Month: February 2008

Ernest Hemingway and the Country He Called Africa

Not too long ago (in January), I joined a few African writers in expression our dissatisfaction with a publisher's reference to Africa as a country in the "Foreword" of an anthology of stories by African authors. The publisher (Author-Me.com) and the editor (Winona Rasheed) apologized for the error and promised to reissue the books with … Continue reading Ernest Hemingway and the Country He Called Africa →

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Valerie Tagwira Wins the NAMA Award

Valerie Tagwira's first novel, Uncertainty of Hope, has won the NAMA award for best fiction. The awards ceremony, held on February 13 at the 7 Arts Theatre in Harare, Zimbabwe brought together seasoned and new artists. The nominees of Outstanding Fiction Book were: White Man Crawling - John EppelThe Uncertainty of Hope - Valerie Tagwira … Continue reading Valerie Tagwira Wins the NAMA Award →

New Munyori Issue on February 15

Question: Your persona in “Child of the Streets” presents a very interesting angle, all alone and lost among thousands of other city dwellers. Does he perhaps represent your own exile? Zvisinei Sandi's Answer: Giggs tends to look rather like a mental image, doesn’t he? Almost like the majestic bull with the evil leprechaun sitting on … Continue reading New Munyori Issue on February 15 →

Winona Rasheed Apologizes for Calling Africa Country

"My name is Winona Rasheed, and I am asking that you please except my sincere apology in referring to Africa as a country instead of the continent that it is. This anthology of African writers will be revised so that it refers to Africa as a continent." These words from Winona Rasheed came a few … Continue reading Winona Rasheed Apologizes for Calling Africa Country →

Preview of new Munyori Poetry Journal Issue

The next issue of Munyori will showcase works by these ten poets: Zvisinei Sandi, Prince Mensah, Tim Kahl, Shilla Mutamba, Carol Lyn Grellas, Jerry Barrow, Tad Richard, Jason Viscanti, Gary Beck, and Gu Xie. Three new interviews will feature Zvisinei Sandi, Prince Mensah, and Tim Kahl. As always, Munyori welcomes essays and book reviews.

Publisher to Correct Africa-is-Country Error

The owner and publisher of Author-Me-com, Bruce Cook, has claimed primary responsibility for his company's reference to Africa as a country. In a letter to Wordsbody, the blogger who first exposed this error, Cook said, "I agree that this is quite serious, although I imagine that similar errors occur with many who have not had … Continue reading Publisher to Correct Africa-is-Country Error →

Things Fall Apart 50th Anniversary Celebration

When Chinua Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart 50 years ago, he did not have any idea that the novel would gain the influence that has made it a towering influence in African literature. The novel has sold over 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated in over a dozen languages. Considered by many a rich … Continue reading Things Fall Apart 50th Anniversary Celebration →

Literary Contests & their Discontents

This week witnessed what Wordsbody called a "stunner" in the world of literary contests when Zadie Smith announced that she had failed to find a winning story from the 2008 entries to The Willesden Herald Short Story Competition . In a letter to interested parties, she revealed that the literary world was in an appalling … Continue reading Literary Contests & their Discontents →

The Willesden Herald To Give Story Prize to Charity

First, the money was not going to be given away since no entrant had been "good enough"; then, responding to the fury of the writers, Willesden Herald was going to  split among the ten shortlist writers, who, feeling insulted, declined the offer. Willesden Herald then decided to stick to the original decision of not giving … Continue reading The Willesden Herald To Give Story Prize to Charity →

This Time the Writers Tell Zadie Smith “No, Thank You”.

"As the majority of the writers have declined the offer of money and being listed and having their stories on the website, it has been decided that the original judgement will stand". No matter how one looks at this matter, it comes back to Zadie Smith deciding that the shortlist writers to the  The Willesden Herald  Short … Continue reading This Time the Writers Tell Zadie Smith “No, Thank You”. →

Zadie Smith Decision Update; Be shocked.

In an even more bizzare literary moment, Zadie Smith has decided to let the "not-so-good" shortlisted writers in the Willesden Herald Short Story Contest split the 2008 prize, after readers posted harsh comments criticizing the initial decision. Was Zadie Smith pressured by reader feedback to reward these writers of works she had determined substandard? In … Continue reading Zadie Smith Decision Update; Be shocked. →

Short Story Entries Not Good Enough, Zadie Smith Tells Contestants

"This is a difficult thing to write. Just like everybody, we at The Willesden Herald are concerned about the state of contemporary literature. We are depressed by the cookie-cutter process of contemporary publishing, the lack of truly challenging and original writing, and the small selection of pseudo-literary fictio-tainment that dominates our chain bookstores. We created … Continue reading Short Story Entries Not Good Enough, Zadie Smith Tells Contestants →

Sacramento Poetry Center Contests

Contest 1: The SPC has announced its 2008 Poetry contest, open to all poets. This year's entry fee is $4 per poem. First, second and third prizes will be awarded [$100, $50, $25]. In addition, 10 honorable mentions will receive $10 gift certificates. Please send two copies of each poem, one with your name and … Continue reading Sacramento Poetry Center Contests →

Toni Morrison Endorses Obama

ABC Blogs reports that Toni Morrision has endorsed Baraka Obama for president. Staying true to her declaration that writers are political beings, the Nobel Laureate writes, "Our future is ripe, outrageously rich in its possibilities. Yet unleashing the glory of that future will require a difficult labor, and some may be so frightened of ts birth … Continue reading Toni Morrison Endorses Obama →