Where to Now? Short story launch

Following the successful launch of Where to Now? Short Stories from Zimbabwe at the Writers’ Centre, Witwatersrand University last month, a launch of the collection by the publishers, ’amaBooks, took place during the Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo on Saturday September 24 at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

2011 Caine Prize winner, NoViolet Bulwayo, did a reading at the launch.
2011 Caine Prize winner, NoViolet Bulwayo, did a reading at the launch.

Where to Now? is the fifth book in the ’amaBooks’ Short Writing series, the previous collections having been Short Writings from Bulawayo, I, II and III, and Long Time Coming.

The writing in the collection, at times dark, at times laced with comedy, is set against the backdrop of what has come to be known as Zimbabwe’s ‘lost decade’.

All the writers featured in the book are Zimbabwean, although some are now in the Diaspora. At the Bulawayo launch, Christopher Mlalazi read from his story in the book, They are Coming, and John Eppel read from his, Tomato Stakes.

There were also readings by 2011 Caine Prize winner NoViolet Bulawayo and Thabisani Ndlovu.

During the reading of an excerpt of NoViolet Bulawayo’s short story Snapshots, Bulawayo based artist Owen Maseko sketched his interpretation of the reading.

Although many of the writers no longer live in Zimbabwe, their inspiration still comes from their homeland and their stories tell of Zimbabwe.

Post published in: Arts

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