The Storymoja Hay Festival 2014 promises to be the coolest event in town if the reports coming out from the organisers is any indication. Firstly the Storymoja Festival now has a new status as an OFFICIAL sister festival of the Hay Festivals (UK). Not bad for a little get-together that started as a Nyama Choma festival in 2008 before realising that there is no need to sell nyama choma when its target audience was more interested in books and starting a literary event.
There is more good news. The festival has been signing up high festival guests faster than Nairobians are posting images of Masaku 7 alleged indiscretions. Take for instance Chris Abani who when he is not playing the saxophone on his Wikipedia page is an author of note; the Nigerian writer has written many books. Here is a sample from his Wiki page;
Novels
- The Secret History of Las Vegas (Penguin, 2014)
- The Virgin of Flames (Penguin, 2007)
- GraceLand (FSG, 2004/Picador 2005)
- Masters of the Board (Delta, 1985)
Novellas
- Becoming Abigail (Akashic Books, 2006)
- Song For Night (Akashic Books, 2007)
Poetry
- BLUE
- Sanctificum (Copper Canyon Press, 2010)
- Hands Washing Water (Copper Canyon Press, 2006)
- Dog Woman (Red Hen Press, 2004)
- Daphne’s Lot (Red Hen Press, 2003)
- Kalakuta Republic (Saqi, 2001).
As you can see from this the man is a serious serious player in the writing business with novels, novellas, and poetry collections. This is one of those who if asked where he does prose or poetry would be very correct to state that he “swings both ways.”
Also coming through is Prajwal Parajuly a Nepali-Indian author whose works focus on Nepali-speaking people and their culture whose works include the short-story collection The Gurkha’s Daughter and novel Land Where I Flee. He first came to the notice of this blogger as he was one of the guests to this year’s The Time of the Writer in Durban earlier in the year.
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