Tuesday, December 13, 2011

A 12 month Residency for Writers in Berlin

A residency for writers, artists and film makers is available in Berlin. Read everything HERE

Applications and materials must as a rule be submitted before January
1. The juries meet in March or April. Invitations are then issued
for the following year.All enquiries and application forms should be
sent to:

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
Berliner Künstlerprogramm
Markgrafenstraße 37, 10117 Berlin
Deutschland
bkp.berlin@daad.de
www.berliner-kuenstlerprogramm.de
berliner künstlerprogramm
artists-in-berlin programme
2

Monday, November 7, 2011

Invitation to the 3rd WABO Workshop- Journalism for Creative Writers

On Saturday 19th of November, the Writers Association of Botswana (WABO) will be holding the third in their monthly writing workshop series. The topic for this month is “Journalism for Creative Writers” and will be run by WABO member and well known journalist and columnist, Rampholo Molefhe.

The first hour of the workshop will be for the monthly topic. The second hour will be time for people interested in sharing their own work and having it critiqued by the group. If you intend to share work, it will be on a first come, first served basis and you will be required to come with photocopies of the work that will be read (at least 20 copies) for attendees. The work should be no more than 500 words.

The workshop will be at Maru-a-Pula School and will begin promptly at 2 pm. It is free for WABO members (with their membership cards), non-members will be required to pay P20. Membership forms and cards will be available if you would like to become a WABO member. The membership fee is P100 per year.

Please RSVP at botswanawriters@gmail.com with the subject “Creative Writers and Journalism workshop”.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Commonwealth Short Story Contest

Eligibility and entry rules

Please read these eligibility and entry rules carefully before beginning the online entry process.

Open for entries from 18 October 2011.

Entry forms must be submitted no later than 30 November 2011 (5pm GMT).

No entries will be considered if received after this date without prior consent from the Prize Administrator at writers@commonwealth.int

Download rules as .pdf
1. About the Prize

a. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is an annual award for unpublished short fiction administered and funded by the Commonwealth Foundation

b. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is part of Commonwealth Writers, a pan-Commonwealth initiative which unearths and develops new writers.

c. The prize covers the Commonwealth regions of 1. Africa, 2. Asia, 3. Canada and Europe, 4. Caribbean and 5. Pacific. (see Section 4 for countries in each region)

d. There will be five winners, one from each region. The overall winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize will receive £5,000 and the remaining four regional winners £1,000.

e. The final selection will be judged by an international judging panel; experienced readers will assist the named judges in selecting the long lists.

f. Worldwide copyright of each story remains with the writer. The Commonwealth Foundation will have the unrestricted right to publish the winning stories (the overall winning story and the four regional winning stories) in the annual anthology and for promotional stories.

g. The overall and regional winners will be expected to take part in publicity activities including social media where possible

h. The overall winner (and regional winners) will be expected to undertake a mutually acceptable programme of regional outreach activities to develop and promote Commonwealth Writers.
2. Eligibility

a) Entrants must be citizens of a Commonwealth country.
b) Entrants must be aged 18 years or over.
c) Entries will only be accepted via the online entry forms
d) The deadline for receipt of entries is 30 November 2011.
e) Writers from non-Commonwealth countries (including the Republic of Ireland and Zimbabwe) are not eligible.
f) There is no requirement for the writer to have current residence in a Commonwealth country, providing she/he is a citizen of a Commonwealth country.
g) The prize is for living writers.
h) The entry must be written in English (Works translated from other languages are not eligible).
i) All entries will be accepted at the discretion of the Commonwealth Foundation who will exercise its judgement, in consultation with the Prize Chair as necessary, in ruling on questions of eligibility. The ruling of the Chair on questions of eligibility is final, and no further correspondence will be entered into.
3. Entry rules

a) Entries must be made by the writer

b) For regional purposes, entries will be judged by country of citizenship. Where the writer has dual citizenship, the entry will be judged in the region where the writer is permanently resident.

c) One entry per writer.

d) The story must be the entrant’s own work.

e) The story must be original and should not have been previously published anywhere in full or in part. Published work is taken to mean published in any printed, publicly accessible form, e.g. anthology, magazine, newspaper. It is also taken to mean published online, with the exception of personal blogs and personal websites.

f) All entries must be written in English.

g) Entries must be 2,000 words minimum, 5,000 words maximum.

h) Entries must be uploaded in a PDF or word document (or equivalent). All entries must be submitted in Ariel 12 point font and double line spacing. The first page should include the name of the story and the number of words.

i) The author’s details should be included in the entry form, they must not be given anywhere on the uploaded document;

j) There are no theme or genre restrictions

k) The story should be adult fiction and must not have been written for children alone

l) Entrants agree as a condition of entry that the prize organisers may publicise the fact that a story has been entered or shortlisted for the Prize.

m) Entries will not be returned.

n) For any other entry or eligibility queries please email writers@commonwealth.int for clarification before submitting an entry.

FOR MORE INFO GO HERE.

Monday, October 10, 2011

MAHUBE 2012- Call for Submissions



Dear Members of the Writers Association of Botswana,

WABO is calling for submissions from members only for the third edition of our literary journal, Mahube. The theme is WATER.

What we’re looking for:
- poems (maximum of 3) 40 lines maximum
-short stories (maximum of 2) under 1000 words
- creative non-fiction under 1000 words

The deadline for submissions is the 31st December 2011. Email all submissions to botswanawriters@gmail.com.

Submission guidelines:

1. On the first page of your submission include: the title of your piece, your name, postal address, email address, telephone number, and the date on which your membership was paid and membership number.
2. Please write MAHUBE 2012 in the subject line of your email
3. Send as an attachment.
4. Submissions can be in English or Setswana.
5. Writing previously published in other countries is allowed. Please give the publishing history of the piece.
6. Only emailed, typed submissions will be allowed.

All submissions must be accompanied by a letter declaring that the submitted works are the original work of the author who retains the copyright. Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

All decisions regarding acceptances will be communicated by 1st February 2012. The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Contributors whose work is published will receive one free copy of Mahube.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Changes at the Commonwealth Prize

Commonwealth Writers - A World of New Fiction at www.commonwealthwriters.org Commonwealth Writers will include a new website, on-the-ground creative writing activities within regional communities, increased prize money, and the publication of an anthology of the winning short stories. Commonwealth Writers aims to unearth, promote and connect new writing talent across the fifty four countries of the Commonwealth. It will do this in two ways: Prizes We’ve preserved the strongest elements of the Commonwealth Foundation’s existing prizes, while at the same time putting them on the contemporary map of international new fiction:

Commonwealth Book Prize
Awarded for best first book, this prize is open to writers who have had their first novel (full length work of fiction) published between 1 January and 31 December 2011. Regional winners receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £10,000. N.B. there will no longer be a Best Book award.

Commonwealth Short Story Prize
Awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000- 5,000 words). Regional winners receive £1,000 and the overall winner receives £5,000. For each prize we award four regional winners and one overall winner. The regions are Africa; Asia; Canada and Europe; Caribbean; and the Pacific. Both prizes are open to Commonwealth citizens aged 18 or over. Rules and eligibility information for both prizes, as well as the online entry forms, will be available at www.commonwealthwriters.org from 18 October 2011. The closing date for entries for the Commonwealth Book Prize is 9 December 2011 with last receipt of books by post no later than 16 December; and the closing date for entries for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize is 30 November 2011.

OpportunitiesCommonwealth Writers is on the lookout for fresh, new, talented writers from all parts of the Commonwealth. It aims to unearth those writers with talent, an original voice, and stories to tell. We’ll be working in partnership with international writers’ organisations, the wider cultural industries, and civil society to help new writers develop their craft. The prizes and outreach activities act as catalysts to target and identify talented writers from different regions who will go on to inspire and inform their local communities. Meanwhile, www.commonwealthwriters.org will be an online hub to inspire, inform and motivate distinctive new voices.
Please visit our website. We look forward to hearing from you at writers@commonwealth.int

Petlo Literary Trust to Hold Workshop

PRESS RELEASE

The Petlo Literary Arts Trust will host a workshop titled “Writing, Directing and Performing a One-Person, One-Act Play”.

The 5-day workshop will take place between the 26 and 30 October 2011 at the Oasis Motel. The writers from Petlo will work with actors to write, develop and rehearse a one-act play based on prominent female figures in Botswana’s history. The ultimate aim is to produce a complete manuscript of one-act plays for possible publication. Emphasis will be on writing and performance on stage.

The workshop will be facilitated by Cape Town-based actress, writer and director Mbali Kgosidintsi, who is originally from Botswana. She will use the five-day period to teach the participants the basic skills required to create, write, direct and act in a one-act, one-woman play. The workshop and all publications therefrom are sponsored by INVESTEC ASSET MANAGEMENT.

Mbali Kgosidintsi began facilitating and conducting workshops in 2005. Her self written one-woman show Tseleng: The Baggage of Bags was nominated for a Standard Bank Ovation award at the National Arts Festival 2010. She was one of four writers chosen to adapt The Magic Flute Impempe Yomlingo, directed by Mark Dornford May. After a run in the West End, it won the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical Revival.
At the end of 2008, she was awarded a writing residency on Sylt Island in North Germany where she worked on her auto-biographical novel with the working title Ntokozo: Happines is…She was one of the top four finalists for the Brett Golden Fund in Collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2007.

Any actors who are interested in participating in the workshop should contact the Trust at sls@poetic.com, sebonib@mopipi.ub.bw, 72498002 or 75028222.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Members Don't Miss this Chance!!

Do you have books you're selling?

Let WABO sell for you at the Botswana Amateur Arts Festival on Saturday 24th September at Maru-a-Pula in Gaborone. Bring your books between 9 and 10am and collect remainders between 4 and by 5pm. Ask for the WABO stall/table or call 71822516 on the day. Please no more than 30 books per writer.

Note this opportunity is for members only. But, have no fear, if you're not a member you can also become one on that day as membership cards will be available. It is P100 for an annual membership. Membership includes free entrance to our monthly workshops, chance to have your work published in our literary journal, Mahube, as well as many other things.Don't miss out!

Monday, August 29, 2011

WABO's 2nd Monthly Workshop to Be Held 17 September

Invitation to the 2nd WABO Workshop- Getting Published

On Saturday 17th of September, the Writers Association of Botswana (WABO) will be holding the second in their monthly writing workshop series. The topic for this month is “Getting Published” and will be run by WABO vice chairperson and published author Lauri Kubuitsile.

The workshop will be at Maru-a-Pula School and will begin promptly at 2 pm. It is free for WABO members (with their membership cards), non-members will be required to pay P20. Membership forms and cards will be available if you would like to become a WABO member. The membership fee is P100 per year.

The first hour of the workshop will be for the monthly topic. The second hour will be time for people interested in sharing their own work (in English for this workshop only) and having it critiqued by the group. If you intend to share work, it will be on a first come, first served basis and you will be required to come with photocopies of the work that will be read (at least 20 copies) for attendees. The work should be no more than 500 words.

Please RSVP at botswanawriters@gmail.com with the subject 'Getting Published' workshop.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

WABO runs writing workshop in Gaborone, Botswana





"The artist is distinguished from all other responsible actors in society - the politicians, legislators, educators, and scientists - by the fact that he is his own test tube, his own laboratory, working according to very rigorous rules, however understated these may be, and cannot allow any consideration to supersede the responsibility to reveal all that he can possibly discover concerning the mystery of the human being," The creative process, James Baldwin 1962

The Writers Association of Botswana held a short story writing workshop today (Saturday 20, 2011 between 2 and 430pm). Facilitated by short story writer and author of Go tell the sun Wame Molefhe. The focus was on the basics - plot, characterisation etc which although somewhat obvious sounding are not always so easily remembered in the act of penning stories. This workshop provided a rare opportunity for Batswana writers to interact with each other and share and discover their own creative processes. Participants were asked to submit an 800 word or less story prior to attendance and will receive individual feedback from our facilitator in the days following the workshop.

It became glaringly obvious, both from direct requests and general feedback from the participants, that there is a need to hold more workshops or at the least create opportunities for both established and up and coming writers to commune over their work. This workshop had twenty participants and WABO urges all Botswana based writers to attend future workshops and commit to the responsibility of the process of telling their story.

We are grateful to Maru a Pula School for welcoming WABO on to their campus and donating the workshop space.



Tuesday, August 2, 2011

You're Invited to a Short Story Writing Workshop

On Saturday 20th of August, the Writers Association of Botswana (WABO) will be holding the first in their monthly writing workshop series. The topic for this month is “Writing Short Stories” and will be run by Wame Molefhe, a published short story writer and secretary general of WABO.

The workshop will be at Maru-a-Pula School and will run from 2:00-4:30. It is free for WABO members, non-members will be required to pay P20. Membership forms and cards will be available if you would like to become a WABO member. The membership fee is P100 per year.

The workshop will cover elements of short story writing. Participants will work through a series of exercises. Participants who would like to share their stories will have an opportunity to have their work critiqued.

Places are limited so please RSVP at botswanwriters@gmail.com, write 'Short story workshop' in the subject line with a 800 word excerpt of the story you wish to be critiqued at the workshop. Closing date for receipt of applications is 13 August 2011.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

2011 BESSIE HEAD LITERATURE AWARDS

PRESS RELEASE

The BESSIE HEAD HERITAGE TRUST, together with Pentagon Publishers, is pleased to announce the
winners of the 2011 BESSIE HEAD LITERATURE AWARDS.

In the category of NOVEL, the winner is Ms. Tlotlo Pearl Tsamaase for her manuscript Unlettered
Skies of the Sublime. The first runner-up is Mr. Service Motsamai Monyamane for Mma-Shirley’s
Children, and the second runner-up is Mr Moreetsi Pius Gabang for Cryout. The winner will receive
a cash prize of P2, 500.00, the first runner-up will receive P1 200.00, and the third runner up will
receive P800.

In the SHORT STORY category, the winner is Mr Boikhutso Robert for a story entitled “The
Zambezi Crocodiles”. The first runner-up is Ms. Rebaone Kenanao Motsumi for her
story “Incestous Scandal ... saving Grace”; the second runner-up is Ms Jocasta Tshomarelo
Bobeng for “The War of Animals and Plants”. The prize for the short story winner is P1, 500.00;
for the second runner-up it is P900.00; and for the third runner-up it is P600.00.

The POETRY winner is Mr. John Hutcheson for a set of poems (“The Massacre of
Innocents”, “The Man”, and “Curse”). The first runner-up is Ms Lisa Reed for a set of poems
(“Buffalo Sunrise”, “Campfire”, and “The Joy of Africa”). The second runner-up is Ms. Bernice
Tiny Letlhare also for a set of poems (“Wisdom”, “Allegory of a Strong Being”, “What is Life”
and “People in the Street”). The poetry prize for the winner is P1, 200.00; for the first runner-up it is
P800. 00 and for the second runner up it is P500.00.

On 24 July 2011, Ms Penelope Moanakwena, President of the Botswana Reading Association, will
award the above prizes in the National Museum in Gaborone, in a ceremony beginning at 2:30

p.m. at the National Museum in Gaborone. The event will include readings by the winners and
runners-up, a launch of the works of the 2010 winners in book form, and an open mike session.
Pentagon Publishers will promote the titles of their BESSIE HEAD SERIES of writing in English from
Botswana.


24 July 2011
2:30 pm
National Museum, Gaborone
Free Admission

Sunday, June 12, 2011

FARAFINA WORKSHOP AND CAINE PRIZE for Botswana's Lauri Kubuitsile

Writer Lauri Kubuitsile who is also vice chaiperson of this association is travelling to Nigeria to attend the Farafina workshop. She has recently been shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing and will be traveling on to London for prize related workshops and events.

All the best Lauri.

If you'd like to read a bit about Lauri or buy her books her blog is http://thoughtsfrombotswana.blogspot.com/


A recent interview with Lauri is on www.tjdema.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Read-A-Thon


In conjunction with the Pan-African Reading Conference to be held at the University of Botswana from the 11-14 of July this year, WABO and the Reading Association of Botswana (RAB) have joined hands to run a nationwide Read-a-Thon for students around the country.

Entry forms will be run in The Voice newspaper from next week. Students should cut out the form and get reading! They will write down the title of each book read and their teacher or librarian will sign off for the book. At the end of the reading period they need to post the entry forms to the address listed. Cash and book prizes will be awarded to the students in primary and secondary who have read the most books. The prize giving will be part of the opening ceremony of the Reading Conference which will be attended by 700 international participants and opened by Hon. Minister Masisi.

Without readers there can be no writers, so we need to re-instill a love of books in our children. So spread the word! It is hoped that the Read-A-Thon might become an annual event.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Go Tell The Sun- a new short story collection by Motswana writer Wame Molefhe


Award winning Motswana writer, Wame Molefhe's new collection of short stories, Go Tell the Sun, published by Modjaji Books, is getting a lot of buzz in South Africa.

Read an interview with Molefhe at LitNet- HERE.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Short Story Day South- Let's Celebrate it!!

The 21st June is scheduled as Short Story Day. In the UK there are plenty of events taking place which you can read about here. All around Southern Africa publishers, writers and short story enthusiasts will be participating in events around the wonderful short story. Join the Facebook page about the day here.

The Writers Association of Botswana (WABO) intends to celebrate the day. When plans are finalised you'll find all of the details here on the blog. But what about celebrating the day where you are? Are you a teacher? How about having your class read and discuss a short story? Or even write one! What about holding a short story writing day at your local community centre? There are plenty of ways to celebrate this very important type of narrative.

Let us know what you've come up with!!!

Monday, January 17, 2011

The 2011 Commonwealth Short Story Contest Open for Submission

The Commonwealth Short Story Contest is now open for submissions. Stories must be under 600 words. There is no entry fee and stories can be submitted online. The deadline for submission is 1 March 2011.

For complete submission guidelines and prizes on offer go HERE. Click rules on the right hand side for a PDF with detailed guidelines.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Free Global Poetry Contest

Are you a poet? Here's a contest for you. You must sign-up to be a members but the contest is free to enter and there are cash prizes.
Click HERE for details.