Call for Submissions: Kalahari Review

The Kalahari Review is an African-eccentric magazine interested in material exploring Africa and Africans in unique and avant-garde ways. Telling new stories from everyday African life as told by the people that are living it. We are looking for stories that have not often been told but should be – through voices that have not yet been heard - but should.

We hope to push the limits and expose the world to aspects of Africa not often shown - both the positives and the negatives. We are interested in pieces about and from Africans living abroad as well.

Please take the time to enjoy the content on the site and get an understanding for what we publish before submitting.

Because this is a web-based publication there are no word count restrictions and no deadlines - we are always open to submissions.

More information on the Kalahari Review website. 

ANA Calls for Short Stories

The Association of Nigerian Authors is pleased to announce a call for entries for a short story collection sponsored by the Nigerian Institute for Cultural Orientation [NICO]. The anthology will comprise of the best submissions and will be released by August 2013.

Theme: All stories should deal with aspects of Nigerian culture, interpreted widely.

Length: Under 3,000 words.

Submission: All entries are to be sent via email to bmdzukogi@gmail.com with the subject “ANA/NICO [title of submission]”

Format: Entries should be sent as a single MS Word-readable document in 12 pt, Times New Roman Font, double spaced with pagination. All entries must be accompanied by a separate attachment providing a 200-word bio and full contact details.

Deadline: May 30, 2013

Please note

1. For entries to be eligible, they must not have been published in print in Nigeria prior to submission. The Association reserves the right to remove a story from the collection on discovery of prior print publication.

2. Online publication in magazines, blogs, and journals etc are not affected by 1. above.

More information here

Call for Entries: ANA Literary Prize

The Association of Nigerian Authors [ANA] hereby calls for entries for its 2013 Annual Literary Prizes. Nigerian writers, home and abroad, desirous of entering their works for the Annual Literary Prizes, may now do so. Works entered should have been published between March 2012 and May 2013.

Requirements

• Six copies (6) of the book or manuscript to be entered, specifying the Prize being entered for, alongside a covering letter and the photocopy of a receipt evidencing payment of annual dues to a State Chapter in the year of entry (2013) should be sent to:

The General Secretary,
Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA),
C/o Suite 63,
National Theatre Complex,
Iganmu
Lagos.

• The covering letter should contain accurate contact details of the writer or/and publisher of the work, including email and surface mail addresses and telephone numbers. The Association will not take responsibility for entries sent by post nor will it claim registered parcels in cases where it has to pay for such parcels.
• Multiple entries, where applicable, are allowed but a work must not have been entered for the same prize prior to the present entry and it must have been published between March 2012 and May2013
• All entries must be accompanied with the photocopy of an official RECEIPT from a State Chapter of ANA evidencing payment of dues for the year of entry—2012.

The Prizes
ANA/Chevron Prose Prize on Environmental Issues (Prose) $2,000.00 (published works only).
ANA/Esiaba Irobi Prize for Playwrighting. N50, 000.00 (published & unpublished works).
ANA/Lantern Books Prize for Children’s Fiction N 100, 000.00 (unpublished works only, ages 8 – 15). Winning entry to be published by Lantern Books.
ANA Prize for Poetry (published & unpublished) – N 100, 000.
ANA Prize for Prose Fiction (published & unpublished) – N 100, 000.
ANA Prize for Drama (published & unpublished) – N 100, 000.
ANA Prize for Literary Journalism – N 100, 000 (Deadline: September 30, 2012).
ANA/NECO Teen Author Prize (prose) N 100, 000.00 (published & unpublished works).
ANA/Mazariyya Teen Author Prize (poetry) N 50, 000.00 (published & unpublished works).

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES for Teen Authors Prize
1. Entrants must be students in any secondary school in Nigeria.
2. Entries must be a collection or a single story of between 35 – 40 pages for prose or poetry.
3. Illustration (optional).
4. Accompanying documents are:
(i) Signed letter of identification from school principal on school letterhead.
(ii) Two passport photographs, name, and copy of birth certificate of the entrant.
(iii) Entrant's school admission letter (photocopy).
(iv) Current cumulative record of entrant’s academic performance (junior or secondary school).
(v) Letter of consent from parents.
(vi) Entrant’s [or their guardian’s] email, and surface mail address and phone number.
5. Unpublished entries (in four copies) should be properly bound.

Deadline for the receipt of ALL entries, asides the Prize for Literary Journalism, for the 2012 ANA Literary Prizes is May 30, 2013. A shortlist will be announced in early October, 2013.

Winners of the prizes will be announced by the judges at the Awards Dinner during the 32nd International Annual Convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors in October, 2013.

More information can be found here

Call for Submissions: Saraba Mag

Known for its high quality and rich content. Saraba Magazine has carved a niche for itself when it comes to writing in Africa. It has opened doors to many, created opportunities, to be read by the world. Here is your chance. Saraba Mag calls for entries for its next issue themed "Art".

John Keats, the eighteenth century English poet, after viewing the Parthenon, marble sculptures from Ancient Greece, proceeded to write ‘On Seeing the Elgin Marbles’; and also wrote ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ inspired by Classical Greek art.

There has to be something said of Art’s influence on Literature and vice versa.

In this issue, we explore the marriage, the intermingling of Art and Literature, exploring how these two expressions of creativity diverge and converge as they try to delve into humanity and reveal the myriad experiences present in the world.

For Saraba 14, we hope the works of writers reveal the influence of Art in their work, and in their lives.

 Please (only) submit your work at www.saraba.submittable.com/submit

Deadline: May 17, 2013

Excuse Us London

Victor Ehikhamenor is no stranger to the GCLF blog. He was been featured here and here. 

The Event

Ehikhamenor and Nkem Ivara will read to a UK public reading from their new books and conversations on African writing and publishing. Ehikhamenor will be reading from his bestselling nonfiction book Excuse Me, and Nkem Ivara will read from her romance novel e-book Closer than a Brother. The event will be held on 6 April, 2013 and is to be moderated by writer Ike Anya, with conversations led by literary critic Ikhide Ikheloa.

Inua Ellams, a word and graphic artist, will animate the event with his poetry performance, described as work of “deeply original beauty.” Ellams is an acclaimed performance poet, who has appeared at events organized by the BBC, Tate Modern, British Museum, The Royal Opera House, amongst others.

Time: 2.00pm and 5.30pm

Venue: Africa Centre, 38 King Street, Covent Garden London, WC2E 8JT United Kingdom.

For more information, please write ei@vgconcepts.com. You can also call 08060050835 or +44 (0) 20 7836 1973. The Twitter hashtag for the event is #ExcuseUsLondon. Details about the live-streaming of the event and general updates can be found on the ‘Excuse Us London’ event page on Facebook

Their Works

Ehikhamenor’s nonfiction book Excuse Me! (Parresia Publishers, 2012) is a collection of humorous essays and keen observations about being Nigerian by Victor Ehikhamenor. Touching on politics, love, immigration, as well as other broad subjects, the book successfully weaves a satirical narrative around contemporary African experience. He has been featured on the BBC and CCTV.

Nkem Ivara’s Closer than a Brother (Whispers Publishing, 2013) is a contemporary Nigerian romance novel.

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Science and Writing: Any Links?

Two writers with medical science backgrounds, Sylva Nze Ifedigbo and Nwachukwu Egbunike, will be reading from their works at Patabah Bookshop on March 16, 2013.

The Writers
Sylva Nze Ifedigbo is a Doctor of Veterinary medicine, a writer and a Corporate Communications professional.  He is an award-winning essayist and author of the novella, “Whispering Aloud” and collection of short stories The Funeral Did Not End. Sylva’s Essays have appeared in The Punch, The Nation, 234Next, Nigeria Village Square, Nigeria Dialogue, amongst others. He manages a weekly column on Daily TimesNG.  He is also the features & Reviews Editor of Sentinel Nigeria and an Ambassador for the Coca-Cola ‘A Billion Reasons To Believe in Africa’ Campaign.

Nwachukwu Egbunike studied Medical Laboratory Sciences at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; and Communication and Language Arts in the University of Ibadan, respectively. His essays have been published in the Guardian, ThisDay,Vivantes Viva, Buisnessday, Evans School Supplement and the Nigerian Tribune respectively. Online, he has written for Fast Editions, Mercatornet, Nigeria Plus and Nigeria Village Square. Nwachukwu has been blogging in Feathers Project since 2006.  In 2011, he became an author with Global Voices. He is currently the Executive Editor of Feathers and Ink, Ibadan.

Their Works

Nze Sylva’s short story collection The Funeral Did Not End has been making waves since it was published  mid 2012. TFDNE is remarkable for having social commentary as a major theme and the skill of the author in depicting the largely ignored everyday life of the average Nigerian.

Nwachukwu Egbunike’s Dyed Thoughts is a collection of essays that mirror the author’s view on the state of the Nigerian society. Dyed Thoughts slices open the underbelly of a country in need of redemption and shows the hows , the whys and ultimately the why nots, which will serve as a guide for anyone pondering the way forward.

The Event

Date: Saturday March 16 2013

Venue: Patabah Bookshop, B18 Adeniran Ogunsanya (Shoprite) Shopping Mall, Ground Street, Surulere, Lagos

Time: 3-6PM

For more information contact: books@dadaenterprises.net, info@patabah.com

Commonwealth Writing Competitions 2013

There are two categories; the Book Prize and the Short Story Prize. 

The short story prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2000 – 5000 words). Submissions must be made by the author of the short story. Regional winners receive £1,000 and the overall winner receives £5,000. Deadline for submission is Tuesday 4 December 2012 (12 noon GMT)

The book prize is awarded to any first full length novel for an adult readership is eligible for the Commonwealth Book Prize subject to the further eligibility clarifications. Drama, books written for children, anthologies of short stories, collections of poetry and graphic novels are not eligible. There are no restrictions on setting, theme or genre.

Click the links for more information on the competition. All the best! 

Win £1,000--and Have Your Work Published

The Financial Times and The Bodley Head, an imprint of Random House UK, are running their first annual essay prize for the best young talent in long-form essay writing.

The Bodley Head, an imprint of Random House UK, and the Financial Times, are proud to announce their first annual essay prize, which aims to reward the best young talent in long-form essay writing. 

"We are looking for a dynamic, authoritative and lively essay of no more than 3,500 words on a topic of your choice. It can be journalistic, it can be a case study; it can be wide-ranging or minutely focused. It can address any topic – from finance to history, from current affairs to a scientific discovery. We aren’t looking for a particular subject – we are simply looking for quality," reads the release on the FT website.

The prize for the winner will be £1,000, an e-publication with Bodley Head and a mentoring session with the Financial Times/Bodley Head.

More information here. Download an entry form here. Deadline is November 18, 2012. 

All the best!

Book Launch of Eghosa Imasuen’s Fine Boys

Details here.

Paris Literary Prize Calls for Submissions

The Paris Literary Prize will be awarded for a novella, written by a previously unpublished writer. Please carefully read all eligibility terms and conditions before entering.

Eligibility Terms and Conditions to Enter The Paris Literary Prize. General Submission requirements include:

• Entrants must be individuals and not a company or organization.
• Entrants must submit their work using their real name.
• Entrants must be over 18 years of age at the time of submission.
• The competition is not open to employees of Shakespeare and Company, FestivalandCo, The de Groot Foundation or members of the judging panel. Family members of any of the aforementioned are also not eligible.
• The 2012 Paris Literary Prize competition is open to unpublished writers only.

More information on their website

Call For Entries: The GCLF Writers' Workshop

Entries for the 5th edition of the annual Garden City Literary Festival Writers’ Workshop are now being accepted. The workshop will hold in October 2012.

The Writers’ Workshop is a creative platform where aspiring writers sit under the tutelage of their established counterparts. It is recommended for anyone who wants to improve their writing skills. Each applicant must indicate their preferred choice of workshop.

Application to more than one class will not be considered. Participants are required to submit samples of their writing (in line with requirement for the different genres) before Friday 31st August, 2012, to secure a place.

All applicants must submit the following:

FOR SHORT STORIES:

• Sample short story of between 1000 and 1500 words (please highlight--in the subject of your email--how many words your story contains). You should submit only your best story.

FOR POEMS:

• Sample poem (no longer than 1000 words). Please note: synopses or abstracts will NOT be accepted.

FOR DRAMA

• A ‘one act’ play script on any subject.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES MUST BE ADHERED TO:

• A one-page personal CV must be submitted along with each entry;
• A brief paragraph about what you intend to learn from your chosen workshop must be included in submission;
• All manuscripts must be double spaced with a header showing ‘author’ to the left, ‘title’ in the middle and ‘page number’ to the right;
• Handwritten entries or entries that do not adhere to the manuscript format above will not be accepted.

All sample materials must be submitted to info@gardencityfestival.com not later than 12 noon on Friday 31st August, 2012. Materials submitted after this date and time will not be accepted.

*Guest writers at the 5th edition of the Garden City Literary Festival include Doreen Baingana, Lola Shoneyin, Veronique Tadjo, Noo Saro-Wiwa, Chibundu Onuzo and the Caine Prize administrator, Lizzy Attree.

Everything Sefi Atta

Nigerian author Sefi Atta currently enjoys a great reception of her fictional work. Named the winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa in 2006 and the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa in 2009 among others, Atta has published three novels and a collection of short stories with more pieces appearing soon. She has also written several plays that have been performed both on stage and on the radio. I am seeking contributors to The Sefi Atta Reader. The Reader will contain critical essays of approximately 9000 to 11000 words, key topic essays of approximately 3000 to 4000 words and interviews with Sefi Atta. A publisher has been identified, and Atta will make herself available for the interviews. Contributions should focus primarily on her body of writing, but may briefly address any of her interlocutors or situate her work within the larger body of African literature, especially the latest wave of contemporary African writing.

Topics/approaches might include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Globalization
• Post-colonial theory
• Women and motherhood
• Female friendship
• Conflict between women and any of the following: men, culture/tradition, their communities/families
• Convergence of personal and political spheres
• Class barriers
• Depiction and role of Lagos as a city in the literature
• Impact of death
• Neo-colonialism

Please contact Dr. Walter Collins at collinsw@sc.edu for more information and any questions. Contribution proposals (no longer than 250 words) should be sent to the address above by July 31, 2012. First drafts of contributions are due on or before September 30, 2012 and may be sent electronically. Please see www.sefiatta.com for more details regarding Atta’s career and work.

The Naming Ceremony, Stage Play Written by Sefi Atta

The play shows a couple, Akin and Tola, who have had their first child. As they both prepare for their baby’s naming ceremony, Tola prepares for a day of disagreements, especially with her husband, her mother and mother in-law.

Tickets: All seats: £6
Times: 8.30pm
Location: Auditorium
Additional Information
Running time: 30 Minutes
Nigeria House is adjacent to the Olympic Park. Please ensure that you travel to the venue by public transport. More information at www.getaheadofthegames.com

More information here

Prairie Schooner and APBF to Partner with New Brunel University African Poetry Prize

Prairie Schooner and the African Poetry Book Fund are partnering with the Brunel University African Book Prize was which just announced. The announcement of this new prize follows:

The Brunel University African Poetry Prize is a major new poetry prize of £3000 aimed at the development, celebration and promotion of poetry from Africa. The prize is sponsored by Brunel University and partnered by Commonwealth Writers, the Africa Centre UK, and the African Poetry Book Fund USA.

British-Nigerian writer, Bernardine Evaristo, who has initiated the prize, describes her reasons for a new prize exclusively devoted to African poetry:

I have judged several prizes in the past few years, including chairing the Caine Prize for African Fiction in 2012, an award that has revitalised the fortunes of fiction from Africa since its inception in 1999. It became clear to me that poetry from the continent could also do with a prize to draw attention to it and to encourage a new generation of poets who might one day become an international presence. I am particularly interested in new voices who are exploring poetry that perhaps draws on the poets' own cultural aesthetics - doing something original, something different. African poets are rarely published in Britain. I hope this prize will introduce exciting new poets to Britain's poetry editors.

Prairie Schooner, one of the leading literary presses in the USA, having published continuously for eighty-five years, has committed to publishing some of the work of the winning poets of the Brunel University African Poetry Prize. Wasafiri, the leading British journal of international writing, will also publish the winner. Similar arrangements will be pursued with other major literary journals in the United Kingdom and the US.

Rules

• The prize will be for ten poems by an African writer who has not yet had a full-length poetry book published. (Self-published books, chapbooks and pamphlets are exempt.)
• The prize is open to poets who were born in Africa, or who are nationals of an African country, or whose parents are African.
• Only poetry written in English is eligible. Translated poetry is accepted but a percentage of the prize will be awarded to the translator.
• The prize opens for entries on October 26th 2012 and the winner will be announced in April 2013.
• There will be a distinguished panel of judges including the poet Kwame Dawes and the academic Mpalive Msiska. There will also be an advisory committee. All to be announced.

In collaboration with the African Poetry Book Fund, the Brunel University African Poetry Prize will develop a series of poetry workshops and courses in Africa in its efforts to provide technical support for poets writing in Africa.

For more updates and additional information go to the Facebook page of the Prize or contact Bernardine Evaristo. Additional information about the Brunel University African Poetry Prize will be available at the website of  the African Poetry Book Fund.

Deadline Extended for the Kwani? Manuscript Project

News from Kwani?: The deadline for the Kwani? Manuscript Project, Kwani Trust's new literary prize for African writing, has been extended. You now have until 17th September 2012 to submit your unpublished fiction manuscript and be in with a chance of winning both cash prizes and international publication for your novel. In addition, Kwani Trust will be launching a series of essays by leading African writers on writing. Including contributions from Aminatta Forna, Leila Aboulela, Ellen Banda-Aaku and Helon Habila, the essays will offer advice, support and inspiration for developing your novel manuscript over the next 2 months.

The first of those essays, The Spark of Life: Where Novels Come From by Aminatta Forna, is published here. An excerpt:

For every writer the idea for a novel starts in a different place. Some writers like to begin with a concept, a conundrum or a situation, a what if? Some with a story or plot line. Yet others begin with a character. When people who want to write ask me, as they often do, where my ideas come from I generally say that I start with a character, because I see myself as a character-led writer. That remains largely true, but then you might equally ask where does that character come from? Where does it all begin? From sitting in front of audiences and answering their questions, I have been able to see that every book I have written has started with a spark of life—a moment I can trace my way back to, when an idea that might smoulder for years before catching fire first arrived.

 Read on.

African Writers Trust is Seeking Blog Contributors

The African Writers Trust blog welcomes your literary and cultural news and reviews for their blog. If interested, use this contact form to reach them.

The Advisory Board of the African Writers Trust include Aminatta Forna, Helon Habila, Leila Aboulela, and Zakes Mda.

Rainbow Book Club: Vacancies

Rainbow Book Club, organiser of the Garden City Literary Festival and the Port Harcourt World Book Capital bid, is seeking team members. Among the available positions are those of Chief Operating Officer, Communications & Public Relations Officer, Programme Coordinator, and Accountant. Go here for the full list of positions.

SLCF Calls for Submissions of Children's Literature

The Splendid Literature & Culture Foundation ensures that books written by young writers for children readers satisfy parents who continue to buy books for their children, and the children who read them. The Foundation encourages the production of children. Submissions are invited from June 1, 2012, from young Nigerian writers, aged 11 to 21 years, of children’s literature from all over the country for the Splendid Literature and Culture Foundation Series.

The aim of the Foundation is to produce imaginative children’s stories that will entertain, enlighten and appeal to children of ages 8 to 12 years, and encourage them to read. Above all, these stories are to stimulate the imagination of the readers to help them think in novel ways to do things.

The young writers should be resident in Nigeria and their stories should have strong Nigerian/African content.

All entrants’ works must be original, unaided and unpublished works of fiction in English. Plays and poems are not eligible.

The work should be between 3000 – 3500 words, typewritten, double spaced or legibly handwritten on numbered pages. Illegible entries will be disqualified. Submissions will be assessed by the Foundation’s judges. Six suitable stories will be selected and published annually. The usual royalty and publication terms will apply to every story published by the Foundation. The publishers reserve the customary rights regarding all publishing decisions. The copyright of each entry will remain vested in the author unless otherwise agreed in writing between the entrant and the Foundation.

Submission Procedure
1. Include name, address, phone number and email address on the title page of the manuscript, with only the full name of entrant on each numbered page of the submission.

2. Entries must be submitted under the real name of the entrant. Pseudonyms may not be used.

3. Not more than one entry per entrant will be accepted.

4. Ensure you attached your entry.

5. Entries should be emailed to splendidlcf@gmail.com or submit six (6) copies of the entry manuscript at:

Splendid Literature & Culture Foundation: 31, Alhaji Tokan Street, Alaka Estate, Surulere, Lagos, P.O Box 7328, GPO, Lagos.

6. Submissions should be accompanied by evidence of Nigerian citizenship (photocopy of birth certificate, Nigerian passport or Nigerian ID Card).

7. The closing date for all entries is July 31, 2012.

8. Any entry that does not meet any of the conditions and the deadline will be disqualified.

9. Members and employees of the Splendid Literature & Culture Foundation are not eligible.

Soyinka @ 78: International Cultural Exchange Prog.

Zmirage Multimedia Limited (Nigeria and UK) and GlobalNewHaven (Nigeria and USA), organizers of the WS78 International Cultural Exchange programme “The Mind of a Patriot”, invite you to a lecture titled "From Tigritude to Transcendence: The Conscience and Conscientiousness of Wole Soyinka" by Robert Fox, Professor of English and Africana Studies at Southern Illinois University, United States of America.

Venue: Soyinka Hall, Freedom Park, (former colonial prison) Lagos

Date: July 12th 2012

Time: 11:00 am

The lecture, in honour of our patron, Nobel Prize Laureate Wole Soyinka on his 78th birthday, is billed to attract scholars, students, writers, artisans, culture enthusiasts and other professionals from business and public service. It will be moderated by the cerebral Professor Segun Ojewuyi of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

RSVP the event by sending a mail to firo_po@yahoo.co.uk

Wole Soyinka headlined the Garden City Literary Festival in 2010. This is also to wish him a happy birthday from the GCLF Team as he clocks 78 on Friday.

Port Harcourt is the 2014 World Book Capital City!

UNESCO has just announced Port Harcourt as the 2014 World Book Capital City! Port Harcourt was chosen over such formidable cities as Oxford and Lyon. Congrats to the Rainbow Book Club and the Rivers State government. And we hope to see you at the special World Book Capital City edition of the Garden City Literary Festival in 2014.

2012 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature: Long List

The Lumina Foundation has announced the long list of the 2012 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. Past winners of the prize include Nnedi Okorafor, Sefi Atta, and Wale Okediran.