Are you in East Africa with a short story idea or an unpublished short story which could use some panel-beating from more experienced hands in the trade and possibly make it into an anthology? The University of East Anglia’s International Chair of Creative Writing Programme, led by Tsitsi Dangarembga invites you to submit your 2,000-3,000 word short story in English or Kiswahili to stand a chance to take part in a week’s residential Masterclass 4-9 July 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya to nairobisubmissions@gmail.com from now until Midnight on 9 May, 2022.
Story submissions in either of the two languages from writers based in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda will go through a first draft edit via email before final selection of participants who are expected to be in Nairobi during the week of the Masterclass at their own cost (we will make suggestions for low-cost accommodation). Participants in the Masterclass stand a chance of being published in two anthologies with KiSwahili stories translated into English and English stories translated in KiSwahili. The Masterclass will be facilitated by Elias Mutani (Kiswahili) and Zukiswa Wanner (English) along with guest visits/readings from Tsitsi Dangarembga and the University of East Anglia’s director of Creative Writing and the International Chair programme Jean McNeil.
Send us your stories before deadline Midnight East African Time on 9 May, 2022. We can’t wait to read them.
FACILITATORS
Zukiswa Wanner is the author of four novels, three children’s books and two books of nonfiction. Together with Elias Mutani and Renee Edwige Dro, they administered and edited the Goethe-Institut funded Afro Young Adult project leading to three anthologies published in English, French and Kiswahili. As a publisher, Wanner counts among her authors Kenya’s Mukoma wa Ngugi, Nokuthula Mazibuko Msimang from South Africa and Angolan Yara Nakahanda Monteiro whose novel was translated from Portuguese. She also founded and curated Artistic Encounters and the virtual literary festival Afrolit Sans Frontieres which has since morphed to Virtually Yours. Wanner has facilitated writing Masterclasses for Femrite, Lolwe, Writers’ Inc (where she is also a partner) and the Caine Prize Workshop. The 2020 Goethe Medalist has been a juror for Etisalat Prize for Literature, Commonwealth Prize and the inaugural Grand Pan African Prize for Literature.
Two time award-winner in African literature and the author of two young adult fictions, Elias Mutani has facilitated creative writing workshops and mentored the younger generation of authors. He was a juror in Kalahari short story competition for writers using Kiswahili, French or English in Africa as well as a juror for various writing competitions in Tanzania. Mutani has translated selected stories from Caine Prize and is a member of Kiswahili-English translation team for the Commonwealth Writers. He is a member of the selection committee in UN SDG African Book Club – Kiswahili chapter. He was facilitator, editor and translator for the Afro Young Adult project by Goethe-Institut that was curated by Zukiswa Wanner with the aim of discovering new talents in young adult fiction across Africa. He founded and coordinates Right to Read Initiative, an agency for cultural development through creative writing in Tanzania.
