The Zimbabwe International Book Fair 2014 and 'amaBooks

Lawrence Hoba with his copy of The Gonjon Pin

 'amaBooks had a stand in Harare Gardens displaying their books as part of the Zimbabwe International Book Fair 2014.
'Best sellers' at the stand were the books that were available for the first time in Harare - the 2014 Caine Prize Anthology The Gonjon Pin and the collection of stories and poems by students at King George VI School and Centre for Disabled Children, Small Friends.
There were interesting discussions about Zimbabwean creative writing with those visiting the stand, including school groups.
Bookshops in Harare that were re-stocked with 'amaBooks publications during the Fair include the Book Cafe, Blackstone Books, Avondale Bookshop, Fairway Stationers and the National Gallery.
The launch of The Gonjon Pin will take place on August 14 at the Book Cafe in Samora Machel Avenue. The collection features seven Zimbabwean writers - Tendai Huchu, Lawrence Hoba, Violet Masilo, Isabella Matambanadzo, Barbara Mhangami-Ruwende, Philani A. Nyoni and Bryony Rheam - and it is anticipated that four or five of those writers will be present at the launch. The other writers featured in the book are Okwiri Oduor, the 2014 winner of the Caine Prize, Diane Awerbuck, Efemia Chela, Billy Kahora, Abdul Adan, Martin Egblewogbe, Clifton Gachagua, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Elnathan John and Chinelo Okparanta.

Discussion with a school group at the 'amaBooks stand

The 'amaBooks stand at ZIBF 2014

amaBooks at ZIBF 2014

Caine Prize shortlistees

amaBooks will be at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair 2014, from Wednesday July 30 to Saturday  August 2. Titles on display at our stand will include, fresh from the printers, the new Caine Prize for African Writing anthology, The Gonjon Pin, which features seven Zimbabwean writers - Tendai Huchu (shortlisted for the 2014 Prize), Lawrence Hoba, Violet Masilo, Isabella Matambanadzo, Barbara Mhangami-Ruwende, Philani A. Nyoni and Bryony Rheam. It also contains stories by the 2014 winner, Okwiri Oduor, the other shortlisted writers (Diane Awerbuck, Efemia Chela and Billy Kahora) and the other writers from the 2014 Caine Prize Workshop (Abdul Adan, Martin Egblewogbe, Clifton Gachagua, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Elnathan John and Chinelo Okparanta.
The Caine Prize anthologies from 2012 and 2013 will also be available, as will each title in the amaBooks Short Writings series - Short Writings from Bulawayo I, II and III, Long Time Coming and Where to Now?, and the translation of the latter into isiNdebele Siqondephi Manje?

We will also be displaying our other titles and a selection from publishers outside of Zimbabwe.

amaBooks Book Donation at ZIBF Bulawayo

Brian Jones of 'amaBooks donating 'Where to Now? Short Stories from Zimbabwe to Lewis Mukucha of the National Free Library

'amaBooks donated a total of 434 books to the National Free Library Rural Libraries Programme and to Bulawayo Municipal Libraries during the 2013 Zimbabwe International Book Fair in Bulawayo. The Rural Libraries Programme reaches out to 66 libraries, 60 of which lie within Matabeleland. Receiving the books were Lewis Mukucha, Director of the National Free Library, and Edward Sibindi, Municipal Libraries librarian.

The 'amaBooks stand at ZIBF, displaying mainly books from ourselves and Weaver Press

Freedom Poetry Competition winners

Yoshira Marbel, from South Africa, has won the inaugural Freedom Poetry Competition, co-organised by Poetry Bulawayo and ’amaBooks Publishers, with her poem Peace. In second place was Farai Mpofu, with Flying Away, followed by Tinashe Muchuri’s If You Allow Me Just a Moment, Christopher Mlalazi’s Elephant Grass and Bhekilizwe Dube’s Celestial Dreams. Both Farai Mpofu and Bhekilizwe Dube are better known for their short story writings, both having been published in several of the ’amaBooks short writings collections, and Tinashe Muchuri is well known as a performance poet. Christopher Mlalazi’s previous reputation is primarily as an award-winning playwright and prose writer.

There were 78 submissions to the competition, from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria and from Europe. The results were announced during the Zimbabwe International Book Fair on March 22 2013.

Peace

Coarse sand

settles on skin

like faux fur

on soft hands

Zephyr of dust

pirouettes through the air

as mortars whistle in the distance

absorbing the sounds of hunger and despair

Worms festering

in outstretched bellies

care not for who owns whose land

In the fight for power and control

victory parades

surrender grandeur

amongst dead souls

'amaBooks at ZIBF in Bulawayo 2013

’amaBooks are at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in Bulawayo on Friday 22and Saturday 23 March. The theme of this year’s fair is ‘ZIBF@30: Enabling Creativity, Writing, Publishing and Reading for Africa’s Growth’. We will have a stand throughout the fair at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, displaying not only our own publications but also those of other publishers, including Weaver Press in Harare and Jonathan Ball and Pan Macmillan in South Africa.

ZIBF in Harare 2011

On Friday afternoon, at the end of the Fair’s Indaba, we will donate around 400 books to libraries in and around Bulawayo. The distribution of books to rural libraries, and to Bulawayo Municipal Libraries, will be organised through the National Free Library’s Rural Libraries Programme. The donation has been supported by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa.

Books to be donated include: This September Sun, Bryony Rheam’s debut novel, which won a Zimbabwe Book Publishers Association ‘Best First Book’ award and is a set book for ZIMSEC ‘A’ level Literature in English; Long Time Coming: Short Writings from Zimbabwe, which was chosen by New Internationalist as one of their two ‘Best Books of 2009’; Dancing with Life: Tales from the Township, by Christopher Mlalazi, which won a National Arts Merit Award and an Honourable Mention at the Noma Awards for African Publishing; John Eppel’s novel, Hatchings, which was chosen for the Times Literary Supplement series on ‘The Most Significant Books to have come out of Africa’; Deon Marcus’ poetry collection; Sonatas, which won both a National Arts Merit Award and a Zimbabwe Book Publishers Award; Intwasa Poetry, a collection of poems by local and international poets who have read at the Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo; and Pathisa Nyathi’s Zimbabwe Book Publishers Association Award winning Zimbabwe’s Cultural Heritage.

Two of ’amaBooks’ recent publications are also included. For the first time the Caine Prize for African Writing anthology has been published in Zimbabwe, the 2012 edition being entitled African Violet. Where to Now? Short Stories from Zimbabwe is the fifth book in the ’amaBooks Short Writings series, which started in 2003 with Short Writings from Bulawayo. Where to Now? was co-published with Parthian Books in the United Kingdom, and is to be translated into Ndebele, the translated version will be available in Zimbabwe later this year.

Friday evening, at 7pm in the Gallery, will see the awards ceremony for the Freedom Poetry Competition, organised jointly by ’amaBooks and Poetry Bulawayo. 78 poems have been submitted for the competition, with entries from across Zimbabwe and from South Africa, Nigeria and Europe. This will take place during a literary evening organized by ZIBF.

Photograph shows Jane Morris, Hosea Tokwe, Beaven Tapureta, Ignatius Mabasa and Fungai Machirori at the 'amaBooks stand

'Where to Now?' at ZIBF 2011

’amaBooks will introduce their latest book to the public during the Zimbabwe International Book Fair 2011, which takes place at Harare Gardens from 28 to 30 July. The collection, Where to Now? Short Stories from Zimbabwe, features sixteen Zimbabwean writers - Raisedon Baya, NoViolet Bulawayo, Diana Charsley, Mapfumo Clement Chihota, Murenga Joseph Chikowero, John Eppel, Fungai Rufaro Machirori, Barbara Mhangami-Ruwende, Christopher Mlalazi, Mzana Mthimkhulu, Blessing Musariri, Nyevero Muza, Thabisani Ndlovu, Bryony Rheam, Novuyo Rosa Tshuma and Sandisile Tshuma.

The writing in this collection, at times dark, at times laced with comedy, is set against the backdrop of Zimbabwe’s ‘lost decade’ of rampant inflation, violence, economic collapse and the flight of many of its citizens. Its people are left to ponder – where to now?

All the voices are Zimbabwean. Even though some speak from the diaspora, their inspiration comes from their homeland and their stories tell of Zimbabwe.

In the pages of Where to Now? you will meet the prostitute who gets the better of her brothers when they try to marry her off, the wife who is absolved of the charge of adultery, the hero who drowns in a bowser of cheap beer and the poetry slammer who does not get to perform his final poem. And many more.

The book is the fifth book in the award-winning ’amaBooks Short Writings series, the most recent being Long Time Coming: Short Writings from Zimbabwe, chosen by New Internationalist as one of their two ‘Best Books of 2009’. The short story and poetry collection Together, by John Eppel and the late Julius Chingono, was launched in Bulawayo in June, and this book will also be featured on the ’amaBooks stand at ZIBF 2011.

Where to Now? is being co-published with Parthian Books and the book will be available in the United Kingdom in March 2012. Parthian will launch the book together with Bryony Rheam’s debut novel This September Sun, published by ’amaBooks in 2009.

2011 is the first time that ’amaBooks have had a stand at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in Harare and they look forward to meeting the readers and writers of the capital.

This September Sun wins Best First Published Book at ZBPA Awards

Bryony Rheam's mystery/romance novel This September Sun has won the Best First Published Book of the Zimbabwe Book Publishers Awards held during this year's Zimbabwe International Book Fair. The awards are open to any book published in Zimbabwe in the previous year.

More information about the book, including an extract and online sales outlets, can be found through book2look at http://b2l.bz/y7teCR

An article about the award and about the presence of 'amaBooks at the Cape Town Book Fair can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4722393&id=55793766546