Two Batswana Writers are Finalists in New SA/PEN Short Story Contest

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

4th February 2009

2009 PEN/Studzinski Literary Award finalists announced

The South African Centre of International PEN (SA PEN) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2009 PEN/Studzinski Literary Award.

The award for original short stories in English by African authors attracted an unprecedented 827 entries, 625 of which met with the rules of entry. Just under 200 stories were longlisted, and 34 stories were chosen as finalists by the PEN Editorial Board comprising Shaun Johnson (Chair), Anthony Fleischer, Justin Fox, Harry Garuba, Alistair King and Mary Watson. Nobel Laureate JM Coetzee is currently judging the shortlisted stories and will choose the winners of the first (£5 000), second (£3 000) and third (£2 000) prizes. The winners will be announced in May 2009. (Details regarding the announcement will be posted on http://www.sapen.co.za/ in due course.) The finalists’ stories will be included in an anthology of new writing from Africa to be published later this year.

The writers and their stories to have been selected as finalists for the Pen/Studzinski Literary Award 2009 are:

Ken Barris – The life of Worm
Nadia Davids – The visit
Ceridwen Dovey – Survival mechanisms
Joan du Toit – An informed decision
Graham Ellis – No match for Fanie Smith
Rosemund J Handler – Strident night
Jeanne Hromnik – Love In troubled times
Karen Jayes – Where he will leave his shoes
Suzanne Jordaan – Beulah
Bobby Jordan – Metalhead and Situation Orange
Chisanga Kabinga – Display cabinet
Ken N Kamoche – A kiss in Nanjing
Yvette Kruger – What I wore
Lauri Kubuitsile – Pulani’s eyes
Beatrice Lamwaka – The star in my camp
Jennifer Lean – To each his own
Irene McCartney – Pauline’s ghost
Jenna Mervis – The lives of dogs
Kirsten Miller – Only in art
NoViolet Mkha Bulawayo – Snapshots
Wame Molefhe – Rainbow-coloured dreams
Natasha Moodley – Spirit of Madala
Isabella Morris – Bluette
Kyne Nislev Bernstorff – The last supper
Naomi Nkealah – In the name of peace
Maik Nwosu – In Leopardville
Tolu Ogunlesi – River Falling
Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi – Area boy rescue
Andrew Salomon – A visit to Dr Mamba
Alex Smith – Soulmates
Dineke Volschenk – Glorious wounds
Phillippa Yaa de Villiers – Keeping everything the same
Hayet Z – Flypapered days

The PEN/STUDZINSKI Literary Award has replaced the HSBC/SA PEN Literary Award and aims to encourage new creative writing in Africa. It is open to all citizens of African countries writing in English, and offers talented writers on the continent an exciting opportunity to develop or launch a literary career.

Media enquiries: Lesley Lambert Tel: +27 (0)83 326 2500
email: lesley@wisenet.co.za
Administrative enquiries: Deborah Horn-Botha Tel: +27 (0)21 701 8510
email: rudebs@icon.co.za

Mahube in Pipeline

Just a quick note to people who have made submissions for the second issue of Mahube. We are reading submissions now. We still need to access funding for the publication. Please bear with us and thanks for your patience.

Best of luck with your writing in 2009.
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Lauri Kubuitsile
WABO Vice Chairperson

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!!

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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