Beyond the Novel: Developing Contemporary African Writing

Beyond the Novel: Developing Contemporary African Writing
Saturday 12 July, 12:15 – 13:15
BL Conference Centre, FREE

Panel discussion featuring Bibi Bakare, co-founder and publishing director of Cassava Republic Press; Billy Kahora, writer and managing editor of Kwani?; Ivor W. Hartmann, writer, editor, publisher and visual artist; and Lucy Hannah, programme manager of Commonwealth Writers. Moderated by Ellah Allfrey, editor and critic.

Contemporary African writing is developing at a lightning speed, gaining increasing prominence on the world’s literary stage. These dynamic changes in the form of new writing techniques, styles and genres are being driven by the work of different literary networks and organisations, and sustained by agents, publishers and new literary prizes that celebrate texts that go beyond the classic format of the literary fiction novel.

Covering sci-fi, comics, creative non-fiction, commercial fiction and other genres, this panel will discuss how new writing is being developed on the continent. Where are the hotspots of creativity and how are they being nurtured? In today’s globalized world, are we seeing literary trends that apply to African writers across the board? And how does the development of new writing translate into the development of a robust, varied and sustainable reading culture?