Derek Walcott’s poem: “Love After Love” has been pursuing me for the last couple of months. I’m beginning to understand why. Today when I was thinking about this month’s blog post, it occurred to me that I should write about that poem and how it has stalked me in mysterious ways. I call it stalking […]
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Current African Literature Sample
Often I’m asked, besides Chinua Achebe and Amos Tutuola, which other African writers should one read? But the most frequent question is: who are the contemporary African writers? The answer is: very many, living on the continent and the Diaspora, but mentioning names and titles of their works isn’t enough, because sometimes it is hard […]
What we remember: chickens, cows, dogs.
This post is about chickens, cows and dogs. It is dedicated to my family and composed of threads that my siblings and I have come up with. Sometime back I wrote about how we remember, inspired by the way memory and imagination work to recreate past narratives. Then, I didn’t specifically have the nonfiction genre […]
Changing My Mind and Other Readings
Where did reading take you this year? is how goodreads posed my 2015 in books. So I’m going to share my reading list which is likely to extend into 2016, and ask you dear reader to share yours too. Making and exchanging reading lists is one of the ways to stay engaged with others in […]
Creativity, Exile and Extraterritoriality
As part of my ongoing research, I’m fascinated by how much of old and new literature is made by writers living in exile and/or the Diaspora. Not all exile is motivated by political circumstances but involuntary departure from one’s native land and eventual settlement in a new country characterizes many exilic experiences. To talk about […]
This year so far: Caves, Caverns & Garden of the Gods
My year always begins and ends in August. Overall, this has been an exceptionally abundant year. I’ve felt productive in my personal and professional life, and the challenges I’ve encountered have demonstrated that problems and solutions are different sides of the same coin. Ease into one, flip it over, and you’ll see the other. Both […]
Birmingham Postcard and The Promised Land
Here’s a tribute to Black History Month first published by Zocalo. It’s a mini account of my observations and experiences in Birmingham, my first time to visit the Civil Rights Museum, the 16th Street Baptist Church, and meeting the god of forge. On a Sunday, in that baptist church with its red cushioned chairs, I […]
Bewilderment
Fanny Howe’s essay, “Bewilderment” is popular among writers. The word itself has a magical and mysterious charm.Visiting home after a long stay away, it has occurred to me that what I am seeing and experiencing is nothing short of bewilderment. It’s natural, I guess, to make comparisons, to remember how home, places and cities are […]
“Perhaps it just means that I still have a heart”
Book Review of The Secret History of Las Vegas Sometime in the summer I wanted to read books that delight, entertain and also instruct in a subtle way. Pede Hollist suggested Chris Abani, and I realized he had been on my list for many years but I never quite got to reading him. I started […]
Silence Would Be Treason: Last Writings of Ken Saro-Wiwa
To read my review of Silence Would Be Treason: Last Writings of Ken Saro-Wiwa edited by Helen Fallon, Íde Corley and Laurence Cox, published jointly by CODESRIA and Daraja Press. Click this link African Writers Trust. Thank you.
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MKB: Dear Nyakisa, Good news! "The Animals of My Earth...
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Nyakisa Beth: Will it be available in Uganda?...
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Wm Epes: Dr. Barya: Hope you are well. Enj...
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