Christopher Mlalazi offered Creative Writing Residency in Iowa

Christopher Mlalazi has just been offered a creative writing residency under the International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa called. 

Running from August to November annually, this programme is the oldest and largest multinational residency in the world and has been in existence since 1967. Over 1400 writers from more than 130 nations have taken part in the residency. The goal of the IWP is to provide authors the time to write, read, translate, study, conduct research, travel, give readings, and also be part of the vibrant literary and academic community of the University of Iowa, a major American research institution in Iowa city, the only American city designated as a UNESCO City of Literature. 

Christopher Mlalazi has published short stories with ’amaBooks in Short Writings from Bulawayo I, II and III, in Long Time Coming: Short Writings from Zimbabwe and in Where to Now? Short Stories from Zimbabwe. His anthology Dancing with Life: Tales from the Township, published by ’amaBooks in 2008, won the 2009 National Arts Merit Award for Best First Published Book and was given an honourable mention in the 2009 Noma Awards for African Publishing.

Christopher is also an award-winning playwright, with Election Day, adapted from the short story of the same name in Dancing with Life, winning a National Arts Merit Award in 2010 for Outstanding Stage Play.

Christopher was a creative writing fellow in Los Angeles in 2010, and in 2011 he was guest writer at the Nordic Afrika Institute, where he had the opportunity to read his work in Germany, Finland and Norway.