Deadline: 19 February 2012
Farafina Books and The Life House have commenced the second phase of the New African Writing initiative, and are again calling for short stories from new African writers. We ask that you kindly help to publicize this via the Writers Afrika website. Please find the release below, and also attached is our e-flyer. Questions or inquiries can be posted as comments on our blog, or sent to shortstories@kachifo.com. Thank you for your continued support.
The first phase of the New African Writing initiative is closed, and fifteen of the best entries have been reviewed. We now announce the start of the second phase, and for writers who did not get a chance to submit the first time, this is another opportunity.
Emerging writers are once again requested to submit short stories no more than 5,000 words. Another fifteen entries will be selected and the writers will be invited to read seven minutes of their work during the reading on February 24, where our panel of distinguished writers will be on hand to critique the stories. The thirty selected short stories from both phases will be subject to further editing and review by both the panel and Kachifo Limited, and the top fifteen will be included in an e-book of short stories to be released later in 2012. The remaining fifteen stories not selected for publication in the short story collection will be published on the Farafina blog. The closing date for submissions for this second phase is midnight on February 19, 2012.
Submissions should be sent by email to shortstories@kachifo.com, and should include the name, phone number and email address of writers. Please note that nonfiction entries and stories over 5,000 words will not be considered. Also, writers are not allowed to send in more than one entry; where they do, we will accept the first and disregard any others. Writers who sent in submissions for the first phase but were not selected are free to participate again, provided they send in a different entry.
The second New Nigerian Writing reading will be held at The Life House, 33 Sinari Daranijo Street, off Ligali Ayorinde Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The date is February 24; the time is 6pm.
New African Writing is aimed at promoting and showcasing new writing out of Africa, and as part of this initiative, Doreen Baingana will be hosting a session at The Life House on February 17, where she will talk about writing and give writing tips and lessons for emerging writers, read from her work and answer questions from the audience. Doreen won the 2006 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the AWP Award in Short Fiction for her book, Tropical Fish. She was also a two-time finalist for the Caine Prize for African Writing.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: shortstories@kachifo.com
For submissions: shortstories@kachifo.com
Website: http://farafinabooks.wordpress.com/