Excerpt: One of Them — An Eton College Memoir by Musa Okwonga
Surely is not a question. Does anyone have any questions, asks your teacher. Yes, says one of your classmates, leaning dangerously far back in his seat and clutching at the air as if it were a handrail...
View ArticleChimamanda Adichie Explains Why She Created Her Own Wedding Rituals
In a recent post on Facebook, Chimamanda Adichie shared never-before-seen photos of her wedding. Sharing these photos was an unprecedented act of openness, which she acknowledged in the note...
View ArticleKọ́lá Túbọ̀sún Translates American Poetry to Yoruba in New Book Ìgbà Èwe
Nigerian writer and linguist Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún has a new book forthcoming. The collection of poetry titled Ìgbà Èwe is a Yoruba translation of Childhood, a poetry book by American philosopher and...
View ArticleKayo Chingonyi and Femi Caleb Shortlisted for Forward Poetry Prizes
Zambia’s Kayo Chingonyi and Nigeria’s Caleb Femi have been shortlisted for two Forward Poetry Prizes. Chingonyi’s A Blood Condition, published by Chatto and Windus, is on the £10,000 Forward Prize for...
View ArticleEVENT | The Inside Track on Publishing for Writers by Helen Moffett | June 24
South African author and editor Helen Moffet partners with Modjaji Books to run a seminar on publishing. The event is perfect for early career writers looking for insider knowledge on how the...
View ArticleThe Adichie-Emezi Fallout: A Few Thoughts
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie recently responded to criticisms that have long trailed her on social media, ranging from her views on trans women to her strained relationship with some younger writers who...
View ArticleSouth African Poet Natalia Molebatsi Rings in Her 40th Birthday!
South African poet and performer Natalia Molebatsi turned 40! She celebrated the landmark birthday in an intimate event with friends and family that was held in Johannesburg. Molebatsi is the author...
View ArticleExcerpt: The Window Seat by Aminatta Forna
In the Shetlands, tourists come for two reasons. There are the twitchers, for the islands are renowned for their birdlife—puffins in particular, and many other varieties of seabird: guillemots,...
View ArticleWhat Every Ancestor Wants — Review of Reincarnating Marechera: Notes on a...
“What do you bring to a dead man, a dead Marechera?” asks Tinashe Mushakavanhu as he sets out to visit Dambudzo Marechera’s grave. Beers? Books? Flowers? Weed? This question about how to properly honor...
View ArticleBook Tour Dates: The Book of Echoes by Rosanna Amaka
We have the dates for Rosanna Amaka’s The Books of Echoes online tour. The book was featured on our 50 Notable African Books of 2020 list. With the paperback edition out today in the UK, Amaka is...
View ArticlePHOTO | Nigerian Novelist Toni Kan Celebrates His 50th Birthday
Nigerian novelist Toni Kan celebrated his 50th birthday recently. The author of The Carnivorous City and media entrepreneur celebrated the milestone in an intimate event held in Anthony village, Lagos...
View ArticleThe 20 Best African Book Covers of 2021 (So Far)
Publishers of African books have upped their cover game the last few years. We’ve come a long way from the era of stock images, acacia trees, and questionable fonts. The array of covers in 2021 so far...
View ArticleWhat is Africanjujuism?
Africanjujuism is a term coined by the Nigerian-American novelist Nnedi Okorafor to describe a sub-category of fantasy centered on African life as lived on the continent. Okorafor said, in an article...
View ArticleAfrican Literary Events This Weekend
Hi Brittlepaperians, Here are some events you can attend this weekend. All are virtual except one. Venue: Zoom Meeting: https://us05web.zoom.us/j/6810184392?pwd=WHdsRWNCdHVkS2ZDNC81MXk4a2UzQT09…...
View ArticleNoviolet Bulawayo’s New Novel Features Animal Characters
Zimbabwean author Noviolet Bulawayo has a new novel coming out, reports Lithub. The novel is titled Glory and is set for a March 8, 2022 publication by Viking. The cover is stunning, and the story is,...
View ArticleEmmanuel Iduma’s Forthcoming Family Memoir I Am Still With You Wins Him a...
Nigerian writer Emmanuel Iduma is one of several recipients of the Silvers Grant for Work in Progress for his memoir I Am Still With You. The Silvers Grant for Work in Progress was established in 2019...
View ArticleEVENT | Don’t Miss the Caine Prize Virtual Award Ceremony | July 26
In just a few days, the judges will announce the winner of the 2021 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. Will the winner be Doreen Baingana, Meron Hadero, Rémy Ngamije, Troy Onyango, or Iryn Tushabe?...
View ArticleBetween War and Grief: Review of Doreen Baingana and Iryn Tushabe’s Caine...
Doreen Baingana’s and Iryn Tushabe’s Caine Prize stories have emotional layers that feel real and raw to the touch. Baingana’s story asks what we see when we look at war through the eyes of a child,...
View ArticleLove is Beautiful When in Bloom is a Collection of Light Sweet Stories
Romance fiction lovers would be interested to know that there is a new book on the way. Lara T. Kareem‘s Love is Beautiful When in Bloom is a collection of love stories. Each story depicts intimate...
View ArticleShine Your Eye is Binyavanga Wainaina’s Only Play | See Photos of the 2010...
It may come as a surprise to some, who know him solely as a fiction writer and essayist, that Binyavanga Wainaina wrote a play. Shine Your Eye, a story about a Nigerian hacker, is Binyavanga’s only...
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