Wasafiri: New Writing Prize

25 Years of Wasafari: The Magazine of International Contemporary Writing

30 June is the deadline for the Wasafiri New Writing Prize

The competition is open to anyone who has not published a complete book. Wasafiri are looking for creative submissions in one of three categories:

Poetry

Fiction

Life Writing

The prize will be judged by Mimi Khalvati (Poetry), Margaret Busby (Fiction), Blake Morrison (Life Writing) and Susheila Nasta (Chair). Simply incorporate the theme of '25' somewhere in your piece. £5 fee. Prizes £300 will be awarded to the winner of each category and work will be published in Wasafari. Word limit: 3000 words.

Shortlisted authors will be notified on 30th September and be invited to the prize-giving event at the South Bank Centre on 31st October. A list of shortlisted authors will be put on the website on 1st October.

For more details for to: www.wasafiri.org/pages/25anniversary.htm

Black Cultural Archives: A Celebration

On 19th May, I was invited by a friend, Annette Sylvester, to a celebration of The Black Cultural Archives’ projects ‘Documenting the Archives and Oral Histories of the Black Women’s Movement.’ The event was held at the Karibu Education Centre, Brixton. Annette is a volunteer on the project.

The event was very well attended and I was glad I arrived a bit early so as to grab a seat. I was well pleased to see that the programme included Stella Dadzie, co-author of The Heart of the Race, and wished I had brought my copy along for her to sign. Stella’s presentation was on The Black Women’s Movement – why it should be remembered and preserved. It reminded me of all the great work that my sister colleagues and I have been involved with over the years, in particular Nehanda Black Women’s Organisation, based in North London, where I was a Trustee and a Community Development Adviser for eight years from 1995 - 2003.

While we were listening to the projects’ feedback, nibbles (pizza, vegetable rolls, apple juice) were being served. Later a Caribbean buffet was arranged so my friend and I grabbed a table and got stuck in. We enjoyed a plate of rice ‘n’ peas, fish, plantain, a chick pea dish, and salad, followed by a plate of fresh fruit – mango, pineapple, strawberries, grapes and melon. Bottles of wine and water were provided to accompany our meal.

I left well satisfied and full, not only with food but with a richness of how important and inspiring the work of the Black Cultural Archives is. The event was a great success and I did lots of networking and exchanging of business cards. I am feeling enthusiastic so will be putting myself forward as a volunteer writer very soon.

To find out more about the Black Cultural Archives visit:
http://www.bcaheritage.org.uk/

To find out more about Nehanda Black Women’s Organisation visit:
http://www.nehanda.org.uk/

Photos from top to bottom:

Me, Stella Dadzie, Paul Reid, Director, Black Cultural Archives and Annette Sylvester (far left) and project volunteers.

Wasafiri Event: The Books That Made Me

On 18th May, I went to the above event presented by Wasafiri, in celebration of their silver anniversary activities, held at the British Library's Conference Centre. In lavish surroundings, comfortable theatre style red seats and atmospheric lighting, five distinguished writers Helen Cross, Diana Evans, Aamer Hussein, Caryl Phillips and Marina Walker discussed their key literary influences. Each writer selected two books that inspired them in significant ways to embark on a writing career.

Diana Evans, who won the Orange Prize for New Writers in 2005 for 26a, the story of twin sisters which, at the beginning, appears as just a well-observed story of a multicultural family in multicultural London at the end of the last century, but quickly becomes a darker and more troubling story of depression and repression, discussed one of her favourite books, Heaven Coast, a book about loss, which is poetic and made her realise how important it is to write about bereavement.

Caryl Phillips, who was born in St. Kitts, grew up in Leeds and read English at The Queen's College, Oxford and whose novels include The Final Passage (1985), which won the Malcolm X Prize for Literature, selected the book, Native Sun by Richard Wright, set in inner city Chicago during the 30's and the play, Ghost by playwright Henry Gibson, which caused much controversy in its time and was finally produced in 1881.

Helen Cross, who was born and brought up in the village of Newbald in East Yorkshire and whose first novel, My Summer of Love won a Betty Trask Award and became a BAFTA award-winning feature film, directed by Pawel Pawlokowski, selected Charlotte's Web, which she read as a young girl, that made her then want to write as she realised how powerful words and writers were, and Loving by Henry Green a novel about secrets.

The event was thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring and I look forward to attending more Wasafiri events in the future.

For more details about Wasafiri's 25th anniversary and general information about the magazine, visit their website at:

http://www.wasafiri.org/

Keeping on Track

It's a funny thing this writing lark - the creative energy sometimes seems endless and productivity flows and this could go on for months and you write a lot only to find that you come to a point where you feel stuck in a valley of non-writing and you don't write or dare I say even feel the need/urge. I've lost sight (a bit) and I'm seeing this as a temporary set-back or more appropriate am on a (writing) break. On the rare occasion when this happens, I can only allow myself the resting space in my head.

Even though I'm on a break, I'm still keeping my journal entries going - easy to do - as these personal words won't be viewed. I am also reading a lot and the current political news is distracting me. While I'm on a break, my mind is ticking over with a bit of short story plot here and a creative idea there and it feels ok. Should I be feeling guilty? I don't think so...

Wasafiri present: The Books That Made Me

Wasafiri, The Magazine of International Contemporary Writing invites you to:

The Books That Made Me:

5 distinguised writers Helen Cross, Diana Evans Aamer Hussein, Caryl Phillips and Marina Warner discuss their key literary influences with Boyd Tonkin, Literary Editor of The Independent at the British Library.

Date: Monday 18 May
Time: 6.30pm
Location: Conference Centre, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London W1
Price: £6/£4 concessions
Tickets: Telephone 01937 546546 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)

http://www.wasafiri.org/