Judges, Zana Bell and Uchechukwu Umezurike, have announced the much anticipated shortlist:
Dennis Mugaa (Kenya) – MANSA MUSA AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE
The twenty-four-year-old is based in Nairobi. He is a Scriptwriter as well, and spends his free time imagining the world in parallel realities. His previous work has been published in The Kalahari Review.
Mazpa Ejikem (Nigeria) – THE SECRET OF WATER BODIES.
The twenty-one-old lives in Calabar, Nigeria. He is a Medical Student in the University of Calabar and he loves to read, write and talk. He hopes to become a Human Rights Activist someday.
Sisca Julius (South Africa) – HONEY BEE.
She’s a Bachelor of Arts student, studying at Sol Plaatje University in Kimberley, South Africa. Her majors are Afrikaans, Creative Writing, Anthropology and Heritage Studies. She writes in Afrikaans and English.
Obinna Obioma (Nigeria) – ÒSÚ: WHEN WATER IS THICKER THAN BLOOD.
The twenty-four-year-old lives in Owerri, Nigeria, and studies Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria.
Temitayo Jaiyeola (Nigeria) – INCIDENT
The twenty-five-year-old resides in Ibadan, Nigeria. Whenever he’s not writing or reading, he takes long walks to the cemetery.
Isaac Ayodeji (Nigeria) – ABACHA FOREVER.
He is a twenty-four-year old physiotherapist and scriptwriter based in Oyo State, Nigeria. He has had works published on several online journals and has also written for TV.
Chidimma Onyekachukwu (Nigeria) – RIGASA’S MAFRIKA.
The twenty-four-year-old is from Nnewi, Nigeria.
Okechi Okeke (Nigerian) – WHEN SULLEN FACES GNAW ON YOU.
The twenty-three-year- old has been longlisted for The Short Story is Dead, Long Live the Short Story Prize 2018. He resides in Port Harcourt.
Melody Anthony (Nigeria) – THE MANY-FACED GOD.
The twenty-one-year-old goes by the nom de plume M. She’s a graduate of English language and literature from the American University of Nigeria, Yola. M. is heavily interested in the activism of literature, and how it explores expressions of shared identities and histories. Her short story “The Many-Faced God”, attempts to curate experiences from the Boko-Haram siege of Mubi, Adamawa State. M. proudly claims her grandfather’s wanderlust.
Ezeigbo Chioma Esther (Nigeria) – OGU UMUNWANYI: THE STORY OF NNEDI.
The eighteen-year-old resides in Asaba, Nigeria.
The winner and runner(s)-up will be announced in July.
Click to see the 35 Writers Longlisted For The Inaugural Edition of the K & L Prize For Literature