The first review

Following the release of my book Henry Wanyoike: Victory Despite Blindness I am glad to announce that it has received its first review, mostly positive, in the Sunday Nation of October 25, 2009. The review was done by Ng’ang’a Mbugua, a journalist with Daily Nation. He is also a published author with several titles to [...]

Shape of things to come…

Friends, I have waited for this moment for a very long time (sounds rather cliched eh?) Ok let me rephrase it; I’ve always longed to be a published writer and the dream is almost coming to fruition. My very first book a biography/autobiography – someone tell me what to call it as it is [...]

And the winners are…

Kenya Publishers Association announced the winners of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for literature at the end of the 12th Nairobi International Book Fair. They are:
Adult English Category: 1st position: Blossoms of the Savannah by Henry ole Kulet (Sasa Sema/Longhorn)
2nd position: Hawecha: A Woman for all time by Rhodia Mann (Sasa Sema/Longhorn)
3rd position: The Big Chiefs [...]

And the nominees are…

Following the announcement, by the Kenya Publishers Association, that they have increased the prize money from Sh40,000 to Sh150,000 maisha yetu is proud to announce the nominees for this year’s Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature. The judging panel, chaired by Prof Henry Indagasi, of the University of Nairobi, announced the list of nominees as follows: [...]

Jukwaani, that’s where we meet on Thursday

African culture has from time immemorial been transmitted, from one generation to the other, through the spoken word. This goes to show why the fireside stories, often told by grandmothers, occupy such a central place in the African literary setting. The study of African literature is not complete without talking about oral literature. Some of [...]

Does more prize money = more creativity?

Creative writers in Kenya will be in for a major treat at the annual Nairobi International Book Fair (NIBF) set to be held towards the end of September. For the first time, the winner of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature will take home a substantial amount of prize money.
The Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) who [...]

Role of media in promoting creative writing

I recently was invited to presented a paper, at a Ministry of Culture sponsored workshop, on the above subject and below are my thoughts.
Media continues to be an important tool in the dissemination of information in the country. This perhaps explains why media occupies such an exalted if not powerful position in the society we [...]

Motivational books galore

Lovers of motivational books have something to look forward to. Tomorrow, Saturday August 8, will be a gathering of six motivational authors at the Silverbird Lifestyle Store, formerly Nu Metro Media Stores, starting at 2.30 pm.
The authors will be signing their books as well as interacting with their readers. This goes to show that motivational [...]

Ngugi’s new book launched in Nairobi

Kenya’s most celebrated author, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, was in town and there is no way I was going to miss the occasion of launching his newest book, Re-membering Africa. This was yet another opportunity for me to interact with the cream of Kenya’s literary society – who in their right mind would dare miss an [...]

Finally, the Storymoja Hay Festival

The inaugural edition of the historic Storymoja Hay Festival finally opened yesterday at the Impala Grounds, along Ngong Road. The Impala Grounds have in the last 15 years increasingly grown in stature, made popular by the annual Safari Sevens rugby tournament, but that is a story for a another day.
As I was saying, The Storymoja [...]