About MKB

Mildred Kiconco Barya is a North Carolina-based writer, educator, and poet of East African descent. She teaches and lectures globally, and is the author of four full-length poetry collections, most recently "The Animals of My Earth School" released by Terrapin Books, 2023. Her prose, hybrids, and poems have appeared in Shenandoah, Joyland, The Cincinnati Review, Tin House, New England Review, and elsewhere. She’s now working on a collection of creative nonfiction, and her essay, “Being Here in This Body”, won the 2020 Linda Flowers Literary Award and was published in the North Carolina Literary Review. She serves on the boards of African Writers Trust, Story Parlor, and coordinates the Poetrio Reading events at Malaprop’s Independent Bookstore/Café. She blogs here: www.mildredbarya.com
Author Archive | MKB

Loving the writing & poetry passion in Uganda

I greatly enjoyed meeting my friends, writers and poets during the Author of the month session at Femrite on Monday 19th December 2011.  It’s always exciting to find that a love for poetry does exist amidst other things going on, and the poets are utilizing time and whatever opportunities available to gather together and discuss […]

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Author of the month

So happy to be home–Ug. Now that I have many places I call home I have to specify. And the place am at now–Femrite–is home to my writing. It’s where I did a lot of growing as a writer, so full of passion and hunger to write. Coming back feels so good; meeting new writers, […]

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‘Give Me Room To Move My Feet’ Book Launch in Uganda

I’m excited to be going home, catch up with family, friends, read and launch my poetry book: Give Me Room To Move My Feet in Uganda. Two years ago I launched this book in Senegal where it was published and where I was based. It gives me great pleasure that copies are now available in […]

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As The Crow Flies: the Red Earth. Veronique Tadjo

  French and Côte d´Ivoire: Veronique Tadjo’s novella, As the Crow Flies, led me to her poetry book: Red Earth, first published in French as Laterite. The novella opens and ends like a long poem, is a love-betrayal and migration story, and at the heart of it are personal urban life affairs. But the search […]

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Meet Prartho Sereno, the fantastic poet

Coming closer to Thanksgiving makes me think of Prartho Sereno’s imaginative and fascinating poetry book: Causing a Stir: The secret lives and loves of kitchen utensils. Food is involved, you see. And love. The wonderful poems are complemented by paintings, also done by Prartho. What I love about these poems is Prartho’s child-like grace, angelic and […]

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The Needle Poems of Jennifer Grotz

I’m excited about introducing Jennifer Grotz, who is coming to read as part of The Raymond Carver Reading Series. A year ago I discovered her poetry book, Cusp, accidentally really, when I was in Bird Library randomly looking for interesting poetry books. I removed the book from the shelf and read a few poems and […]

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Reading David Sedaris

When David Sedaris came to read as part of Syracuse University lecture series, I didn’t know he was a household name. Isn’t discovery one of the pleasures of being in another culture/place? The event was widely publicized, free tickets and all, and that made me do the typical nowadays: google him. Time for the reading, […]

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Jackee Budesta Batanda

Happy Times With Jackee B Batanda

I’m touring Cambridge, Massachusetts with my friend, Jackee Batanda, giggling on the streets and recalling when we first met in 2000 at FEMRITE–The Uganda Women Writers Association–where we both used to work. Aspiring writers. Eleven years down the road been quite a journey, full of delights and challenges. We feel miraculously pleasantly strange to be […]

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Corsino Fortes of Cape Verde

Cape Verde with Corsino Fortes

One of the finest islands with great music–think Cesaria Evora–beautiful deep blue waters, and good food; go national and get the cachupa–hard corn mixed with dry beans topped with two sausages and fried eggs. That’s what you can have for breakfast and/or lunch. An orange on the side. Some vegetables. And oh, the tuna is […]

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Queen Nzinga in peace negotiations with the Portuguese governor in Luanda, 1657

Pepetela, Ondjaki and Ana Paula Ribeiro Tavares

  You realize we’re not done with Angola yet. I can’t help it. I love historical fiction. When it’s sprinkled with mythology and fantasy, so much the better. That’s partly the reason I’m enthralled by Angolan writing/writers. They’ve got their feet in the magic world yet they do not fail to deliver the weight of […]

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