Fancy a trip to Ghana?

Here's a writing contest that has as a prize a trip to next year's Pan African Writers Conference. Try your luck!
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Lauri Kubuitsile
WABO Vice- Chair

Do you write books for children? Here is a contest for you!

Rules: Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature 2009

Tafelberg

1. The competition is presented in six categories: Afrikaans,

English, Nguni languages, Sotho languages, Tshivenda

and Xitsonga.

2. There are two prizes in each category:

Gold prize: R12 000

Silver prize: R 6 000

3. Requirements: A story in which humour plays a role. It

should be suitable for young readers (somewhere

between 12 and 18 years). Length: 25 000 to 45 000

words.

4. Tafelberg undertakes to publish the winning entries and

reserves the first option to publish any of the other

entries.

5. While under consideration entries may not be submitted

for publication elsewhere until the publishers have

confirmed in writing that the manuscript has been turned

down for publication.

6. The judges reserve the right to withhold one or more of

the prizes should the quality of the entries not be up to

standard.

7. The competition is open only to citizens of South Africa,

Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.

8. Entries should be typed or printed out on A4 paper,

with double spacing and broad margins, on one side of

the paper only, and clearly numbered. Do not bind. The

organisers cannot accept e-mail entries.

9. As entries are judged anonymously, writers are

requested to ensure that their names appear only on the

title page of the entry and nowhere else.

10. Each entry must be accompanied by a signed entry

form or a copy thereof.

11. Entries may not be submitted under a pseudonym.

12. Entrants are requested to keep copies of their entries.

The organisers cannot accept final responsibility should

an entry go astray.

13. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence

will be entered into.

14. Closing date: 30 June 2009.

15. Enquiries: Danita van Romburgh, PO Box 879, Cape

Town 8000

telephone: (021) 406-3412

fax: (021) 406-3812

e-mail: dvanromb@nb.co.za

For more information and entry form go here.

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Posted by Lauri Kubuitsile

WABO Vice Chair

Enter the Commonweatlh Broadcasting Association Short Story Contest

Here are the details from the web site:

About the competition

The Commonwealth Short Story Competition is an annual scheme to promote new creative writing. It was established in 1996. It is funded by the Commonwealth Foundation and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, who work together to administer the scheme.The scheme exists to increase understanding and appreciation of Commonwealth cultures and to promote rising literary talents.

Each year 26 winning and highly commended stories from the different regions of the Commonwealth are recorded on to CDs and broadcast on radio stations across the Commonwealth. The winner receives a prize of £2,000 and there are regional prizes of £500.How to enterAnyone who is a citizen of a Commonwealth country can enter, whether a professional or amateur writer.

If you have a story you think would interest others, send it by email to the Commonwealth Foundation by 11 May 2009.Your story should be no more than 600 words long – just under five minutes’ length when broadcast. It can be on any topic, but it must be original, unpublished and written in English. There is no entry fee.

An entry form and more information will be available from the Commonwealth Foundation’s website - www.commonwealthfoundation.com – by 1 December 2008.

The Commonwealth Short Story Competition is part of the Culture Programme of the Commonwealth Foundation, along with other schemes such as the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and Commonwealth Connections arts residency scheme. The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation supporting the work of charities, not for profit and non-governmental organisations, culture practitioners and other parts of civil society in the areas of human development, culture, communities and livelihoods and governance and democracy. The Foundation is supported by Commonwealth governments, and raises additional funds from institutions, corporate donors and individuals to support its growing work programme.
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Posted by Lauri Kubuitsile
WABO Vice Chair

Enter Bessie Head Literature Awards!!!

The Bessie Head Heritage Trust is accepting entries again for its third annual writing competition. Below see the rules from the organisers. Send those entries and good luck guys!!

_

Bessie Head Heritage Trust and Pentagon Publishers announce prizes in literature, one prize to be awarded each for poetry, short story, and novel.

Residents and citizens of Botswana are invited to submit manuscripts on any topic in one of the above categories. categories are defined according to standard literary characteristics, and are limited to the following lengths:

Novel: no limit

Short story: 10,000 words/10 pages

Poem: a set of one to three poems

All submissions must adhere to the following criteria:

1. All work must be original, unpublished and not submitted to any publisher.

2. All manuscripts must be typed. No handwritten manuscripts will be accepted. You must submit four copies of your work.

3. No more than one submission (novel, short story, or set of poems) per person. You may only submit in one category.

4. No school assignments will be accepted as submissions.

5. All submissions must include one cover page with the following information: author's name (no pen-names will be accepted), at least two ways the author can be contacted, a clear statement of the category of the manuscript ("novel", "short story", or "poem"). All submissions must also include one photocopy of omang, passport and residence certificate, or other form of identification (this copy need not be certified). The first page of the manuscript (not the cover page) must also state clearly the category of the manuscript.

6. All submissions must be written in English, and be thoroughly revised and proofread for grammar and spelling.

7. Except for the cover page, manuscripts must not have the author's name on them. Judges will judge all submissions blindly; that is, they must not be able to identify the author.

Any submissions that do not follow the above criteria will be disqualified.

Authors are advised that they may be asked to authenticate their work, and therefore SHOULD NOT DESTROY any drafts, including the first one, since winners may be asked to produce them as proof of originality.

Contestants may only win once in each category (once you win, you are barred from entering in the same category again for three years), and contestants must enter their own work (a publisher or friend may not enter your work).

Prizes

Novel P2,500.00

Short Story P1,500.00

Poem P1,000.00

Send your cover page, copy of identification, and four copies of your manuscript to

Bessie Head Literature Awards

P.O. Box 70401

Gaborone

Deadline: All submissions to be postmarked on or before 31 March 2009

Winners announced early July 2009 on website www.bessiehead.org

Prize-giving ceremony details to be announced.

That Pesky Comma!!

I have to admit- I am a writer, but I don't understand punctuation. I have very flexible quasi-rules in my head which I apply haphazardly. Here is a great article by Elsa Neal, one of the editors at Blood Red Pencil, that sorts out the dilemma of one of the most common punctuation marks- the comma. Give it a read, it really helped me.
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Lauri Kubuitsile
Vice Chairperson WABO

Come to Lex's Book Launch!!

BOOK LAUNCH - The official world launch of "SCREAM AND I'LL KILL YOU"

Come and be part of the official world launch of Botswana's NEW hit novel, "Scream, and I'll kill you" by Alexander von Rudloff.
Free signed copies to be won, free wine and snacks, free entry. Signed copies on sale, readings, music...

When: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Where: BOTSWANACRAFT
Western Bypass
Gaborone, Botswana

For more information go to
http://www.alexandervonrudloff.com/
or contact lex@info.bw
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Lex von Rudlolf
Executive Committee Member
WABO

A New Way to Launch a Book

The Seed Children by Bontekanye Botumile was launched in Gaborone last weekend. Writers in Botswana could learn some lessons from this dynamic writer. Read the article here.

Also- where were the writers? Hey folks, let's support each other. Buy books written by Batswana , attend their launches.

And authors- how about some kudos for writers who do just that??? Acknowledging the authors in the audience who are there to support you seems common courtesy folks.

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By Lauri Kubuitsile

WABO Vice Chair

EXODUS Live Poets to Perform

The 5th Annual Infinite Word Festival Press Release
DATE: 15th November 2008
VENUE: Maitisong Theatre, GaboroneMEDIA ENQUIRIES: (+267) 71459881/ 71746334 or email: mailto:exoduslivepoetry@gmail.com

EXODUS LIVE POETRY! is a Gaborone-based collective of performance poets, brought together by their love for spoken word and vocal expression. They have created a platform for vocal expression with their monthly shows held at Maitisong Theatre, Gaborone.The Exodus Live Poetry (ELP) Collective has been in existence since 2003.Occupying spaces at the following venues: Café Wave (Main Mall), Café Prego (BBS Mall), The Village Theatre and at present Maitisong Theatre. They are the longest running live performance poetry show in Botswana. The 5th Infinite Word Festival will feature members of the Exodus Live Poetry! Collective, the band, local poets and traditional musicians. Invited guests include:-

NTHABI from Outrageous Records (South Africa), one of the most recognisable voices in South African hip hop today. In April 2006 Nthabi won the first session of Y-FM's Rap-activity Jam contest. She was featured in a documentary about female hip hop artists in South Africa, Counting Heads. The documentary has already been nominated for several awards around the world and was showcased on Women's Day (9 August 2006) by the Imbokodo collective. In 2007 she did a Finland tour alongside turntablist Dj Hamma & Reason.Nthabi was also a mentor in the British Council Project, Power in the Voice.

KABOMO VILAKAZI is a writer, poet, performer, musician, actor, workshop facilitator, director, producer and magazine editor from South Africa. He has performed at major venues, events and festivals around the world. He has shared stages with The Last Poets, Saul Williams, Jessica Care Moore, Stacy Ann Chin, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Don Mattera and Keorapetse Kgositsile.He has written and directed theatre.Kabomo has written for, produced for, arranged for and collaborated with artists like Tshepo Tshola, Hip Hop Pantsula, Mr Selwyn, Unathi Nkayi, Reason, H20, Hidden Force, Zonke, Prokid, Zolani Mahola, RJ Benjamin, Zubz, Pebbles, Zulu Mobb, Maggs, Ngwenya, Tuks and Mo Molemi.

HENRY BOWERS also known as “KUNG HENRY” is a poet/rapper from Uppsala,Sweden.He was the 2003 winner of the part “voice and motion” in the Swedish poetry slam championship in Malmoe.In 2004 he was crowned winner of the Swedish poetry slam championship in Avesta . In 2005, he came in third place in the World Slampionships in Rotterdam, Nederlands. He was a guest poet at Substanz Slam in Münich, Germany, the biggest individual Poetry Slam-contest in Europe. He came in first place with Def Poet Sonya Renee(USA) at The Four Continents Slam-Tour which took place in 13 cities in the UK, where he also shared stage with John Akpata(Canada),Thom Woodruff(Australia),Elvis McGonagall(Scotland),Penny Ashton(New Zealand),Kojo Baffoe(SA) and Andreattah Chuma(Botswana).

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