigerian family, new to America, as they try to assimilate and it takes from themes he had experienced throughout his life in America. Tope shares his grief story about his mother and her struggles with mental illness in this week’s episode.    Key Takeaways: Tope shares his grief story.  Tope’s mother didn’t pass away, but it felt like she was gone through her illness.  When Tope’s mother left, a lot of deep wounds were created and there was just a lack of understanding on why.  Tope had to undergo a very tough journey when it came to forgiveness of himself and his mother.  How did Tope get over his anger?  As a way to cope with Tope’s sadness and grief, he became hyper focused in school. Tope wanted to feel like a whole person again.  We are all on this journey together. No one truly has all the answers.  Do you believe ‘good things’ don’t happen to you?  If you tie your life to achieving specific goals, you will never truly be happy.  Tope’s father would always remind him to be thankful for everything you have.  In every crisis, there is an opportunity.  Grief can come in and then you end up structuring your life around it, not realizing there is a pest in your house.  Tope shares some of the benefits he’s received by going through hardship.  What advice does Tope have for someone going through grief?    Resources: Topefolarin.com Tope Folarin Tope’s book: A Particular Kind of Black Man: A Novel

Storyzfromyhair
Season 2: Meet ... Doreen

Storyzfromyhair

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2020 34:49


Doreen Baingana is a short story writer and editor who has written popular books and stories like Tropical Fish that won the 2006 commonwealth writer's Prize , she has also worked on short stories and children's books. Some awards Doreen boasts of are the Washington Independent Writers Fiction Prize, and the Caine Prize for African Writing, which she came up as a finalist, twice. She has received fellowships and scholarships to the Bread Loaf Writers Conference and the Key West Writers Seminar, and an Artist's Grant from the District of Columbia. She took some time to talk about her year and the work she has been doing as she awaits 2021. Join us on the writer's lounge on storyzfromyhair to listen to Doreen talk about her craft and the year 2020. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lucie-chihandae/support

Pb Living - A daily book review
A Book Review - We Need New Names ,Novel by, NoViolet Bulawayo

Pb Living - A daily book review

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2020 7:50


We Need New Names is the 2013 debut novel of expatriate Zimbabwean writer NoViolet Bulawayo. The first chapter of the book, "Hitting Budapest", initially presented as a story in the Boston Review, won the 2011 Caine Prize for African Writing.when the Chair of Judges, Hisham Matar, said: "The language of ‘Hitting Budapest' crackles. This is a story with moral power and weight, it has the artistry to refrain from moral commentary. NoViolet Bulawayo is a writer who takes delight in language." A coming-of-age story, We Need New Names tells of the life of a young girl named Darling, first as a 10-year-old in Zimbabwe, navigating a world of chaos and degradation with her friends, and later as a teenager in the Midwest United States, where a better future seems about to unfold when she goes to join an aunt working there --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pbliving/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pbliving/support

Books On The Go
Ep 140: The White Girl by Tony Birch

Books On The Go

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2020 20:03


Anna and Annie discuss the 2020 Booker Prize Longlist and the Caine Prize winner, Nudibranch by Irenosen Okojie. Our book of the week is The White Girl by Tony Birch. This novel tells the story of Odette and her granddaughter Sissy in outback Australia.  Shortlisted for this year's Miles Franklin Award and winner of the 2020 NSW Premier's for Indigenous Writing. Coming up: our Best Books of 2020 So Far and A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville. Follow us: Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Facebook: Books On The Go Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras Litsy: @abailliekaras Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A Readers' Community by The Book Lounge
Literary Prizes with Irenosen Okojie

A Readers' Community by The Book Lounge

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2020 34:11


This episode is all about literary prizes. Our guest is the 2020 winner of the Caine Prize, Irenosen Okojie, and Book Lounge staff talk about some Booker-longlisted novels. Luami recommends ‘How Much of These Hills is Gold' by C Pam Zhang, Unathi recommends ‘The Shadow King' by Maaza Mengiste, Jess enjoyed ‘Such a Fun Age' by Kiley Reid and Mervyn recommends both ‘Shuggie Bain' by Douglas Stuart and ‘Real Life' by Brandon Taylor. Get in touch by emailing booklounge@gmail.com or send us a voice message on Whatsapp to +27 (0) 63 961-6154 Hosted by Vasti Calitz and produced by Andri Burnett

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys
Joy Keys chats with 2020 Caine Prize Author Winner Irenosen Okojie

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2020 31:00


Irenosen Okojie is a Nigerian-British writer. Her debut novel Butterfly Fish won a Betty Trask award and was shortlisted for an Edinburgh International First Book Award. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Observer, the Guardian, the BBC and the Huffington Post amongst other publications. Her short stories have appeared internationally in publications including Salt's Best British Short Stories 2017, Kwani? and The Year's Best Weird Fiction. She was named at the London Short Story Festival by Booker Prize winning author Ben Okri OBE as a dynamic writing talent to watch and featured in the Evening Standard Magazine as one of London’s exciting new authors. Her short story collection Speak Gigantular, published by Jacaranda Books was shortlisted for the Edgehill Short Story Prize, the Jhalak Prize, the Saboteur Awards and nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her collection of stories Nudibranch which includes her AKO Caine Prize winning ‘Grace Jones’ is published by Dialogue Books.

Books & Rhymes, the podcast
Ask A Caine Prize Judge with Ebissé Wakjira Rouw

Books & Rhymes, the podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2020 48:46


Ever wondered what goes on in the judging panels of literary prizes? We speak to Ebissé Wakjira Rouw, an Ethiopian-Dutch literary editor, publisher, co-founder of Dipsaus – a multi-media organisation that specialises in amplifying the voices and lived experiences of Black and People of Colour in the Netherlands. Ebissé was also a judge for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing.In the first of our two-part conversation, we use the music of Destiny’s Child, Luniz & Jodeci to discuss the position that literary prizes occupy within the African landscape, and the process of judging the 2020 Caine Prize for Africa Writing. Ebissé also answers listeners questions submitted via our social media handles. Tune in next week for Part Two of our conversation when we discuss in detail, Black Lives Matter & publishing while Black in the Netherlands and Europe.Keep up to date with Ebissé by visiting dipsaus.org. Follow DipsausPodcast on Twitter: Twitter.com/DipsausPodcast and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dipsauspodcastGet in touch with us via email: BooksAndRhymes@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram and Twitter: @BooksAndRhymes. Tweet your thoughts by using #BooksAndRhymes.Listen to playlist of the songs referenced in this episode on Spotify and DeezerThe song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom (Meakoom) the song is available for purchase on Bandcamp See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Books & Rhymes, the podcast
Resistance to Prescription with Jowhor Ile (AKO Caine Prize)

Books & Rhymes, the podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2020 79:28


We conclude our one-to-one conversation with the shortlisted writers for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. Today’s guest is Jowhor Ile, a Nigerian writer, author of the novel And After Many Days and visiting professor at West Virginia university whose story, Fisherman Stew is vying for the £10,000 prize.We use the music of Fela Kuti, Sade, Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, Onyeka Owenu, Cardinal Rex Lawson and more as selected by Jowhor to discuss food as an expression of love in his story Fisherman's Stew - an intimate otherworldly love story. We also explore the process of conveying intimacy in writing, reflecting older women in romantic relationships and Jowhor’s writing habit.Listen to the playlist of the songs referenced in this episode Spotify, Deezer and YouTubeThe winner of the AKO Caine Prize will be announced online. Read the 2020 AKO Caine Prize shortlisted stories here.Get in touch with us via email: BooksAndRhymes@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram and Twitter: @BooksAndRhymesTweet your thoughts by using the hashtag #BooksAndRhymesThe song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom the song is available for purchase on BandcampListen to Rémy Ngamije's playlist to Fisherman on Brittle Paper Books referenced in this episode: Arrow of God – Chinua Achebe And After Many Days - Jowhor Ile What It Means When A Man Fall From the Sky – Lesley Nneka Arimah Quintessentially Efik Recepies: Foods of Nigeria-- Nky Iweka Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex and Nigerian Taste Buds-- Yemisi Aribisala Songs referenced this episode: Berebote - Cardinal Jim Rex Lawson Nothing Even Matters - Lauryn Hill ft D’Angelo Iyogogo - Onyeka Onwenu Look before you Cross - Evi-Edna Ogholi Miles Runs the Voodoo Down - Miles Davis Nights - Frank Ocean Sade - The Sweetest Taboo Trouble Sleep Yanga go Wake Am - Fela Kuti (song) Lilac Wine - Nina Simone Listen to the full playlist on:Spotify,

Front Row
Shirley Collins, Kit de Waal, Caine Prize for African Writing winner, Olivia de Havilland remembered

Front Row

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2020 28:21


Nigerian British writer Irenosen Okojie has been announced as the winner of this year’s £10,000 Caine Prize for African Writing. It was awarded for her story Grace Jones from her recent collection Nudibranch. We speak to her about the story. Kit de Waal discusses Supporting Cast, her new collection of short stories featuring characters from two of her earlier novels - the international bestseller My Name is Leon and The Trick to Time. Shirley Collins is regarded by many as England’s greatest living traditional folk singer. She was a pivotal figure in the English folk song revival of the 60’s and ’70’s but lost her voice to a broken heart and fell silent for 38 years. In 2016, in her eighties, she returned to music with her album Lodestar, and now discusses her latest release - Heart’s Ease. Star of Hollywood's Golden Age Olivia de Havilland has died aged 104. Cultural historian Matthew Sweet celebrates her indomitable spirit, as a person as well as a performer. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Hannah Robins

Books & Rhymes, the podcast
Move In Power with Rémy Ngamije (AKO Caine Prize, 2020)

Books & Rhymes, the podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2020 81:33


The Neighbourhood Watch is a narrative of five disenfranchised people on their quest for survival on the margins of society. We use the music of Hugh Masekela, Salif Keita, Yemi Alade, Lady Smith Black Mambazo - as selected by Rémy to unpack the intricacies of the story. We address poor representations of female characters in fiction written by men, while Rémy opens up about the triumphs and challenges of spearheading DoekLitMag.com, a literary journal expanding the reach of Namibian literature.We continue our special one-to-one interview with the shortlisted writers for the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing with Remy Ngamije, a Rwandan born, Namibian writer, editor and photographer whose story, The Neighbourhood Watch is vying for the £10,000 prize.Listen to Remy's playlist on Deezer, Spotify and YouTubeGet in touch with us via email: BooksAndRhymes@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram and Twitter: @BooksAndRhymesShare your thoughts on this episode using #BooksAndRhymesThe song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom the song is available on BandcampBooks referenced in this episode:The Silver Sword by Ian SerraillierAfrican Book of Short Story Writing – edited by Helon HabilaLittle Family – by Ishmael BeahLiterary Journals Referenced:Doek Lit Mag, Lolwe, Bakwa Magazine, Brittle Paper, Johannesburg Review of Books, Songs referenced this episode:Tomorrow – Salif KeitaSound Check - The MuffinzStimela – Hugh MasekelaMbube - Ladysmith Black MambazoAfrica – Salif KeitaAfrica – Yemy Alade ft. Sauti SolMake The Road by Walking - The Menahan Street Band See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys
Joy Keys chats with South African Author Masande Ntshanga

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2020 30:00


Author Masande Ntshanga is the winner of the inaugural PEN International New Voices Award 2013, and was a finalist for the Caine Prize 2015. He was born in South Africa, and graduated from the Univeristy of Cape Town. There he completed his Masters in Creative Writing under the Mellon Mays Foundation. He has received a Fulbright Award, an NRF Freestanding scholarship, a Civitella Ranieri Fellowship and a Bundanon Trust Award. His work has appeared in The White Review, Chimurenga, VICE and n+1. Books: The Reactive(2014) and Triangulam(2019)  

Books & Rhymes, the podcast
Narrative Closure with Erica Sugo Anyadike (AKO Caine Prize, 2020)

Books & Rhymes, the podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2020 69:44


AKO Caine Prize for African Writing shortlisted writer, Erica Sugo Anyadike, the Tanzanian multi-hyphenated creative powerhouse discuss her subversive story, How To Marry an African President.We use selected music curated by Erica to unpack among other things, depictions of female partners of powerful men, Black women with care, and writing against the singular African narrative. We discuss the process of writing the How To Marry An African President, and what it means to truly demystify the process of writing. Read the shortlisted AKO Caine Prize stories including How To Marry and African President online at CainePrize.comListen to playlist of songs exclusively curated by Erica Sugo Anyadike for Books & Rhymes here The winner of the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing will be announced on Monday 27th of July, the announcement will be accompanied by the screening of a specially commissioned film by renowned filmmaker Joseph Adesunloye. The song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom the song is available on Bandcamp: https://meakoom.bandcamp.com/track/reset-books-rhymes-podcast-theme-songGet in touch with us via email: BooksAndRhymes@gmail.comFollow @BooksAndRhymes on Instagram and Twitter Share your thoughts on this episode using #BooksAndRhymes Books referenced in this episode: (Available for purchase online and in bookshops)In Live and Trouble – Alice Walker Songs referenced this episode:Suzanna - Sauti SolControl - Janet JacksonDon’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – Nina SimoneTyrone: Live - Erykah BaduIf I Were A Boy – Beyoncé See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Auckland Writers Festival
2020 WINTER SERIES Ep 8: Philippa Swan, Freya Daly Sadgrove, Helon Habila

Auckland Writers Festival

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2020 65:02


The Auckland Writers Festival Winter Series will be streaming live and free-to-view on the Festival’s YouTube and Facebook channels, and then available as a video or podcast via our soundcloud, iTunes or our website. Episode Eight features: PHILIPPA SWAN Philippa Swan’s time-travelling novel The Night of All Souls blends a contemporary tale with the secrets of the 1921 Pulitzer-prizewinner Edith Wharton.So Swan trained as a landscape architect and wrote the critically acclaimed non-fiction book, Life (and Death) In A Small City Garden. She is a freelance writer for NZ Gardener and Cuisine, and has won awards for her short-stories. FREYA DALY SADGROVE Writer, performer and theatre maker Freya Daly Sadgrove recently published her first poetry collection, Head Girl. Her work is described as profoundly funny, surprising and moving, and ruthless in its interrogation of human behaviour. She has a Master's in Poetry from Victoria University of Wellington, and her work has appeared in various publications in Aotearoa, Australia and the US. HELON HABILA Nigerian US-based journalist, poet, and author Helon Habila is considered one of Africa’s finest literary voices. He writes about identity, exile and the many kinds of travellers now crisscrossing Africa and Europe. Habila’s fourth, novel Travellers has it all, reviews The Guardian, “intelligence, tragedy, poetry, love, intimacy, compassion, and a serious, soulful, arms-wide engagement with one of the most acute concerns of our age – the refugee crisis”. Habila has won numerous awards including the Caine Prize, Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and Windham-Campbell Literature Prize. HOST: PAULA MORRIS (Aotearoa New Zealand) Paula Morris (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Whātua) is an award-winning fiction writer and essayist. The 2019 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellow, she teaches creative writing at The University of Auckland, sits on the Māori Literature Trust and is the founder of the Academy of NZ Literature. This series provides an opportunity to champion New Zealand and international books that were to feature at our cancelled May Festival, we encourage you to support writers and NZ publishers and booksellers by purchasing featured books. Order via our Festival bookseller. #awfwinterseries

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys
Joy Keys chats with Author & Caine Prize winner Tope Folarin

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2020 33:00


Tope Folarin is a Nigerian-American writer based in Washington DC. He won the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2013 and was shortlisted once again in 2016. He was also recently named to the Africa39 list of the most promising African writers under 40. He serves as Vice President of Content and Storytelling at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Policy Studies. He was educated at Morehouse College and the University of Oxford, where he earned two Masters degrees as a Rhovdes Scholar. His debut novel, A Particular Kind of Black Man, was published by Simon & Schuster

Dipsaus
Live - Linguistic Colonization: Then And Now - Winternachten Literary Festival

Dipsaus

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2020 45:01


English episode, English text below.Het zijn beangstigende en voor sommigen eenzame tijden, de meeste van ons hebben te maken met social distancing and isolation in these coronatimes. Maar Dipsaus is er voor jullie! We zijn in ons archief gedoken en hebben mooie gesprekken over literatoer gevonden! Afgelopen januari vond de 25e editie van het Winternachten Festival plaats in Den Haag en een van de redactieleden was our very own Ebissé. Een van de gesprekken die ze heeft georganiseerd ging over in hoeverre heeft Afrikaanse literatuur zich los kunnen wrikken van linguïstische kolonisatie? En hoe zit het met andere taalgebieden? Is de Engelstalige dominantie nog te stoppen of is het een verloren zaak? De Liberiaans-Nederlandse schrijver en dichter Vamba Sherif gaat in gesprek met de Amerikaans-Keniaanse schrijver, dichter, universitair docent Engels en activist Mukoma WaNgũ gĩ (wanugeh) en met Ellah Wakatama, directeur van de bekende Schotse uitgeverij Cannongate Books. Ze is ook Senior Research Fellow aan de Universiteit van Manchester en voorzitter van de Caine Prize for African Writing.These are frightening and for some of us lonely times. Most of us are having to deal with social distancing, isolation in these coronatimes. But Dipsaus to the rescue! Last January the 25th edition of Writers Unlimited festival took place in The Hague and one of the editorial members was our very own Ebissé. One of the conversations Ebissé organized was about to what extent has African literature been able to wrest itself free of linguistic colonization? And what about other languages? Can the predominance of English still be stopped, or is it a lost cause? Liberian-Dutch writer and poet Vamba Sherif discusses the issue with American-Kenyan writer, poet, university lecturer in English and activist Mukoma Wa Ngũgĩ and with Ellah Wakatama, Editor-at-Large of Scottish publishing firm Cannongate Books. She is also a senior Research Fellow at Manchester University and Chair

Lannan Center Podcast
"Power and Language" with Caine Prize Winner Lesley Nneka Arimah

Lannan Center Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2020 61:47


On February 18, 2020, the Lannan Center presented "Power and Language," a special event with Caine Prize winning writer Lesley Nneka Arimah. Welcome: Aminatta Forna (Director of the Lannan Center, Georgetown University). Introduction: Scott Taylor (Director of the African Studies Program, Georgetown University).Lesley Nneka Arimah is the author of “Skinned,” winner of the 2019 Caine Prize for African Writing; What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky (2017), her debut short story collection; and “Light,” winner of the 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa. What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky was chosen for the New York Times/PBS book club and won both the 2017 New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award and the 2017 Kirkus Prize. Arimah holds a BA in English from Florida State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University. Currently, Arimah is a 2019 United States Artist Fellow in Writing living in Las Vegas.Music: Quantum Jazz — "Orbiting A Distant Planet" — Provided by Jamendo.

Ufahamu Africa
Ep83. A conversation with Yvonne Owuor on development, politics, storytelling, and more

Ufahamu Africa

Play Episode Play 47 sec Highlight Listen Later Jan 19, 2020


We begin this week's news wrap with a discussion of some of the best literature of the decade - thanks to a curated list by African Arguments - and we are extremely fortunate to feature one of these authors in this episode, Yvonne Owuor. Kim and Rachel also chat about films, China in Africa, cocoa price coordination in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, and a call for applicants to the next meeting of the Working Group in African Political Economy. Yvonne Owuor is an acclaimed author, winning the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2003 for her short story, The Weight of Whispers, and short-listed for the Folio Prize for her novel Dust (2014).  She has recently published a beautiful coming-of-age story, The Dragonfly Sea (2019), that explores aspects of East African sea imagination in a time of China's return to its milieu.  Owuor received the (Kenya) Head of State Commendation in 2016 for her cultural and artistic contributions.  Rachel sat down with Yvonne at the Institute for Advanced Study in Nantes, where they are both Fellows, to discuss literary journeys, the "development industry," Kenyan politics, and a global, historical, and encompassing view on transregional exchange. Our featured segment with Yvonne begins at 11:22.  … More Ep83. A conversation with Yvonne Owuor on development, politics, storytelling, and more

Dipsaus
#45 - Dipsaus in Lasgidi! Literaire Festivals, Boeken, Kunst en KOZP met Sayonara Stutgard. #IssaLit

Dipsaus

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2019 83:31


We love Books, Books, Books / Books, we do adore / Yo put your number on this paper cause we'd would love to date yaDid you miss us? We sure did miss ya! We hebben geprobeerd de leegte te vullen door middel van onze Instagram Stories, zo hebben jullie mee kunnen genieten van wat we allemaal hebben uitgespookt. Ja, lieve mensen, we zijn weer terug met een nieuw seizoen - Seizoen 5! - vol interessante gasten, onderwerpen en essays, reportages en interviews.We hebben de afgelopen maanden niet stilgezeten. In deze aflevering met Sayonara Stutgard een tipje van de sluier van de verschillende Dip-moves die we hebben gemaakt: afgelopen zomer brachten Sayonara en Ebissé een bezoek aan Africa Writes Festival gevolgd door de uitreiking van The Caine Prize for African Writing 2019 in London

Arts & Ideas
Pan-Africanism

Arts & Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2019 44:48


Nana Oforiatta Ayim is creating an encyclopedia of online images of Africa to challenge the way it is seen, has curated Ghana's first art pavilion at the Venice Biennale, toured a mobile museum round the country to gather a grass roots history and published her first novel. The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim is out now. Cultural Encyclopaedia is an online resource that includes an A-to-Z index and vertices of clickable images for entries about Africa https://www.culturalencyclopaedia.org/ She has been named as one of the Apollo magazine "40 under 40" and Africa Report's 50 Trailblazers. Poet and playwright Inua Ellams has re-interpreted Chekhov's Three Sisters. The play is set in Biafra in the 1960s at the time of the civil war in Nigeria and raises questions of class, race, religion and education in the context of independence and the colonial legacy. Three Sisters is running at the National Theatre until 19 February 2020 The Mauritanian/French film director and actor Med Hondo died earlier in 2019. Considered by many to be the first pan-African réalisateur his films like Soleil Ô, Sarraounia an African Queen and West Indies explore the nature of being African, both within the continent and abroad. Kunle Olulode of the organisation Voice4Change talks about Med Hondo and his legacy. Med Hondo: Africa from the Seine is part of the BFI African Odysseys programme and continues until 15 December. Marika Sherwood has written extensively on Africa including The Origins of Pan-Africanism, and Kwame Nkrumah and the Dawn of the Cold War. Louisa Egbunike is a writer and lecturer on African literature. With the other guests they discuss whether pan-Africanism implies homogeneity to the detriment of the diversity of African culture. You can find Free Thinking discussions Celebrating Buchi Emecheta https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09r89gt Caine Prize 2019 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006mtb Caine Prize 2018 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b89ssp Caine Prize 2017 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08xcx1f Louisa Ebunike on Afrofuturism https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09bx5l1 Afropean identities https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005sjw Presenter: Shahidha Bari Producer: Harry Parker

Bay Area Book Festival Podcast
Critic’s Choice: Three Young 21st Century Writers Rocking the Literary World

Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2019 74:56


The former president of the National Book Critics Circle talks with Bay Area authors you won’t want to miss: a National Book Award finalist for a poignant collection of short stories, a debut author who ignited the book world with her incendiary first book and another debut author who clinched the Caine Prize for African writing.

Little Atoms
Little Atoms 597 - Namwali Serpell's The Old Drift

Little Atoms

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2019 34:18


Namwali Serpell is a Zambian writer who teaches at the University of California, Berkeley. She received a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award for women writers in 2011 and was selected for the Africa 39, a 2014 Hay Festival project to identify the best African writers under 40. Her first published story, 'Muzungu', was selected for The Best American Short Stories 2009 and shortlisted for the 2010 Caine Prize for African writing. She won the 2015 Caine Prize for her story 'The Sack'. The Old Drift is her first novel. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Arts & Ideas
Caine Prize. Ivo van Hove. Female Desire.

Arts & Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2019 45:51


The Belgian theatre director Ivo van Hove on staging Ayn Rand's ideas in The Fountainhead. 'The theme of my novel', said Ayn Rand, 'is the struggle between individualism and collectivism, not in the political arena but in the human soul. Plus Shahidha Bari meets Lesley Nneka Arimah, the winner of the 2019 Caine Prize for African Writing and looks at sex lives on screen and in print. How much do women share and how quickly do ideas about shame and acceptance come into play? Zoe Strimpel researches dating and sexual relationships and Lisa Taddeo has spent 8 years finding and tracking Three Women prepared to speak frankly about their desires. The Fountainhead runs at MIF July 10th - 13th performed by Ivo van Hove's Internationaal Theater Amsterdam ensemble. You can read all the stories shortliste for the Caine Prize here http://caineprize.com/ and hear interviews with past winners on Free Thinking https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b89ssp https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p040rr3n Louise Egbunike looks at Afrofuturism in this Radio 3 Sunday Feature https://bbc.in/2LkSmR9 Three Women by Lisa Taddeo is out now. Irenosen Okojie's film on Black Joy is here https://bbc.in/2Nx5IeY Free Thinking on Consent https://bbc.in/2XCH5St Free Thinking on Women, relationships and the law https://bbc.in/2C3svH1 Producer: Torquil MacLeod

Books & Rhymes, the podcast
Do What You Gotta Do: Caine Prize for African Writing

Books & Rhymes, the podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2019 96:19


A special live episode recording with the shortlisted writers for the Caine Prize for African Writing, 2019: Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria)‘Skinned’, Meron Hadero (Ethiopia) ‘The Wall’, Cherrie Kandie (Kenya) for ‘Sew My Mouth’ Ngwah-Mbo Nana Nkweti (Cameroon) for ‘It Takes A Village Some Say’, and Tochukwu Emmanuel Okafor (Nigeria) for ‘All Our Lives’; in partnership with the Caine Prize.The stories can be read in written and audio formats here: http://caineprize.com/the-shortlist-2019Tweet your thought on this episode using the hashtag #Booksandrhymes, follow @booksandrhymes on twitter and instagramA playlist of the songs featured in this episode including a specially curated soundtrack to each story is available on Spotify and YouTubeI’m so thankful for your positive feedback on previous episodes of the podcast. Subscribe to the mailing list at booksandrhymes.com.Do me a favour and subscribe, rate, and review Books & Rhymes on iTunes and your favourite podcast listening platforms.Tell your friends about the podcast and continue the conversation by following @booksAndRhymes on twitter, and instagramThe song you heard at the intro and outro is titled Dismembered by Meakoom. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Have You Read ... ?
004: Ellah Wakatama Allfrey

Have You Read ... ?

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2019 37:52


Ellah Wakatama Allfrey is a former deputy editor at Granta magazine and former senior editor at Jonathan Cape, Random House. She has edited anthologies such as Africa 39. New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara and Safe House. Creative Non-Fiction From Africa. Allfrey has been a judge for a variety of literary prizes such as Man Booker, Dublin International Literary Award, and Commonwealth Short Story Prize. This year, she was appointed as the new chairwoman of the Caine Prize for African Writing. Furthermore, Ellah Wakatama Allfrey is the founding Publishing Director of The Indigo Press, a very exciting, fairly new-ish publisher.We sat down in April during the African Book Festival Berlin and talked about Allfrey’s path to becoming an editor, the genesis of Safe House, queer representation, the function of literary prizes, her experiences judging the Man Booker, and last but not least, The Indigo Press’ program.

Books & Rhymes, the podcast
Emotional Landscape: ‘The Old Drift’ with Namwali Serpell

Books & Rhymes, the podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2019 69:33


This episode is an absolute treat as Namwali Serpell, author of the critically acclaimed debut novel, ‘The Old Drift’, takes us on a musical journey through the 20 year period of writing the novel, the problematic nature of literary prizes, the strangeness of reality, and the historical meaning of the phrase 'Muzungu'. We also discuss the connections between 'The Old Drift' to Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Bjork, Tracy Chapman, Larry Maluma and Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makimbi. Namwali Serpell has curated a special playlist to her debut novel, ‘The Old Drift’ for Books & Rhymes which you can listen to on YouTube and Spotify.Subscribe to Books & Rhymes mailing list for a chance to win one of two signed copies of ‘The Old Drift’.Follow @booksandrhymes on Instagram and twitter, and tweet or instagram your thoughts on this episode using the hashtag #BooksAndRhymes for a chance to win the second signed copy of the novel. Feel free to email booksandrhymes@gmail.com with your thoughts on the podcast.This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the iconic Waterstones bookshop in Gower street, London.Books & Rhymes, the podcast theme song is by Meakoom. You can find her catalogue here.These are the books and musical pairings discussed in this episode:The book/ story that inspired The Old Drift paired with a song or an album: Book: David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas; Album: Bjork Homogenic.A song or album paired with The Old Drift. Song: Bjork, "Joga"A song paired with Namwali Serpell’s Caine Prize award winning short story ‘Muzungu’. Song: Chakolwa (Drunkard) (1984) by Larry MalumaA song paired with Namwali Serpell’s Caine Prize award winning short story The Sack (published in Africa 39 anthology Edited Ellah wakatama Allfrey). Song: Teclo by PJ Harvey.A book recommendation to readers who want to read something similar to ‘The Old Drift’ paired with an album: Book: Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi; Album: Crossroads by Tracy Chapman.The playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Have You Read ... ?
003: Namwali Serpell

Have You Read ... ?

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2019 47:21


Namwali Serpell is an award-winning author and associate professor of English at UC Berkeley. Her first published story, “Muzungu,” was selected for The Best American Short Stories 2009, shortlisted for the 2010 Caine Prize. Five years later she won the Caine Prize with her story „The Sack“. Her debut novel, The Old Drift, was published in March to much acclaim. (I wrote about five aspects I loved about The Old Drift.) Serpell also regularly publishes essays such as “The Banality of Empathy” or “Beauty Tips From My Dead Sister“. We talked about crossing genres, writing diverse female experiences, mosquitos, re-evaluating history, and why empathy is not everything. This episode was recorded during the African Book Festival Berlin in the cellar of the venue – which accounts for all the background noises and doors shutting.

The Cheeky Natives
Lidudumalingani Mqombothi: Let your children name themselves

The Cheeky Natives

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2018 46:50


Lidudumalingani first caught our attention with his 2016 Caine Prize winning short story, “Memories we lost”, which discusses mental illness and issues of access in an often forgotten rural context, it was poignant and powerful giving a voice to a population often ignored. Lidudumalingani is a master of many trades as a writer, photographer and filmmaker. After the success of winning the Caine Prize, Lidudumalingani went on to win the Marshall Scholarship for his manuscript of his eagerly anticipated debut. Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele sat down with the prodigious Lidudumalingani to discuss photography, mental health and Black literature. In under hour, The Cheeky Natives held an eye opening and heart warming conversation on the state of literature in South Africa, decolonisation and his hopes for writing. 'We seek a world in which there is room for many worlds'- Sunil Yapa in her beautiful novel "Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist”. An apt quote for the conversation in today's episode.

Otherwise?
Episode 59: Rafiki

Otherwise?

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2018 30:24


Rafiki, a film by Wanuri Kahiu, is a story about two young women who fall in love, despite their families being on opposing sides of the Kenyan political divide. It is adapted from the 2007 Caine Prize-winning short story, Jambula Tree, by Ugandan writer Monica Arac de Nyeko. On 12th April 2018, it was announced that it would debut at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard category in May 2018. This made it the first Kenyan feature film to achieve this feat. On 27th April 2018, the head of Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), Ezekiel Mutua, announced that the film had been banned from screening and distribution in Kenya because of “its homosexual theme and clear intent to promote lesbianism in Kenya contrary to the law.” We are joined by Wanuri Kahiu to discuss the film, the story it tells, and what it mean whens stories that are made primarily for a Kenyan audience are denied this audience. Press play!

Arts & Ideas
What do you call a stranger? The Caine Prize. NHS ideals.

Arts & Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2018 44:49


Nandini Das and John Gallagher look at words for strangers in Tudor and Stuart England and ideas about civility. Plus Shahidha Bari talks to Makena Onjerika the winner of the 2018 Caine Prize for African Writing. And, as the NHS approaches its 70th anniversary, we discuss the relationship between care, institutions, and the concept of medicine with novelist and former nurse Christie Watson, and historian of the NHS Roberta Bivins. Nandini Das is working on the Tide Project http://www.tideproject.uk/ exploring travel and identity in England 1550 - 1700 She and John Gallagher are taking part in the Society for Renaissance Studies conference at Sheffield University this week. Christie Watson is the author of The Language of Kindness: A Nurse's Story. Producer: Luke Mulhall.

James Murua
African Literary Podcast Episode 6.

James Murua

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2018 14:12


Welcome to the African Literary Podcast Episode 6. In this episode, we talk about the winners and shortlists of a series of literary prizes that Africans are eligible in. They include the Caine Prize for African Writing, Short Story Day Africa, Brunel African Poetry Prize, Dylan Thomas Prize, Africana Book Award, South Africa’s The Sunday Times Literary Awards 2018 shortlists, and Commonwealth Short Story Prize. And new books both fiction like Ayesha Harruna Attah by "The Hundred Wells of Salaga" and "My Name is Life" and Karen Bugingo, and nonfiction as well as new covers for Nnedi Okorafor and Zukiswa Wanner. You will also find an interview of Pede Hollist featured on the second section of the Podcast.

James Murua
African Literary Podcast | Episode 6 | Interviewing Pede Hollist

James Murua

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2018 22:09


Sierra Leone novelist, short story writer and academic Pede Hollist speaks about his book So The Path Does Not Die with a focus on how he breathed life into a female character as a man, researching on the American Dream, his membership of the African Literature Association and how the organisation helps African letters. He gives his impression of the Sierra Leone Literary Scene including the Sierra Leone Writers Series and the Sierra Leone writers do we need to be reading? He also talks about his work as a Fulbright scholar in Sierra Leone and his opinion on the Caine Prize that was announced last week.

Book Choice
Book Choice - November 2017

Book Choice

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2017 37:02


Fine Music Radio — It’s the first Monday of the month so it’s welcome to BOOK CHOICE on Fine Music Radio 101.3, various other frequencies and on the web: www.fmr.co.za. I’m Gorry Bowes Taylor. This very happy hour Andrew Marjoribanks, Wordsworth Books, brings us a bagful of the best in fiction and non-fiction. Cindy Moritz suggests that you read and reread Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss and Beverley Roos Muller endorses George Saunder's Lincoln in the Bardo, as this year's brilliant winner of the Booker prize, as she takes a larger look at the Booker and its successes and controversies. Mike Fitzjames tries, as always to shred our nerves with three nerve-wracking crime stores. Vanessa Levenstein wonders how you live when your life is reduced to waiting for death as she reviews Asylum by Marcus Low and shares her thoughts on the powerful book, Khwezi - The Remarkable Story Of Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo by Redi Thlabi. Melvin Minnaar suggests that you underestimate the clout of the brilliant short story –try What it Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Ariman and The Accusation by Bandi, and Philip Todres offers us more short stories in a collection by the winners of the Caine Prize for African Writing, in The Goddess of Mtwara and other stories. Do stay awake –theres’s our easy-peasy competition question to win one of two R250 vouchers from Wordsworth Books. Andrew Marjoribanks, a bagful of the best in fiction and non-fiction from Wordsworth Books.

Book Choice
Book Choice - November 2017

Book Choice

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2017 37:02


It's the first Monday of the month so it's welcome to BOOK CHOICE on Fine Music Radio 101.3, various other frequencies and on the web: www.fmr.co.za. I'm Gorry Bowes Taylor. This very happy hour Andrew Marjoribanks, Wordsworth Books, brings us a bagful of the best in fiction and non-fiction. Cindy Moritz suggests that you read and reread Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss and Beverley Roos Muller endorses George Saunder's Lincoln in the Bardo, as this year's brilliant winner of the Booker prize, as she takes a larger look at the Booker and its successes and controversies. Mike Fitzjames tries, as always to shred our nerves with three nerve-wracking crime stores. Vanessa Levenstein wonders how you live when your life is reduced to waiting for death as she reviews Asylum by Marcus Low and shares her thoughts on the powerful book, Khwezi - The Remarkable Story Of Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo by Redi Thlabi. Melvin Minnaar suggests that you underestimate the clout of the brilliant short story –try What it Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Ariman and The Accusation by Bandi, and Philip Todres offers us more short stories in a collection by the winners of the Caine Prize for African Writing, in The Goddess of Mtwara and other stories. Do stay awake –theres's our easy-peasy competition question to win one of two R250 vouchers from Wordsworth Books. Andrew Marjoribanks, a bagful of the best in fiction and non-fiction from Wordsworth Books.

Face2Face with David Peck
Jenna Bass, maker of "High Fantasy"

Face2Face with David Peck

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2017 33:37


Jenna Bass and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her new film High Fantasy, the body swap genre, political satire, apartheid, land rights in South Africa, responsibility and racism. Biography Jenna Bass is a South African writer, filmmaker and former magician. Her multi-award winning films - Zimbabwe-set short, The Tunnel, and entirely-improvised debut feature, Love The One You Love, have screened around the world, including Sundance, Berlinale, Göteborg , Busan and Durban International Film Festivals, where she has been heralded as ushering in a ‘New Wave’ of South African cinema. Her second feature film, body-swap satire, High Fantasy, shot entirely on the iPhone 7, will premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Her third feature, Flatland, a feminist Western set in South Africa’s Karoo region, is scheduled for production in mid-2018. Jenna is the editor and co-creator Jungle Jim, the illustrated pulpliterary magazine for African fiction, established in 2011. In 2012, under her pseudonym, Constance Myburgh, she was shortlisted for the Caine Prize, Africa’s leading literary award. Jenna is also a lecturer at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in both Production Design and Screenwriting. She is currently engaged in a VR collaboration with artist, Olivie Keck and indie game developers, Free Lives, as well as co-writing a fantasy animation feature screenplay for Sanusi Chronicles. Synopsis Four young, South African friends on a camping trip on an isolated farm wake up to discover they’ve all swapped bodies. As they navigate a labyrinth of so-called Rainbow Nation politics, they capture their bizarre predicament in selfie videos - with hilarious and tragic results. Trailer ---------- For more information about David Peck's podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit his site here or check out the site of his podcast on film, social change and much more. With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound. Image Copyright: Jenna Bass and Foxfire Films. Used with permission.       See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Arts & Ideas
Free Thinking - Queer Icons: Plato's Symposium. Part of Gay Britannia.

Arts & Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2017 54:20


Shahidha Bari discusses LGBTQ in the history of philosophy.As part of the BBC's Queer Icons series Philosopher Sophie-Grace Chappell discusses Plato's Symposium, and novelist Adam Mars-Jones talks about Bruce Bagemihl's book Biological Exuberance which explored homosexuality in the animal kingdom. Plus, we hear from the winner of this year's Caine Prize for African Writing. Queer Icons is a project to mark the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in which 50 leading figures choose an LGBTQ artwork that is special to them. You can find more details on the Front Row website on BBC Radio 4. You can find the BBC's Gay Britannia season of programmes on radio and tv collected on the website. They include documentaries, Drama on 3 from Joe Orton and exploring Victim the 1961 film starring Dirk Bogarde, episodes of Words and Music and more editions of Free Thinking including Philip Hoare on Cecil Beaton, Jake Arnott on Joe Orton and Peggy Reynolds on Sappho. Producer: Luke Mulhall

Skylight Books Author Reading Series
HENRIETTA ROSE-INNES LAUNCHES HER NEW NOVEL NINEVEH AND JULIE SHIGEKUNI LAUNCHES HER NOVEL IN PLAIN VIEW

Skylight Books Author Reading Series

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2017 56:48


Nineveh (Unnamed Press)                     In Plain View (Unnamed Press) Join Skylight Books and Unnamed Press for a celebration of another year of fantastic independent literature and new novels by Henrietta Rose-Innes and Julie Shigekuni Known throughout the world as one of the new voices of South African writing, Henrietta Rose-Innes is presenting her US debut, Nineveh, alongside Julie Shigekuni, whose brand new novel In Plain View takes readers from Los Feliz to Japan. In Nineveh, Katya Grubbs, proprietor of Painless Pest Relocations, expertly wrangles every manner of wild critter, creature or beast with the help of her unwitting nephew, Toby. When she is hired to remove the exotic beetles that have overrun Nineveh, a new luxury housing development on the coast, Katya finds that bugs aren’t the only unwelcome creatures hiding in the new, and supposedly vacant, apartments. As she investigates further, it becomes clear that Nineveh is fast becoming an environmental, not to mention architectural, blunder.  With marshlands encroaching on its borders, and the nearby seaside more menace than attraction, Katya becomes immersed in the world of Nineveh’s few residents—the mysterious caretakers and scavenger crews that survive in its shadow. It is only when her estranged father—a professional exterminator fallen on hard times—reappears in her life, that Nineveh’s deeper secrets are exposed. Henrietta Rose-Innes is a South African writer based in Cape Town and currently based in Norwich, UK. Nineveh was shortlisted for the M-Net Literary Award and the Sunday Times Fiction Prize, and in 2015 (in French translation, Ninive) it won the François Sommer Literary Prize. She's previously published a collection of short stories, Homing, and the novels Green Lion, Shark's Egg and The Rock Alphabet. She was the winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2008. In 2012 her story “Sanctuary” came second in the BBC International Short Story Prize.  In In Plain view, Daidai befriends Satsuki, one of her husband Hiroshi’s graduate students who has recently arrived from Japan.  New to Los Angeles, Satsuki clings to her Japanese heritage and introduces Daidai, who is half-Japanese and raised in America, to many traditions. But soon, Satsuki is appearing at their home uninvited, and when news that Satsuki’s estranged mother has been found dead at a nearby monastery emerges, Daidai is suspicious of her new friend’s intentions. Daidai begins to investigate the death of Satsuki’s mother—an apparent suicide, but Hiroshi is appalled, and Satsuki feels betrayed. To smoothe things over, Daidai accompanies Satsuki to Mito, Japan to visit her wealthy father. Daidai struggles to better comprehend Satsuki’s troubled past and dysfunctional family, and the trip proves increasingly disastrous. Rattled by the events, Satsuki moves in to Daidai and Hiroshi’s apartment and her dangerous and erratic behavior forces Daidai to uncover the secrets of Satsuki’s past. When Hiroshi is suddenly very seriously ill, Daidai finds herself in a fight to save not just her marriage but her husband’s life. Julie Shigekuni is the author of four novels: A Bridge Between Us, Invisible Gardens, Unending Nora, and most recently In Plain View. Shigekuni was a finalist for the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award and the recipient of the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature. She has received a Henfield Award and an American Japanese Literary Award for her writing. She teaches in the creative writing program at the University of New Mexico. 

Chapter & Verse
C&V Ep #6: Namwali Serpell on "The Sack"

Chapter & Verse

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2016 33:16


Novelist Namwali Serpell reads from, and explores the meaning of, her short story “The Sack,” winner of the prestigious Caine Prize for African Writing.

Arts & Ideas
Free Thinking - Scotland, Wales and the Ukraine: New Generation Thinker Victoria Donovan. The 2016 Caine Prize.

Arts & Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2016 45:14


New Generation Thinker Victoria Donovan explores the links between Wales and Ukraine. Later this month the Wales Book of the Year Awards take place. We hear from Dr Emma Schofield about the way Welsh fiction has reflected debates since devolution. And talk to Lidudumalingani - winner of this year's Caine Prize for African Writing. And Alex Massie and Professor Richard Wyn Jones discuss the view from Scotland and Wales after the Brexit referendum. Dr Victoria Donovan researches Russian history and culture at the University of St Andrews. The New Generation Thinkers prize is an initiative launched by BBC Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to find the brightest minds from across the UK who have the potential to transform their research into engaging broadcast programmes. You can hear more about the research topics of all 10 2016 New Generation Thinkers on our website. You can read the Caine Prize story here http://caineprize.com/2016-shortlist/ The Wales Book of the Year Awards are announced on Thursday 21 July. The shortlists are: The Roland Mathias Poetry Award: Love Songs of Carbon, Philip Gross /Boy Running, Paul Henry /Pattern beyond Chance, Stephen Payne The Rhys Davies Fiction Award: The Girl in the Red Coat, Kate Hamer/ We Don't Know What We're Doing, Thomas Morris / I Saw a Man, Owen Sheers The Open University in Wales Creative Non-Fiction Award: Losing Israel, Jasmine Donahaye / Woman Who Brings the Rain, Eluned Gramich / Wales Unchained, Daniel G. Williams Aberystwyth University Welsh-language Poetry Award: Nes Draw, Mererid Hopwood / Hel llus yn y glaw, Gruffudd Owen / Eiliadau Tragwyddol, Cen Williams Welsh-language Fiction Award: Norte, Jon Gower / Y Bwthyn, Caryl Lewis / Rifiera Reu, Dewi Prysor The Open University in Wales Welsh-language Creative Non-Fiction Award: Pam Na Fu Cymru, Simon Brooks / Dyddiau Olaf Owain Glyndwr, Gruffydd Aled Williams / Is-deitla'n Unig, Emyr Glyn WilliamsProducer: Ruth Watts

Not Your African Cliché
NYAC S1 E15: Promoting African Literature

Not Your African Cliché

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2016 79:09


In our last episode of the season, we sat down with the founder of Brittle Paper, Ainehi Edoro, and talked about the origin and evolution of her online literary platform. We also discussed what African Literature means to each of us, the challenges it's currently facing and our hopes for its growth. Resources: • http://brittlepaper.com/2015/10/lesotho-stepping-frosty-fairytale-moso-victor-sematlane-african-erotica/ • http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/opinion/sunday/african-books-for-western-eyes.html?_r=0 • http://brittlepaper.com/2016/03/lauren-beukes-book/ • http://www.snarksquad.com/ What we are currently watching/reading/listening to: • Igoni Barrett's Love is Power, Or Something like That • Ken Saro-Wiwa's Sozaboy • Sarah Manyika's Like A Mule Bringing Ice-cream To The Sun • Leye Adenle's Easy Motion Tourist • 2016 Caine Prize shortlist http://caineprize.com/2016-shortlist/ • Netflix's What Happened, Miss Simone? • UnREAL Survey: http://goo.gl/forms/EDmIV0MS2wUKKp4K3 Show was mixed by Ifeyinwa Arinze, and theme music is "Ayo" by the über talented Femi Leye

Half the List of Ships
Binyavanga Wainaina (Rebroadcast)

Half the List of Ships

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2015 85:47


*This episode originally aired as Cosmonauts Avenue podcast #8 in March 2015* Binyavanga Wainaina is one of Africa's and the world's most recognized literary figures. He is a highly accomplished and multi-award-winning author, editor, publisher and journalist. He rose to prominence after his short story "Discovering Home" won the 2002 Caine Prize for African Writing, after which he founded the influential literary magazine Kwani? - the first of its kind in East Africa. Following the renown of his 2003 satirical essay "How to Write About Africa," he was given an award by the Kenya Publisher's Association for his contributions to Kenyan literature. From 2008-2012 he was a Bard Fellow and Director of the Chinua Achebe Center for African Literature. His debut novel "One Day I Will Write About This Place" was published in 2011. In April 2014, Time Magazine named him one of the World's 100 Most Influential People.

Webcasts from the Library of Congress II

April 17, 2015. Kenyan author Okwiri Oduor read from her prize-winning short story, "My Fathers Head" and participated in a moderated discussion. Speaker Biography: Okwiri Oduor is an author and winner of the 2014 Caine Prize for African Writing. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6809

Webcasts from the Library of Congress II
Conversations with African Poets & Writers: Tope Folarin

Webcasts from the Library of Congress II

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2014 62:10


March 20, 2014. Tope Folarin read selections from his short story "Miracle" and was interviewed by the Library's Angel Batiste on the body of his work and on African contemporary literature. Speaker Biography: Nigerian author Tope Folarin is the winner of the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6308

Arts & Ideas
Free Thinking - Politics and writing in Kenya

Arts & Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2014 43:58


Billy Kahora, one of the writers nominated for this year's Caine Prize for African writing joins Philip Dodd to reflect on the way artists in Kenya respond to the political and religious unrest in the country.

Front Row: Archive 2014
Nigel Havers; Malevich at Tate Modern; Michael Rosen; Caine Prize for African Writing

Front Row: Archive 2014

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2014 28:24


John Wilson talks to Nigel Havers and director Lucy Bailey about their revival of The Importance of Being Earnest, framed within the confines of an amateur dramatics production of the play. Art critic Charlotte Mullins reviews a major retrospective of Russian modernist Kazimir Malevich at Tate Modern. The winner of the Caine Prize for African writing, Okwiri Oduor, talks about her winning short story and the impact she hopes the prize will have on her Writing, and head judge, Jackie Kay, reveals why Okwiri's story was an unanimous winner. And author Michael Rosen on the enduring appeal of We're Going On A Bear Hunt, 25 years on and a record-beating reading.

Art Works Podcast
Tope Folarin

Art Works Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2014 28:24


Tope Folarin becomes the first writer born outside of Africa to win the Caine Prize with his short story set in Texas in an evangelical Nigerian church. 

Art Works Podcast

Tope Folarin becomes the first writer born outside of Africa to win the Caine Prize with his short story set in Texas in an evangelical Nigerian church. [28:24]

Art Works Podcasts

Tope Folarin becomes the first writer born outside of Africa to win the Caine Prize with his short story set in Texas in an evangelical Nigerian church. [28:24]

Art Works Podcasts

Tope Folarin becomes the first writer born outside of Africa to win the Caine Prize with his short story set in Texas in an evangelical Nigerian church. [28:24]

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys
Joy Keys chats with Award Winning Author Yvonne Adhiambo Owour

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2014 35:00


Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and educated at Jomo Kenyatta University and the University of Reading.  She received the 2003 Caine Prize for African Writing for her short story, “Weight of Whispers,” described by the BBC as a “subtle and suggestive work of fiction that dramatises the condition of refugees.” She has worked as a screenwriter and was the Executive Director of the Zanzibar International Film Festival from 2003 to 2005.  Her writing has appeared in numerous publications worldwide including Kwani? and McSweeney’s, and her story “The Knife Grinder’s Tale” was made into a short film in 2005.  She lives in Nairobi. DUST is a novel about a splintered family in Kenya—a story of power and deceit, unrequited love, survival and sacrifice. Odidi Oganda, running for his life, is gunned down in the streets of Nairobi. His grief-stricken sister, Ajany, just returned from Brazil, and their father bring his body back to their crumbling home in the Kenyan drylands, seeking some comfort and peace. But the murder has stirred memories long left untouched and unleashed a series of unexpected events: Odidi and Ajany’s mercurial mother flees in a fit of rage; a young Englishman arrives at the Ogandas’ house, seeking his missing father; a hardened policeman who has borne witness to unspeakable acts reopens a cold case; and an all-seeing Trader with a murky identity plots an overdue revenge. In scenes stretching from the violent upheaval of contemporary Kenya back through a shocking political assassination in 1969 and the Mau Mau uprisings against British colonial rule in the 1950s, we come to learn the secrets held by this parched landscape, buried deep within the shared past of the family and of a conflicted nation.   

MoAD SF
Chinelo Okparanta in conversation with Sarah Ladipo Manyika

MoAD SF

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2013 46:36


Join us for an afternoon of reading and conversation with Chinelo Okparanta and Sarah Ladipo Manyika co-presented by Museum of the African Diaspora and Litquake. Chinelo Okparanta will read from her highly acclaimed collection of short stories Happiness, Like Water. Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Chinelo Okparanta earned her B.Sc. from the Pennsylvania State University, her M.A. from Rutgers University, and her M.F.A from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her collection of short stories entitled Happiness, Like Water was published this year by GRANTA in the UK and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the US. She has been nominated for a United States Artists Fellowship in Literature, long-listed for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, and short-listed for the Caine Prize for African Writing. Sarah Ladipo Manyika was raised in Nigeria and has lived in Kenya, France, and England. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and currently teaches literature at San Francisco State University. Her writing includes published essays, academic papers, book reviews and short stories. Sarah's first novel, In Dependence, is published by Legend Press.

Between The Covers : Conversations with Writers in Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, NoViolet Bulawayo earned her MFA at Cornell University where she was the recipient of the Truman Capote fellowship. In 2011 she won the biggest literary prize in Africa, the Caine Prize for African Writing for her short story “Hitting Budapest,” first published in the Boston Review. Bulawayo talks with Between […] The post NoViolet Bulawayo : We Need New Names appeared first on Tin House.

Writers (Audio)
Namwali Serpell - Story Hour in the Library

Writers (Audio)

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2013 51:00


Namwali Serpell’s nonfiction work has appeared in The Believer and Bidoun; her fiction in Callaloo and Tin House. Her first short story, “Muzungu,” was selected to appear in The Best American Short Stories 2009 and shortlisted for the 2010 Caine Prize for African Literature. In 2011, she was one of six recipients of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award for women write. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 24374]

Writers (Video)
Namwali Serpell - Story Hour in the Library

Writers (Video)

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2013 51:00


Namwali Serpell’s nonfiction work has appeared in The Believer and Bidoun; her fiction in Callaloo and Tin House. Her first short story, “Muzungu,” was selected to appear in The Best American Short Stories 2009 and shortlisted for the 2010 Caine Prize for African Literature. In 2011, she was one of six recipients of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award for women write. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 24374]

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys
Live from Belgium: Joy Keys w/ Nigerian Author Chika Unigwe

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2012 27:00


Chika Unigwe was born in Enugu, Nigeria, and now lives in Turnhout, Belgium. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and an MA from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. She also holds a PhD from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands, having completed a thesis entitled "In the shadow of Ala. Igbo women writing as an act of righting" in 2004. Chika Unigwe is the author of fiction, poetry, articles and educational material. She won the 2003 BBC Short Story Competition for her story "Borrowed Smile", a Commonwealth Short Story Award for "Weathered Smiles" and a Flemish literary prize for "De Smaak van Sneeuw", her first short story written in Dutch. "The Secret", another of her short pieces, was nominated for the 2004 Caine Prize. She was the recipient of a 2007 Unesco-Aschberg fellowship for creative writing, and of a 2009 Rockefeller Foundation fellowship for creative writing. Her first novel, De Feniks, was published in Dutch by Meulenhoff / Manteau in September 2005; it is the first book of fiction written by a Flemish author of African origin. Chika Unigwe published her second novel, On Black Sisters' Street(first released in Dutch under the title Fata Morgana), a tale of choices and displacement set against the backdrop of the Antwerp prostitution scene. Night Dancer, Chika Unigwe’s third novel, is based on the contrast that exists between tradition and modern life in present-day Nigeria. Mma is confronted by a concealed past when her mother, Ezi, dies unexpectedly. Ezi had left Mma’s father because he had made their servant girl pregnant. http://www.chikaunigwe.com/

Front Row: Archive 2011
Pan Am; Simon Keenlyside interview

Front Row: Archive 2011

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2011 28:45


With Kirsty Lang. Pan Am, a new American TV drama, lands on BBC Two next week. The series follows the lives and loves of a group of air hostesses in the early 1960s, who are apparently empowered by their new profession. Janet Street Porter reviews. Songs of War is a new disc by award-winning British baritone Simon Keenlyside, featuring his personal selection of music by composers including Ralph Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth and Kurt Weill. He explains why some of his choices may come as a surprise. Remembrance Day is a fitting release-date for new British horror film The Awakening, starring Rebecca Hall and Dominic West. It's set in the years immediately after the First World War, when many of the bereaved sought solace in spiritualism. Professor Steven Connor gives his verdict. A photograph of the Rhine by Andreas Gursky has fetched $4.3m (£2.7m) in an auction, setting a new world record for photography. Art market watcher Sarah Thornton explains why photographs are becoming the art market's hottest property. The Caine Prize-winning Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina has published One Day I Will Write About This Place, a memoir of his middle-class childhood in Kenya. He reflects on growing up in a country whose literature was, he argues, stuck in a colonial time-warp. Producer Georgia Mann.

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys
Joy Keys chats with Author Chika Unigwe about On Black Sisters Street book

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2011 27:00


Chika Unigwe was born in Enugu, Nigeria, and now lives in Turnhout, Belgium. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and an MA from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. She also holds a PhD from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. Chika Unigwe is the author of fiction, poetry, articles and educational material. She won the 2003 BBC Short Story Competition for her story "Borrowed Smile", a Commonwealth Short Story Award for "Weathered Smiles" and a Flemish literary prize for "De Smaak van Sneeuw", her first short story written in Dutch. "The Secret", another of her short pieces, was nominated for the 2004 Caine Prize. She was the recipient of a 2007 Unesco-Aschberg fellowship for creative writing, and of a 2009 Rockefeller Foundation fellowship for creative writing. Chika Unigwe's stories have been broadcast on BBC World Service, Radio Nigeria, and other Commonwealth Radio Stations. Her first novel, De Feniks, was published in Dutch by Meulenhoff / Manteau in September 2005; it is the first book of fiction written by a Flemish author of African origin. Chika Unigwe has recently published her second novel, On Black Sisters Street (first released in Dutch under the title Fata Morgana), a tale of choices and displacement set against the backdrop of the Antwerp prostitution scene. Website: http://www.chikaunigwe.com/