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    Mami Watas, president’s wives, and a stew – The 2020 Caine Prize Stories

    July 21, 2020 /

    The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is awarded each year to one short story by an African/ African-diasporic writer. You can read all the stories online via the Caine Prize website. The winner will be announced on July 27th with a film by Joseph Adesunloye. Of course, the question had to come up at yesterday’s 2020 AKO Caine Prize Conversation organized by Africa Writes and chaired by Ifeanyi Awachi: What about the dominance of Nigerian writers? Rémy Ngamjie and Erica Sugo Anyadike – the two non-Nigerian writers shortlisted, though Ngajie in a humorous act just claimed Nigerian-ess and Anyadike revealed to much laughter that she is married to a Nigerian – shifted their gaze away from Nigeria.…

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Very exhausted. But glad it's Friday and I now get Very exhausted. But glad it's Friday and I now get to spend some time with these queer and non-binary pirates. #currentlyreading #igreads #MaggieTokudaHall #TheMermaidTheWitchAndTheSea #goodreads #bibliophile #bookish #instaread #readerslife
In “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Wh In “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments” Aimee Nezhukumatathil shares brief essays which are each named after an animal, plant, or natural phenomenon. These essays interweave memoir and nature writing. Nezhukumatathil writes about episodes from her childhood as well as adulthood and how this – sometimes on a metaphorical level, sometimes in more tangible ways – connects to the title-given animals/plants/etc. The essays are beautifully illustrated by Fumi Nakamura and writing oscillates from poetic to simple and straightforward. Some of the essays worked better for me than others. I think I wished for more focus on nature writing and a bit less personal anecdotes (though some are very poignant). But the book does ignite a bit of child-like wonder and there a lot of fascinating facts and thoughts within the texts. #AimeeNezhukumatathil #WorldOfWonders #bookreview #goodreads #naturewriting #naturelovers #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookish #bookworm #instaread
When Musa Okwonga was eleven years old, the child When Musa Okwonga was eleven years old, the child of refugees from Uganda growing up in a suburban English town, he watched a documentary about the prestigious all-boys school Eton College and decided that is where he needed to go to. Some time in a prep school later, he actually makes it and spends the rest of his school time at Eton surrounded by a student body which mostly consisted of (white) boys from rich and affluent families – many of whom, of course, would go on to hold powerful positions/ make a lot more money. The alumni of the school also includes Boris Johnson and other people of his political ilk. Musa turns to his time at Eton and asks how this school has shaped him and those around him and how the school might have contributed to the inhumane, racist, conservative politics dominating the UK in recent years especially (but of course also before). As a person who often looks quite harshly at her surroundings (and herself), I always admire Musa’s effort for kindness. This also makes this book so interesting for it allows you to understand what an educational environment stuffed with such resources as Eton can offer its students (which obviously makes you wish for more resources and care for all schools). But Musa’s reflections also lay open clearly how the entire setup of the school (from the architecture to school uniform to who gets access etc) never challenges the privileges many of its students arrive with and nurture their sense of entitlement. “One of Them” though is not purely an analysis of power structures in Eton and the UK but first and foremost a tender, reflective memoir. Musa allows us to see the young eager boy with all his dreams as well as the middle-aged men with his self-doubt and insecurities. The book starts with an invitation to a Eton reunion and Musa’s thoughts on how he would compare his years after graduation to those of his fellow students. He writes: „My best years are ahead of me, I tell myself. They have to be.” There are many beautifully rendered vulnerable moments like that which make this an Eton college book and at the same time so much more. #MusaOkwonga #OneOfThem #goodreads #bookreview #QueerLitEveryMonth
The fun phase just after you gifted some shelves t The fun phase just after you gifted some shelves to a friend and before your new shelves arrive... 😀 And before it gets better it will get worse - still have two big book shelves to clear out (will be fun to try to store all of these books...). But then sometime in May there will be new shelves and I am very excited. #bookstagram #shelfie #bookstack #readerslife #readersofinsta #goodreads #readingspot #bibliophile #igreads #bookish #sundayafternoon
These two new releases arrived today - and while I These two new releases arrived today - and while I am sure they are widely different books, they share the flaming red covers, white(ish) font and the instrument in the center. And as these covers reveal both novels are about music. 🎶 The Fugitives: In The Fugitives, a Khartoum jazz band is invited to play in the US - but this band doesn't exist anymore. A son of an original band member sees his chance and puts together a group to tour. 🎸The Final Revival of Opal & Nev A book reminiscent of Daisy Jones and The Six as it is also about a band told mostly in interview snippets. But this is about Afro punk singer Opal, the consequences for Black women when they speak out, a band reunion, and a nasty new allegation. So seeing forward to reading both of these. #TheFugitives #JamalMahjoub #TheFinalRevivalOfOpalAndNev #DawnieWalton #bookstagram #igreads #goodreads #bookworm #bookhaul #instaread
Safia Elhillo’s 2017 debut poetry collection “ Safia Elhillo’s 2017 debut poetry collection “The January Children” – named after “the generation born in Sudan under British occupation, where children were assigned birth years by height, all given the birth date January 1” – is one of my absolute favourite ones. Some of the themes she beautifully rendered in the poetry collection like ideas around home, longing, and nostalgia, are now also at the forefront of Elhillo’s YA novel in verse. “A Home Is Not A Country” follows Nima who lives with her single mother in a suburban town in the US and struggles to understand why they cannot live in the country they are from instead of this place which so often shows them they do not belong. She gets lost in Arabic music, photos, and daydreams of who she would be if she were Yasmeen – the name her late father had favoured. The novel moves from the realistic to the fantastical and Nima earns insights into her parents’ youth she never thought she could gain – and she has to fight for her life. I listened to the book via audio which is read by Elhillo and for a few short hours I was totally immersed in this wonderful narrative and in the distinct language, infusing English with Arabic. There are turns of phrases I held on to and lines I went back to in my print copy. What I also deeply appreciated was this YA narrative which is not focussed on romantic love but is invested in friendship and a complex mother-daughter relationship. #SafiaElhillo #HomeIsNotACountry #bookstagram #review #igreads #booklover #bookworm #readerslife #igbooks #justread #bookgeek #bookish #goodreads #yanovels #yaliterature
Bought Teju Cole's essays five years ago. Started Bought Teju Cole's essays five years ago. Started reading it five years ago. Liked it but just never picked it back up. In March I made a list with all the unreas books in my flat I really want to read and made the plan to use a random generator to choose a few books each month. One of this month's picks is Known and Strange Things. I re-started it this weekend and am really enjoying following Cole's mind. The other three random books are Louise Erdrich's Tales of Burning Love (missed reading that one during the Erdrich readalong last year), Jennifer Nasubugu Makumbi's Kintu (another book started years ago and liked but... life happened), and Julia Alvarez' Afterlife. #TejuCole #goodreads #instaread #currentlyreading #KnownAndStrangeThings #bibliophile #bookish #instabook #bookstagram #igreads #readerslife #readersofinsta
March’s @queerbookbox was just what I needed. It March’s @queerbookbox was just what I needed. It speaks directly to my current (and long-time) interests:  gardening, growing, living with illnesses – and all through a queer lens, obviously. This month’s book choice was Derek Jarman’s Modern Nature. This book which I had already on my wishlist consists of two years of diary entries. In those Jarman reflects on his life as an artist and film maker, his coming-of age as a gay man, living as a HIV-positive person, and his experiences trying to grow a garden. The accompanying zine by @blacklodgepress is called “A Garden by The Sea” and takes quotes by Jardan and illustrates these. The beautiful print by Island Lark shows Jarman’s house: Prospect Cottage. There was recently a (successful) campaign and fundraising to preserve Prospect Cottage – I am happy to know that the purchase of Queer Book Box also contributed to that. #QueerLitEveryMonth #derekjarman #prospectcottage #queerliterature #gardening #queerbooks #lgbtq #goodreads #readqueer #queerlit #bibliophile #gardenlove #queerbookbox #bookstagram #igreads
The title „Detransition, Baby“ is exactly abou The title „Detransition, Baby“ is exactly about those to things: a detransition and a possible baby. This novel follows three people: Reese, a trans woman caught up in self-destructive patterns, Amy/Ames*, Reese’s ex-girlfriend who has detransitioned, and Katrina, a cis woman, Ames’ boss but also new girlfriend who finds herself pregnant. If Amy/Ames knows one thing it is that Ames does not want to be a father – a parent, yes maybe, but not the particularly gendered role of father. Ames also knows that it is Reese’s biggest wish to be a mother. So Ames begins to dream of a queer family outside the cishet norm and tries to convince Reese and Katrina of this vision. The novel is set only over a couple of weeks in which the three try to figure out what kind of future each of them can envision. But intertwined with this narrative are flashbacks which tell the stories of Reese and Amy and how they ended up in the present with Amy being detransitioned and the both broken up. Peters’ characters are what we often call “flawed”, but actually only mean deeply human: they make bad decisions (and sometimes good ones), they learn from their past (but sometimes they also seem to not do so), they can be mean and stubborn. But all three are also loveable, and lost, and kind, and funny. The novel allows itself to tell a messy story and through this freedom gives a nuanced look at all characters and their complex and shifting relationships. A story about family-making which rarely gets told – and here it is told in masterful prose, full of heart and sly humor. * I use both names in the review as they are used in the novel. In the novel A. is referred to as she in the flashbacks and he in the present. But the pronouns should not be conflated with A.’s gender identity. It is made very clear that Amy/Ames always is a woman. #bookreview #DetransitionBaby #TorreyPeters #QueerLitEveryMonth #igreads #queerliterature #goodreads #womensprize #bookish #bibliophile #booklover #bookworm #justread
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