‘WELCOME TO VENICE’
The winner of our Nigeria Imaginary Cover Art Contest, Sarah N. Kanu, discusses the inspiration and process behind her cover as well as its significance for Nigeria’s showcase at the 2024 Venice Biennale.
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Interviews
‘I Want the Chapters of My Life to Be Written by Brilliant Black Women’ Jamila Pereira’s First Draft
Author of ‘Resisting Linguistic Genocide’, Jamila Pereira, believes in striking a delicate balance between storytelling and presenting factual events: ‘While weaving a compelling narrative is essential for engaging readers, it was equally vital to remain faithful to historical truths and realities.’
‘All Writing Is Re-Orchestration’ Kéchi Nne Nomu’s First Draft
Author of ‘The Resilience of Nigerian Writing’, Kéchi Nne Nomu, has been reading science writings and creative nonfiction lately: ‘I think the world of science and the literary world need to meet more often. I like books or texts where that interaction is happening.’
‘EMERGING ANGOLAN WRITERS FALL INTO THREE CATEGORIES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE VILLAINS’
Angolan poet and scholar, José Luís Mendonça, discusses Angola’s publishing industry and literary scene—past and present—and the influence of other poet-activists on his nearly fifty-year career.
The Books That Changed the Minds of Writers
The joy of being a reader lies in discovering new thoughts, ideas, and histories. Over the past year, we have asked some authors about the books that changed their minds about something. Here’s what they told us.
‘I Know a Poem Is Complete When I Am Both Unsettled and at Peace’ Theresa Lola’s First Draft
Nigerian poet and author of In Search of Equilibrium, Theresa Lola, believes a poem is complete when she is both unsettled and at peace.
‘It Is Not Feminism If It Is Not Political’
The co-founder and executive director of feminist movement, Feminists in Kenya, discusses convening Kenya’s anti-femicide protests of January 2024 and what needs to happen next.
‘Poetry Is Political’ Safia Elhillo’s First Draft
Sudanese poet, Safia Elhillo, feels very differently now about the idea of belonging than she did at the time of writing her award-winning collection, The January Children. Looking back, she was ‘so concerned with a sort of diasporic longing that centered nationhood and nationality as the primary sites of belonging, and I just really don’t believe that anymore.’
‘I Am Drawn to Stories That Tackle Complicated Family Relationships’ Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond’s First Draft
Ghanaian writer and author of Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, says her children’s book was inspired by a Bible passage about the furnishings in King Solomon’s temple.
‘Every Story Has Its Own Spirit and Demons’ Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s First Draft
Award-winning writer and author of When We Were Fireflies, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, says the writing process for his latest book was both impulsive and compulsive.