Writers International Network Zimbabwe is proud to announce that it has received a warm welcome at the Book Café and will hold an end of year writers’ event at this venue.
The event, End of Year Writers’ Get Together, will explode on 11 December 2010 at the Book Café from 10 am to about 1pm. This comes after we previously announced that we had closed our calendar of activities for the year 2010. However, this sounded too abrupt an ending, hence this opportunity to mix and mingle and share more ideas and wish each other season’s complements at a cultural hub. As also reported in the previous issue of our Newsletter, that if anything comes up we will not hesitate to rise to the occasion as long as it has something to do with writing, so here we are, ending our year in style. We are expecting to have a good time, a good refreshing moment far from our writing studios. Running under the theme “Building a future through writing”, we hope that this is one of the stepping stones for budding writers to get to the kind of future they want in their different writing careers. The rationale behind it is that in Zimbabwe, some of the great and newly published authors are unknown to the high school literature students, let alone to the general public. Although the students may or may not study these writers at school, one way or another they encounter the writers’ works. Win-Zimbabwe believes that the meeting between students and writers will instil in the young scribes a sense of belonging. There have been instances where budding writers have said they know their local authors but when asked who wrote Waiting for the Rain, a favourite of many of them, some of them say it is Shimmer Chinodya. Wow! Chinodya himself can testify to this, I think. This is the gap we want to bridge through events such as writers’ get-togethers which we wish could eventually turn into an annual writers’ festival.
We also hope that afternoon events such as these will send a message to parents and teachers to support writing talent at home and at school by encouraging the youngsters to read works especially written by local authors.
Editors Announce African Roar 2011 Stories
Emmanuel Sigauke and Ivor Hartmann who are the editors of African Roar, an annual StoryTime anthology of African writers, have announced the stories that will grace the 2011 edition.
Among the selected stories is the late Stanley Ruzvidzo Mupfudza’s story called Witch’s Brew. This is a fitting homage to the late dreadlocked writer who inspired young writers at workshops and seminars and Zimbabwe at large with his creative writings and experience. Through his mentorship, various budding and gifted short story writers broke into print in the Daily Mirror where he was an editor. It is indeed refreshing to note that Ruzvidzo continues to speak to us through his works. The inaugural African Roar anthology published this year received rave reviews on many literary websites and The Standard, a local newspaper, also re-published some the reviews for the benefit of ordinary Zimbabweans with no access to the internet.
Find below the full list of the selected authors and titles of their stories:
Chanting Shadows by Mbonisi P. Ncube
The Times by Dango Mkandawire
Out of Memory by Emmanuel Iduma
Masvingo neCarpet Thamsanqa Ncube
Diner Ten by Ivor W. Hartmann
Missing a Thing of Beauty by Abigail George
Water Wahala by Isaac Neequaye
Longing for Home by Hajira Amla
Snakes Will Follow You by Emmanuel Sigauke
The Echo of Silence Delta Law Milayo Ndou
Snake of the Niger Delta by Chimdindu Mazi-Njoku
The Saxophonist by Anengiyefa Alagoa
Letter to my Son by Joy Isi Bewaji
Waiting for April by Damilola Ajayi
A Writer's Lot by Zukiswa Wanner
Witch's Brew by Stanely Ruzvidzo Mupfudza
To the Woods with a Girl by Masimba Musodza
Silent Night, Bloody Night by Ayodele Morocco-Clarke
Lose Myself by Uche Peter Umez
Uncle Jeffrey by Murenga Joseph Chikowero
Because of my Wife by Kenechukwu Obi
The Orange Barn by Sarudzai Mubvakure
Congratulations!
Albert Nyathi