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Dates: 22 - 26 July 21011

REDSEA-ONLINE Cultural Foundation, in collaboration with other Somaliland cultural organizations, is eager to announce the Fourth Hargeysa International Book Fair (HIBF) which will take place from 22 to 26 July 2011 in Hargeysa.

HIBF is the main cultural event in Somaliland and one of the largest public celebrations of books in East Africa. Every July, HIBF brings writers, poets, artists and thinkers from Somaliland and from all over the world to share and discuss their art and literary productions with the audience. The main aim of the festival is to promote a culture of reading and writing in the country, by producing and publishing high quality Somali literature and translating international classical literature, (including fiction, poetry and drama) into Somali. We aim to enable young people to access a range of cultural heritages; our intention is to stimulate the revival of all forms of art and human expression, including painting, poetry reciting, story-telling, drama composition and of course, writing. The Book Fair is linked to its sister London's Somali Week Festival which takes place in 22-26 October.

HIBF targets not only to young audience, but to a wider sectors of the society, and it aims to help foster cultural understanding, tolerance, democracy, and an appreciation of the diversity of Somali culture and literature. In the past few years, our festivals raised the profile of reading and writing and also the integration in Somaliland of youth from different regions around the country. The main aim of the book fair in fact is to promote critically thinking culture and creative writing, to facilitate the habit of reading, to display books, from both local and writers abroad, to encourage members in the public to browse, read, engage with authors, be inspired to young people, and wider society.

Each year a theme, associated with and relevant to the issues surrounding youth and citizenship, is selected. The overall cultural programme this year will revolve around the theme of “Collective Memory.” Somaliland will be celebrating its 20 years of independence and hence the theme will touch upon events and processes that have shaped Somalilanders’ collective memories of the country. Our aim is to reflect on but also contribute to the creation of a national collective memory, through the arts. The project, this year, aims to produce its own culturally rooted literature on this theme by publishing different books, and to write a monologue drama on Somaliland's recent history: Topics such as the peace negotiation process, de-militarization, democracy and the growth of political parties, will be touched upon. Furthermore, the diversity of individual’s experiences of the new nation-state will also be captured through discussions, testimonies and different artistic genres, thus contributing to the creation of a collective memory.

The theme: Collective Memory

Contemporary usage of the term collective memory is traceable to Emile Durkheim (1858 – 1917) and to his student Maurice Halbwachs (1877 – 1945). Distinct from individual memory, collective memory is shared, passed on and also constructed by a group or modern society to shape their national identity. Parts of the collective memory for a nation can be represented in a physical monument, commemorative symbols, rituals, story-telling or media production, including literary creating, fiction and non fiction production, oral poetry and so on. Both “history” and “collective memory” are publicly available social facts. The difference is, while the classical history is something “dead” and confined to the past, the collective memory is something “alive” and it can be viewed as real or current history hidden in the people’s memories, experiences, testimonies, and human stories. Whilst history can explain the actors and times (who and when) of an event, it cannot capture the original emotion caused by the event. Preserving and archiving collective memory will afford people an opportunity to revisit the event and prolong its presence. We want people of different ages, different backgrounds, writers, thinkers and youth to focus on a common and shared collective memory that creates the foundation of the nation and of a national identity.

The format

The basic idea of the Book Fair is to celebrate and promote the culture of reading and writing, to create a platform where authors and other artists meet their readers and the general audience. We intend to create and facilitate an atmosphere of dialogue where ideas circulate and constructive and educational debates take place. There will be book launching events, readers clubs work presentations, meeting with authors, creative writing lessons, joyful and relaxing moments with Somali lyricists, video-screening, and poetry reciting. There will also be other parallel cultural events, covering other art genres, such as a photo exhibition and an art exhibit showcasing talented young painters in Somaliland. The overall programme will be carefully crafted to stimulate and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds.

CORE EVENTS

• A high profile debate and discussion forum, organized and attended also by young people, is one of the main events of the book fair. These series of debates cut across generations, and each year youth delegations from different regions across the country gather to create a unique forum through which audience and authors meet to exchange thoughts and opinions.

• Another highlight of the cultural program is the presentation of the yearly Sheeko iyo Shaahid literary award, reserved for young short story writers. Whilst this competition is aimed at young people, we have opened it to anyone under the age of 40. We believe some older writers never had the opportunity to develop their literary skills, as the country was at war for 15 years. This year we expect even more participation, based on the trends set in the past three years. Books containing the winning stories of the past years have been published and the event has been created and followed by many young people. The 4th edition of the under-40s short story writers will be launched and an award will be presented to the authors of last year’s Sheeko iyo Shaahid competition. Volume three of the series, comprising the winning stories from last year’s competition, will be distributed to the participants of the 2011 competition, the winners of the previous competitions and all the participants of the 2010 competition.

• HIBF-2011 will introduce the “moving library” tour, which will commence a week prior to the Festival. A bus carrying books and representatives of 9 regional Readers Clubs will tour all major cities in the country prior to the festival (members of these clubs work throughout the year presenting books to local communities). In every city there will be an event in which the readers clubs and the other youth organizations will promote the books, and encourage participants and local citizens to embrace reading as a hobby. There will be “darandoorri” (reading together) sessions in which selected national and international renowned literature will be read by young people e.g., some members of the readers clubs will read excerpts of George Orwell's “Animal Farm” translated by late Mohamed Yusuf Arten and re-published by Ponte Invisibile as well as other books by authors participating on the tour. Books will be distributed to the cities and villages along the routes of this tour, and lyrical composition, specifically commissioned for event, will be performed in every city. After the tour, the regional youth and readers clubs representatives will go to Hargeysa, and showcase their work at the book fair. They will also be asked to make their work relevant to the theme of collective memory.

• Short courses: writing and photography. Due to a lack of adequate training available to young journalists and the new members of the reading clubs we intend to organise short writing courses for those struggling with the language. Our aim is engage a small group of 18 young writers and reporters (1 member from each of the Reading clubs, 5 from Somaliland press and the 12 winners of the Sheeko iyo Shaahid) to provide language, grammar and creative writing workshops. As our idea is to promote different forms of arts among the young people, and to create artistic skills, we identified this year the necessity to promote also skill in photography. Thus, an intensive photography course for 7-10 young people will be also be organized before the book fair. The course attendees will volunteer as photographers of the book fair.

• Book launching. A number of new books published specifically within this year's book festival will be launched and world-renowned authors will be invited. We will also invite and encourage the launch of other new books authored by local writers. Over four days sessions, books will be on display and people will have an opportunity to read, review and purchase books from the publishers/books sellers/authors who may want to take their literary production in the book fair. The books launched throughout the festival will touch on various aspects relating to the theme of collective memory. Exploring experiences both within Somaliland and across the Diaspora, the books will investigate a range of topics including historic events, socio-economic changes, citizenship, identity and modernity and tradition. The programme of the events will include all books that will be launched during the HIBF. If you know about a book suitable to be launched or you are author of one, please contact to the organizers before 1 April 2011 so I can be included into the programme.

• Video screenings. Last year’s video documentation will be screened. The video shows how young people in Somaliland think on about the theme of citizenship. They explained with their own words and definitions.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Opening and closing events with music and poetry reciting. To enhance the books fair's festive and educational atmosphere, poets and lyricists will be invited to entertain the audience in a great festive yet educational event on the opening and closing days. There will be a stage event both in opening and closing day.

• Commemorating Madar: a young and talented painter. Madar Osman was young artist and a teacher, who only last year demonstrated a unique talent. Unfortunately Madar died in a car accident soon after the Hargeysa International Book Fair and Mooge Festival of 2010. This year we will showcase his art production and some of his most interesting works will be displayed during the book fair.

• The Science Awareness Day. The Science Awareness Day is significantly important to Somaliland's development in the long terms. Somaliland needs to move shift its emphasis on manufacturing nation rather than the notion of relying on other nations' gift aids. With the motto "Science for Sustainable Development', the Day hopes to mobilise the energy and resources of the diaspora community to effectively contribute to development of Somaliland.

• Photo exhibition: Somaliland faces. Professional photographers and photojournalists will be invited to display their photographs of the people and the land.

PRE AND POST LITERARY PRODUCTION

A number of books will be published and/or translated into Somali before the Hargeysa International Book Fair, and they will be delivered to Hargeysa in time in order to be launched during the book fair. These include books specifically related to the theme of the year and commissioned by the organizers (see in the programme of events the list of books being published this year).

After the book fair, several materials will be published, including:

o Proceedings book on the Book Fair, including all the papers presented
o Educational material for the Creative Writing course.
o Volume four of Sheeko iyo Shaahid winning stories collection. This competition is a flagship asset for our cultural program, and is intended to inspire the youth to get involved in critical thinking and in composing, storytelling, preserving and participating in Somali culture and arts.
o Audio-visual: A DVD Documentary Film containing the Moving Library Tour, the drama and lyrics produced for the reading promotion, and the major events of the HIBF-2011.

All materials produced during and for the Book Fair, including the documentary film and printed literature, will be presented in our sister Somali Week Festival 2011 in October and then in several other European countries including Denmark (November 2011), The Netherlands (December 2011) and January 2012 (Italy).

Guest of honour country

As in the past years, HIBF will host a guest country by inviting writers and publishers of that country. Literature from and on that country will be displayed during the book fair. For this year’s festival, we are exploring the best option among a set of guest honour countries.

Keynote speakers, guest authors and artists

HIBF-2011 will feature prominent national and international authors, artists and speakers, including Somaliland based authors, diaspora based authors as well as internationally celebrated authors who will present their literature. The invited keynote speakers will be announced soon. In the meantime, the organizers invite all authors and publishers who may want to present their literature to contact them before 1 April 2011. Please send your inquiry to jama@redsea-online.com.

Venue: Guriga Shaqaalaha, Hargeysa, Somaliland.

Event dates: July 22 - 26, 2011

Event hours: 09:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.

Dates: 13 - 15 May 2011

FLF 2011 will again celebrate the magic of words from 13 to 15 May with a gathering of over 90 authors, poets, editors, illustrators and chairpeople taking part in 70 events.

With a continuing focus on good accessible writing and diversity, the many Southern African writers range from renowned to little-known, and the topics from biography, history and politics to poetry, literary fiction and love stories.

The FLF was started in 2007 by a committee of six volunteers who aimed to create a festival of mostly English-speaking local writers, with a few coming from overseas. The ultimate goal was to raise funds for a new community library where it is most needed. They weren’t sure if fifty or five hundred people would come – and well over a thousand seats were sold.

In four years, attendance has more than quadrupled and it is now one of the leading literary events on the South African calendar. Thanks to the people who buy tickets and generous funding from sponsors, the FLF Library Fund has also swelled to the point where a new library is being discussed with the local municipality. FLF associates and sponsors Porcupine Ridge Wines and the Sunday Times continue to emphasise that their involvement is specifically to promote reading and encourage writing.

This year book lovers will once more flock to Franschhoek in the third weekend of May and hurry from venue to venue through village streets which buzz with book talk. All the destinations are within a few minutes’ walk, including the bookshop and booking facilities in the Town Hall and a great range of cafés and restaurants, small hotels, guest houses, interesting shops and more bookshops.

Publishers do book launches and hold dinners. Poets bring their work to a rousing open mic session. Within a short distance by car are mountain walks, wine farms, wineries and wine-tastings – notably at Boekenhoutskloof, makers of Porcupine Ridge wines.

FLF events are informal, often spirited discussions between several writers, with some one-on-one conversations. People in the news like Jonathan Jansen, Max du Preez, Karabo Kgoleng, Justice Malala, Jenny Crwys-Williams, Peter Harris and John Maytham will rub shoulders with academics, struggle stalwarts, poets, publishers, journalists and first-time novelists still hoping to make their names.

Winging in from America are Zakes Mda, Peter Godwin and Douglas Rogers. Barbara Trapido will come from Oxford, to be joined by Anna Trapido, our first mother and daughter team. Arriving from Scotland, courtesy of the British Council, are top Scottish writer Janice Galloway and Jamaican poet and novelist Kei Miller of Glasgow University. Making his way from Doha will be satirical blogger Azad Essa. From Nairobi will come prizewinning author Doreen Baingana, courtesy of the African Arts Initiative. The French Institute will be bringing out (a French writer).

Friday 13 May will be of special interest to new-generation readers with events about graphic novels, speculative and cellphone fiction, satirical blogs (notably Holy Cows to Beefburgers) and work in progress. Half-price tickets will be available to those with student cards.

FLF 2011 will pay tribute to the King James Bible on its 400th anniversary in a special language event that will celebrate its magnificent English. Other events of special interest to writers will be On Being Edited with Ivan Vladislavić and Tim Couzens, Mindfields, The Write Honourables, Men of Letters, and Do I Give Up The Day Job?

Madiba fans will enjoy Writing Mandela, and more of South Africa’s favourite topics will be addressed by Jonathan Jansen and others in Leadership And Innovation, How To Fix Our Schools, and Healing Our Nation. Controversies may erupt in 1994 And All That, Conspiracy Theories, Mzansi, Outcasts, and Zimbos. Doctors who write will feature in Blood, Guts, Sweat And Tears.

And as usual, there will also be performances by Youth Affair, a group of talented youngsters directed by a local rising star of TV soaps, Jeremy Davids, now working on a PhD in Drama.

Deadline: 31 March 2011

Wine writers are invited to enter the 3rd Annual South African Wine Writers Award.

The award will be presented by the Franschhoek Wine Valley Tourist Association (FWVTA) at the Franschhoek Literary Festival in May this year.

This award was initiated in 2009 as an acknowledgement to the art of wine writing in South Africa. The R25 000 cash prize, and a custom-made artwork, was won last year by Tim James, and by Joanne Gibson in 2009.

This year, the wine writing community of South Africa is again invited to submit one wine-related article per journalist, written and published during 2010, which will be anonymously judged by a panel of local and international independent judges. The judges for this year are South African author and journalist Martie Retief-Meiring, author and US Wine critic Jay McInerney and France-based Andrew Jefford, who was International Wine Columnist of the Year at the Louis Roederer Awards 2010.

The purpose for the award is to celebrate the art of wine writing, and the articles will be evaluated on both technical accuracy and literary quality.

The closing date for submission is 31 March 2011. Articles should be submitted in the original language of publication. If necessary, they will be translated into English by translators from the University of Stellenbosch.

The articles will be forwarded anonymously to the panel of judges in an electronic PDF format. After all three judges have agreed on a winner, he or she will be announced at the Franschhoek Literary Festival on 14 May. The judges’ decision is final.

Entries need to be submitted in MSWord format to info@thefamousidea.co.za by 31 March 2011. Please ensure that the following are supplied: author, publication, date of publication, article title and author contact details.

About the South African Wine Writers Award

Established in 2009, the South African Wine Writers Award celebrates the literary art of wine writing in South Africa. It is presented annually by the Franschhoek Wine Valley Tourism Association, in association with the Franschhoek Literary Festival.

About the Franschhoek Literary Festival

The FLF has gained an international reputation as a respected celebration of books and writers, with the focus on promoting South African writing and reading, and well supported by the local community. The aims of the Franschhoek Literary Festival are to appreciate and encourage writers and writing at informal events in a village setting, to foster a vibrant culture of reading that will excite children about reading and writing, and to raise funds for community and school libraries in the Franschhoek valley so that appropriate books are available to all.

Gilly Hemphill
The Famous Idea Trading Co.
gilly@thefamousidea.co.za
021 880 0889
082 820 8584
Franschhoek Literary Festival

Deadline: 1 July 2011

M Literary Residency 2012-13

There are no nationality restrictions for applications. However, applicants should be over 21 years old and be writing in English.

The M Literary Residency Program has been established to disseminate a broader knowledge of contemporary life and writing in India and China today and to foster deeper intellectual, cultural and artistic links across individuals and communities. Applicants are invited to apply for three month residencies in India or China.

Applications for the 2012 Residency are now being accepted. Application deadline is Friday, 1 July 2011, and decisions will be announced 31 October.

The M Literary Residency Programme ~ 2012-2013 Residency Guidelines

The M Literary Residency Programme has been established to disseminate a broader knowledge of contemporary life and writing in India and China today and to foster deeper intellectual, cultural and artistic links across individuals and communities.

The intent of the residency is to provide space and time primarily for writing and location-specific research. It is not to be used as base for travel in order to undertake research further afield.

Writers may apply for ONE of two M Literary Residencies:

Bangalore, India

A three-month residency in a rural setting near Bangalore, South India from late 2012 to early 2013. The successful applicant will have his/her transportation costs to and from Bangalore covered by the M Residency. Accommodation (a single room) and three meals a day will be provided.

Shanghai, China

A three-month residency in Shanghai. The residency must be taken up before March 1st, 2013. The successful applicant will have his/her transportation costs to and from Shanghai covered by the M Residency. Accommodation (a studio-style apartment) and a stipend towards the cost of
meals will be provided.

Stipend

Both successful applicants will receive a total sum of US$1,000 to cover additional living costs during their stay in India or China.

HOW TO APPLY

All applicants are required to submit the following information and supporting materials:

1. A completed M Residency application form.

2. A synopsis and statement of intent totaling no more than 1,500 words detailing the project that you intend to work on during the residency. Applications will be accepted in the following genres only: fiction, nonfiction, poetry or dramatic prose.

Note:

• Statement of intent: this should detail how and why the location will benefit your project, and how the residency itself will be of benefit to you.

• The intent of the residency is to provide space and time primarily for writing and location-specific research and not as a base for travel to undertake research further afield.

3. Two samples of your work in the genre of your chosen project for the residency. Short stories, essays, novel extracts, drama and poetry are all welcome. The total word count of the two pieces
combined should not exceed 2,500 words.

Note:

• Applications that do not include support material in the genre of the nominated project will be at a disadvantage.

• If poetry samples are less than 30 lines long, they can be grouped with 1-2 other poems to form one sample. The total line count of the poetry group should not exceed 100 lines or the word count.

• Applicants may be asked to submit additional samples of their work.

4. One of the following proofs of identification: copy of passport, driving licence or ID card.

5. Two referees, including their contact details, to whom the residency administrator may write to. The referee does not need to work in a literary capacity but needs to know the candidate well.

PLEASE NOTE

• Please send applications by email only to the Administrator at mliteraryresidency@googlemail.com. We will notify you immediately on receipt of your application.

• Applications must be received by Friday, 1 July 2011. Applications received after this date will not be considered.

• Applicants must cover their own travel and medical insurance.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

• Participation in two (2) events:

The M Literary Residency aims to encourage interaction between talented artists and local communities, and to foster an interest in the arts within the local communities of the host countries. It is therefore a condition of entry that the successful candidate must agree to participate in at least two events within the local community during their stay. This could be a talk or workshop at a school, college or bookshop. Details will be worked out between the fellow and M Residency staff. All expenses will be met by the M Literary Residency.

• Remaining in Residence

It is expected that fellows will remain in residence throughout the threemonth fellowship. Fellows must notify M Residency staff at the earliest opportunity if they expect to have to leave the residency for a period of more than one week.

• Dates / Length of Residency

• India: 10-12 weeks, commencing late 2012

• China: 12 weeks and must be taken up before March 1st, 2013.

• It is a condition of entry that applicants agree to these terms by marking the relevant box on the application form.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• It is NOT a condition of entry that the applicant must already be a published author. Unpublished writers are welcome to apply.

• There are no nationality restrictions for applications. However, applicants should be over 21 years old and be writing in English.

• Applications may only be submitted electronically.

• In the interest of fairness, applicants’ names must not appear on samples, synopses, or statements of intent.

• The residency judges and administrators will not enter into private correspondence with applicants nor will they be able to offer specific feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

• The accommodation provided in Bangalore and Shanghai is suitable only for single occupancy. We regret that we are unable to accommodate partners or family.

• In the case of the Indian residency, accommodation may be isolated so applicants should be seeking a period of quiet, sustained work. The residency is not a base from which to travel from.

• In the case of the Shanghai residency, accommodation will be centrally located and in the thick of a noisy city. Whilst it is intended that the writer should be seeking a period of sustained work, it must be noted that this will probably not be happening in very quiet surroundings.

Download application form >>

Contact Information:

For inquiries: mliteraryresidency@googlemail.com

For submissions: mliteraryresidency@googlemail.com

Website: http://www.m-restaurantgroup.com/

Deadline: 30 September 2010

Call for Papers
Canada and the African Diasporic Literary Imaginary
42nd Annual Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
April 7-10, 2011
New Brunswick, NJ – Hyatt New Brunswick
Host Institution: Rutgers University

This panel invites scholars to investigate the presence of Canada in an African Diasporic literary imaginary, focusing on writers who examine black subjects and subjectivities within Canadian landscapes (both urban and rural), but also attending to representations of African Canadians and the idea of Canada in literature from across the diaspora.

Canada occupies a unique space in the black literary imagination. The critical success of Canadian writers such as Dionne Brand, Austin Clarke and Lawrence Hill belies the complex relationships between African Canadian writers and the nation, between black bodies and Canadian landscapes. Canadian history often obscures or ignores the history of blacks in Canada; and in visual and popular cultures, black people are often conspicuously absent from Canadian settings. Similarly, ‘African Canada’ is often elided from conceptions of the African Diaspora. And yet the history of Canada within the African Diaspora is rich and diverse. For American slaves, Canada was literally a place of freedom, as reflected in the writings of Frederick Douglass and Benjamin Drew, author of ‘The Refugee: Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada Related by Themselves (1856)’. In later texts such as Ishmael Reed’s ‘Flight to Canada’, Canada continued to be figured as a counterpoint to the virulent racism of the United States. Much could be said about the sharp contrast between these African American utopian ideas and the reality of the black experience in Canada.

In the 1960s and 70s, Canada continued to be a place where multifarious diasporic identities, politics and experiences could be imagined and articulated. Increased immigration from the Caribbean attracted visits from prominent intellectuals including Walter Rodney and C.L.R. James who brought with them radical discourses on black nationalism, revolution, and decolonization.

Yet, these African American ideas often stood in sharp contrast to Canadian reality. A number of questions arise from the problem of Canada in the black literary imagination. How has the erasure of the history of slavery and the black presence in Canada affected African Canadian writers? What does the literal space of Canada mean for African Canadian writers? What does Canada mean for African American writers and writers in other parts of the black diaspora? These questions are linked to pressing issues of geography, citizenship and nationalism.

Please send 300-500 word abstracts and brief biographical statements to Kristin Moriah at kmoriah@gc.cuny.edu.

Deadline: September 30, 2010*

Please include with your abstract:

Name and Affiliation
Email address
Postal address
Telephone number

The 42nd Annual Convention will feature approximately 360 sessions, as well as pre-conference workshops, dynamic speakers and cultural events. Details and the complete Call for Papers for the 2011 Convention will be posted in June: www.nemla.org.

Interested participants may submit abstracts to more than one NeMLA session; however panelists can only present one paper (panel or seminar). Convention participants may present a paper at a panel and also present at a creative session or participate in a roundtable. Do not accept a slot if you may cancel to present on another session.

Dates: 8 - 11 December 2010

Garden City Literary Festival Celebrates 50 Years of Nigerian Writing

As Nigeria celebrates 50 years of independence, the 2010 Garden City Literary Festival (GCLF) is set to highlight the significant contribution of writers to the story of African nations. The GCLF is an initiative of the Rivers State Governor the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

This third outing of the festival is once again organised by the Rainbow Book Club in conjunction with the Rivers State government and will take place from the 8th till the 11th of December in Port Harcourt. Adopting the theme: 50 years of Post-Colonial Literature, this celebration of all things literary, promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

GCLF 2010 has an exciting line-up of writers including two Nobel Laureates - Professor Wole Soyinka and J.M.G Le Clezio - as special guest speakers. Visitors to the festival will enjoy a variety of events, including an international literature conference, writers’ workshops and a book fair. Plus there will be interactive sessions with authors, an essay competition for children and special drama presentations. The festival will be rounded off with a grand awards gala to celebrate those who have contributed to the Nigerian literary scene over the past five decades.

The focus on writers and their role in developing nations is part of Rainbow’s commitment to enhancing the future by promoting a reading culture on the continent.

Deadline: 1 December 2010

Some of the questions that the panel addresses are:

What defines a work as controversial or subversive, whether in the source Arabic or in the target culture? Are readers' expectations in the source and target necessarily compatible? What types of controversy usually attract western translators and publishers? Do translators sometimes highlight, or exaggerate, controversial aspects in the works they translate? And what strategies do they use in the process? Generally speaking, the controversiality label can add interest to a work translated from any language. How significant is the work's controversial status to its selection for translation from Arabic? Is controversiality a major condition for selection, or only one among others? Has there been any change in recent years toward more attention to the 'intrinsic artistic value' of Arabic literature, rather than its social or political relevance? Conversely, did recent political developments in the Middle East and the West (the 9/11 attacks, the invasion of Iraq, the rise of fundamentalist movements, the Ghaza conflict), and the ensuing interest in the culture and politics of the Arab World, have any effect on the perception of Arabic literature and the conditions surrounding its translation? How valid are the traditional paradigms of Orientalism and exoticism in understanding current translator choices and audience reactions in Western languages? Does Edward Said's description of Arabic literature as 'embargoed' still illustrate (if it did in the first place) the way Arabic literature is being treated by translators and publishers? Is there a deliberate intent somehow, as Said stated, to 'interdict any attention to texts that do not reiterate the usual clichés about 'Islam,' violence, sensuality and so forth'?

What differences exist between Western countries in the conditions and modes of reception surrounding translations from Arabic? To what extent can Arab institutions, intellectuals, and writers themselves be blamed for deficiencies in translating from Arabic? To what extent can the conditions in which Arabic literature is translated and received in the West be compared to those governing the reception of literary works from other non-European, especially 'Third World,' cultures?

Call For Papers

Panel Title: Translating 'Controversial' Arabic Literature
Conference: International Federation of Translators XIX World Congress: Bridging Cultures, San Francisco, CA, August 1-4, 2011

Proposal are invited for a panel on 'Translating 'Controversial' Arabic Literature' at the FIT XIX World Congress in San Francisco, CA, August 1-4, 2011. Arabic literature, declared Edward Said in 1990, 'remains relatively unknown and unread in the West, for reasons that are unique, even remarkable.' Twenty years later, it is hard to say that the situation has remained the same: there has certainly been an increase in the availability of Arabic literary works in several European languages, and more attention is being given to current Arabic literature. Yet, considering the great interest in the West (generated mainly by political events) in Arab and Muslim societies and the remarkable growth in Arabic literature (especially the novel) in recent years, translating and publishing Arabic literature in several Western languages is often seen as nothing less than a gamble. Whether it is their illustrative social value, their exotic appeal, their connection with current trends (as in the case of Naguib Mahfouz, for example), their confirmation of established political views or representations, Arabic literary works often have to give (non-literary) justifications for their existence in Western languages. One very effective pass to translation has been the 'controversial' or 'subversive' status of a work in Arabic. Writings viewed as subverting political, social, and religious establishments or defying moral codes (especially when accompanied by public outcries or bans of different kinds) have usually been given priority by translators and publishers in the West. This panel seeks to explore, from various angles, the translation of works considered controversial or subversive in Arabic. Our aim is to examine the factors influencing the selection of works for translation, the choices and dilemmas facing translators and publishers in the process of transferring the work from Arabic, and the recent developments and current state of the field. We welcome contributions that benefit from recent research in translation studies, especially those engaging critically with traditional paradigms in translation theory or scholarship on Arabic literature.

The submission deadline is December 1, 2010. Presentations should be in English. Please send proposals (maximum 300 words) to Tarek Shamma, United Arab Emirates University, tarek.shammauaeu.ac.ae.

Deadline: 30 September 2011

THE BURT AWARD FOR AFRICAN LITERATURE

Supporting and encouraging a love of reading for young adults

WRITING COMPETITION ANNOUNCEMENT

The Canadian Organization for Development through Education (CODE) in collaboration with the National Book Development Council of Kenya (NBDCK) and with the generous support of a Canadian patron, Mr. Bill Burt, have the pleasure to invite Kenyan authors to take part in a writing competition to produce engaging and educational stories for the youth (12 – 18 years old) which will be published as part of the Burt Award for African Literature. Objectives of the Award

1. To support and motivate the development of supplementary reading materials for a critical stage of learning – the transition period between mother tongue and the English medium of instruction in both primary and secondary schools.
2. To publish stories which strengthen the English language skills of the youth and help foster enthusiasm and a love for reading.
3. To stimulate and support the African publishing industry and contribute to the literary wealth of African literature.
4. To increase the stock of English reading materials in school and community libraries.
5. To recognize excellence in literature for youth.

Criteria for the Award’s Writing Competition

The story should:

1. Be written in English.

2. Demonstrate a solid command of English through a clear cohesive language and proper sentence structure, vocabulary and punctuation.

3. Be thought-provoking and original: It should have an excellent story telling style e.g. strong imagery, lively dialogue, and vivid description to arouse young readers’ interest and curiosity and keep them turning pages.

4. Be prose fiction containing content and language appropriate for ages 12-18 years old.

5. Have a strong literary merit including:
a. Engaging characters with whom young readers can identify and a protagonist who overcomes challenges or obstacles in a positive way.
b. A well-developed plot with a good fl ow of events.
c. The effective use of literary devices, such as flashbacks.

6. The story should reflect current issues and challenges of concern to contemporary Kenya.

7. Submissions which shall have the potential to evolve into a book series or sequel are welcome.

Manuscript Submission Guide

1. The length of the manuscript should be between 120 – 150 pages.
2. The manuscript should be in chapter form.
3. They should be type-written in double space.
4. The font type should be Times New Roman, font size 12.

The Awards

1st Prize - CAD$ 12,000
2nd Prize - CAD$ 6,000
3rd Prize - CAD$ 3,000

Deadline for Submission

All manuscripts, which must be in soft copy, should be submitted to: info@nationalbookcouncilkenya.org by Friday 30th September 2011 at 12.00 noon. The manuscripts will be assessed by a panel of qualified jurors based on the criteria set herein. The winners together with the date and venue for the award ceremony will be made known through the media.

For more information about the Award, please contact:
The National Book Development Council of Kenya
P.O. Box 10904 - 00100
NAIROBI, KENYA
Tel. 254 020 2721876; 2725006
Cell Phone +254 770 108 556
Email: info@nationalbookcouncilkenya.org,
www.nationalbookcouncilkenya.org and www.codecan.org

Deadline: 15 February 2011

APPLYING FOR THE BROWN UNIVERSITY IWP FELLOWSHIP

The Brown International Writers Project is currently seeking nominations and applications for its one-year fellowship with residency.The Fellowship, supported by a grant from the William H. Donner Foundation, is designed to provide sanctuary and support for established creative writers - fiction writers, playwrights, and poets - who are persecuted in their home countries or are actively prevented from pursuing free expression in their literary art.

The Fellow will be a member of a supportive community that includes faculty members and graduate students in Brown's Program in Literary Arts and the Watson Institute for International Studies, co-sponsors of the Project.

The fellowship will be accompanied by a series of lectures, readings and other events that highlight the national artistic and political culture of the writer and address the global issues of human rights and free expression. It will include a stipend, relocation funds, and health benefits. Brown will aid the writer in the visa and relocation process and provide administrative support, office space on the Brown campus in Providence, Rhode Island, and equipment.

To apply, send a letter, providing publishing history and explaining need, together with a resume, to Literary Arts, Box 1923, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, or by email to iwp@brown.edu. Supporting letters from others would be helpful. The application/nomination deadline for the next Fellowship is February 15, 2011.

Deadline: 15 December 2010 (for May/ June 2011 session) or 30 January 2011 (3rd session)

Residency Program

El Gouna Writers’ Residency was launched in February, 2010. El Gouna would host three sessions a year during the months of February, May and June. The length of each session is one month.

During each session four to six writers will enjoy a complimentary stay full month stay at El Gouna. Writers will be inspired by El Gouna’s picturesque setting and will be given a memorable, intellectual opportunity to interact with writers from different walks of life.

Accommodation

Each writer will be invited to enjoy full-board accommodation in a single, tailor-furnished hotel room at El Gouna. All rooms are designed to act as both a bedroom and a private writing space that is equipped with a spacious desk and free wireless internet connection. For further comfort and privacy, each room has a coffee and tea set with kettle and each writer will be provided with two bottles of mineral water. Other drinks may be purchased from the room’s mini bar.

Meals

Writers can enjoy their breakfast at the hotel restaurant any time during breakfast buffet hours, while dinner will be served from 7pm – 8pm at a designated table in the hotel restaurant. Each writer will have a lunch box delivered to his/her room to minimize distraction and help the writers maintain their working schedule during the day.

A gathering between all the writers will take place every day for 1 hour from
6pm – 7pm in the communal room, to encourage additional social and intellectual exchange. During the gathering, the writers will be provided with hot drinks.

Writers are requested to cover any additional food and beverage requests should they wish to enjoy their meals at other times.

Amenities

Upon arrival, an orientation will be organized to acquaint the writers with the town and all the service facilities available, i.e. transportation options inside El Gouna, hospital, super-markets…, etc.

Transportation to and from Hurghada International Airport is arranged for all the writers, as well as hotel pick-up to any planned activity inside El Gouna.

Writers will be granted access to the El Gouna library and all its facilities at all times.

Residency Manager

A dedicated Writers’ Residency Manager will be coordinating all activities and can be easily reached by telephone or e-mail to ensure full comfort and satisfaction of all writers.

Reading Event

Writers will be expected to participate in a Reading Event held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Library of Alexandria) branch of El Gouna. The multinational audience invited to attend will include various reporters as well as interested intellectuals residing or visiting Egypt. The Reading Event will be presented in either English or French.

Dates of Reading Events:

* February Session: Friday, February 18th
* May Session: Friday, May 20th
* June Session: Friday, June 24th

Each event will consist of a meeting with the writers followed by the reading session and an open discussion.

* From 7:00 pm – 7:45 pm : meeting with the writers
* From 7:45 pm – 8:45 pm: reading session
* From 8:45 pm: - 9:00 pm : open discussion

Writers Reports

By the end of the residency, writers are expected to provide a report highlighting the development of the literary project they have been working on, as well as any comments related to the El Gouna Writers' Residency.

Disclaimer

The Writers Residency Board of Advisors reserves the right to disqualify any writer who will not comply with the residency program indicated above.

We encourage writers to donate their books to the El Gouna library. All books donated by the writers will be placed in a special dedicated section in the El Gouna library, which is open to the public.

How to Apply

The deadline for submitting the application for the 2011 May and June sessions is December 15, 2010. Results will be announced January 30, 2011 for the second the third sessions.

All applicants must specify two preferences for the time of their residency; successful applicants will be offered the first available spot in accordance to their preference. Travel arrangements to the nearby Hurghada International Airport, will be the responsibility of the accepted writers.

To apply, please fill in the downloadable application form, then scan and e-mail the completed application form along with the material listed below to writers.residency@elgouna.com

* Biographical sketch including publications, performances and writing credits
* Ten page sample of your latest work.
* One-page description of the work to be undertaken while at the Residency
* Two letters of recommendation e-mailed directly to the e-mail address mentioned above
* If the applicant has a publishing contract for the project in process, he/ she should kindly state this

Eligibility

* El Gouna Writers' Residency is open to international writers who have published books in the categories of novels, short stories, poetry or plays
* Writers should have a specific project they will be developing or completing at the Residency
* Regardless of the country of origin, the applicant must be fluent in speaking either English or French

Selection Criteria

El Gouna Writers’ Residency program mainly focuses on the professional experience of writers, quality of past work and their potential to have a productive residency in El Gouna.

Major factors in making the selection will be the literary achievement of the applicant to date and the ability to produce a work of substantial literary quality. The trustees and their advisers will make the final selection.

Deadline: 13 May 2011

1. About the Arab Fund for Culture and Arts (AFAC)

The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture is an independent Arab initiative established by local cultural lobbyists and a group of international donors in 2007. AFAC funds individuals and organizations in the fields of cinema, performing arts, literature, music and visual arts, while facilitating cultural exchange and cooperation across the Arab world and globally.

AFAC envisions a thriving Arab art and cultural scene that is confident in its expression, accessible to all, and sustained locally by committed patrons. By engaging artists and cultural practitioners, educating patrons on the social impact of arts and culture, advising stakeholders on necessary interventions, and supporting projects with direct independent funding, AFAC will play a leading role in achieving this vision, serving as a model and catalyst for homegrown philanthropic initiatives across the Arab world. AFAC’s operations are guided by two fundamental principles: transparency in the grant giving process and independence through a diversity of funding sources.

2. About AFAC’s General Grant Program

The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture awards grants through an open and competitive process twice a year. These grants are designated to support creative artistic, literary and cultural works, as well as research, trainings and the staging of regional events in the fields of arts and culture.

Since 2007, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture has distributed $3.5 million to 221 projects in six categories, in addition to its special programs, such as the Arab Documentary Film Program, which was launched in 2009, and the Arab Graphic Novel Program, to be launched this year.

For more information about AFAC’s grant, including the names and projects of all our grantees, as well as the jurors’ names, kindly visit the “Our Grantees” section on our website.

3. About AFAC’s grants for 2011

• AFAC provides grants amounting up to fifty thousand U.S. dollars each.
• If the grant from AFAC only covers part of the project’s overall budget and its value exceeds ten thousand dollars, the grantee must 70% of the remaining budget in order to be awarded the grant.
• In the event that the grantee is unable to procure 70% of the project budget within 90 days upon receiving the grant, the latter will be canceled.
• In the event that the grantee does not sign the grant contract within 60 days upon receipt thereof, the grant will be canceled.
• No grantee will be awarded more than two deadline extensions during the grant period; such extensions should be justified and approved by AFAC.

4. About AFAC Grant Categories

The Arab Fund for Culture and Arts (AFAC) provides support to projects falling under the following categories:

• Cinema: production of short and full-length documentary, experimental and feature films
• Performing Arts: development and production of theatrical, dance, as well as other forms of performing arts.
• Visual Arts: Production and organization of art exhibitions, installations and other forms of visual arts.
• Literature: researching, writing and publishing of literary works, including novels, short stories, poetry, translations and biographies, in print and online.
• Research, training and regional events: research, studies and trainings in both cultural and artistic fields, collaborations among artists and academics, multi-media libraries, cultural documentation and archiving.
• Music: production, musical performances, collaborations, album recording and other musical projects.

5. Eligible candidates:

The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture invites all parties working in the cultural and artistic spheres, whose projects target the Arab region, to send their project proposals regardless of age, years of experience, nationality, country of residence (Arab world and abroad), ethnicity, religion or any other factor. This includes:

• Individuals
• NGOs
• Cultural/educational institutions and centers
• Organizations, institutions, governmental and non-governmental bodies concerned with culture and arts.

6. Ineligible applicants:

AFAC will not consider applications submitted by:

• Members of the Board of Trustees, their business partners or family members.
• AFAC staff members, their business partners or family members.
• Members of the jury, their business partners or family members.

7. Eligible expenses

AFAC will only cover project-related expenses, and not running operating costs. Example: AFAC will cover the rent of a temporary location to be used by a theater troupe for rehearsals and performances as well as the crew members’ salaries throughout the production period, but will not cover operational expenses, such as the rent of the troupe’s permanent premises or permanent employees’ salaries.

8. Place and Duration

• During this round of the call for proposals, AFAC only supports projects to be implemented/ completed during 2011/2012.
• AFAC will not provide support retroactively, i.e. to projects already implemented.
• Projects may be implemented anywhere as long as they mainly target the Arab audience.
• The project’s timeframe should not be less than one month or exceed 18 months.

9. Application submission

• The applicant may submit two grant requests for two projects in two different categories (for example, performing arts and cinema). Requests for two projects within the same category will not be accepted.
• Applications submitted via regular mail will not be accepted. Only electronic applications that are filled in online on our website will be processed and evaluated.
• All required documents should be uploaded into the application, except for supporting files/ samples of previous work exceeding X MB, which can be sent by physical mail to AFAC’s office in Beirut [hyperlink: contact.] See “10. How to apply” for more details.
• Previous grantees may not apply for a new grant unless the previous grant expired before the application submission deadline for this year.
• Grantees who have received two grants may only apply for a third grant two years after the end of the awarded projects.

10. How to apply

Fill in the online application here, upload additional material and if necessary, mail samples to AFAC’s Beirut office. The samples should be mailed through a major courier; it is recommended that applicants submit tracking numbers. Incomplete applications or applications missing supporting documents will not be reviewed.

In addition to the online application, it is recommended that applicants upload supporting materials, such as word documents and jpegs, directly onto the online application. Samples and audio-visual material must be submitted in DVD format, preferably on NTSC or PAL, or uploaded onto sites such as Youtube, Vimeo or Dropbox and submitted as weblinks in the online application. If sending materials by physical mail, please send 4 copies of all accompanying work to AFAC’s Beirut office by the relevant deadline and marked with the project title. AFAC does not return application materials.

You will receive email confirmation once the online application has been received. You are advised to follow up on receipt for mailed material, as we will not contact you if any part of your application is incomplete.

11. Evaluation and Selection Process

Following the submission deadline, AFAC will conduct an administrative check to ensure that applications are complete and adhere to the guidelines. Only applications that pass the administrative check will be processed. A pre-selection and a selection committee made up of international and regional experts will then assess the received proposals and select the winners.

The jurors of the selection committee are instructed to evaluate proposals for:

• their relevance to the Arab world and their compatibility with AFAC’s mission and values;
• the quality and feasibility of the project’s objectives;
• the originality and innovation of the proposed undertaking; and
• the realistic nature of the proposed budget.

Full evaluation criteria can be found at: http://www.arabculturefund.org/?q=node/34. The grant winners will be notified of their selection via email by July 31, 2011.


12. Grant Contracts

AFAC will draft a contract to be signed by the winners. The contract will include contract start and end dates, grant amount, financial requirements, payment schedule, general provisions, implementation and amendments, required reports, and project results.

13. Payment Schedule

If AFAC awards a grantee US $10,000 or less, he or she will receive 80% of the grant total amount as a first payment. Once the project is complete and the winner has submitted the deliverables, narrative and financial reports, the remaining 20% will be transferred.

For grants exceeding US $10,000, grantees will receive 50% of the grant total amount as the first payment. Once 80% of the first payment has been spent, the grantee must submit an interim narrative and financial report to AFAC. Once approved, grantees will receive 25% of the grant total amount as a second payment. With submission of the final deliverables, the final 25% payment will be made.

Application form >>

Evaluation criteria >>

Deadline: 29 July 2011

This year’s prize is for translation from Arabic to English

The Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize was launched in 2010 as part of Harvill Secker's centenary celebrations. It is an annual prize, which focuses on a different language each year, with the aim of recognising the achievements of young translators at the start of their careers. For the 2011 prize Harvill Secker has teamed up with Foyles, and the prize is kindly supported by Banipal. This year’s chosen language is Arabic, and the prize will centre on the short story ‘Layl Qouti' by Mansoura Ez Eldin.

Egyptian novelist and journalist Mansoura Ez Eldin was born in Delta Egypt in 1976. She studied journalism at the Faculty of Media, Cairo University and has since published short stories in various newspapers and magazines: she published her first collection of short stories, Shaken Light, in 2001. This was followed by two novels, Maryam's Maze in 2004 and Beyond Paradise in 2009. Her work has been translated into a number of languages, including an English translation of Maryam's Maze by the American University in Cairo (AUC) Press. In 2010, she was selected for the Beirut39, as one of the 39 best Arab authors below the age of 40. Her second novel Wara’a al-Fardoos (Beyond Paradise) was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (the Arabic Booker) 2010. She was also a participant of the inaugural nadwa (writers’ workshop) held by the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in Abu Dhabi in 2009 and was a mentor at the second nadwa in October 2010.

The winning translator will receive £1,000, a selection of Harvill Secker titles and Foyles tokens.
How to enter

Deadline for entries: Friday 29th July 2011

You must be between 18 and 34 years of age on the submission deadline. For further terms and conditions please see the entry form.

Download and print the entry form here (you will need Acrobat Reader to do so)

Download or print the Arabic text here (you will need Acrobat Reader to do so)

Simply send your completed entry form with your translated text to the postal address provided on the entry form. Please note that we are unable to consider entries submitted by email.

If you have any queries, please contact us on: youngtranslatorsprize@randomhouse.co.uk

The judges

Anthony Calderbank (translator)

Anthony Calderbank has been a translator of Arabic literature since the early nineties. He has translated a number of Egyptian novels including Rhadopis of Nubia by Najib Mahfouz, Zaat by Sonallah Ibrahim, and The Tent, Blue Aubergine and Gazelle Tracks by Miral Al-Tahawy, and two novels by Saudi author Yousef Al-Mohaimeed, Wolves of the Crescent Moon and Munira’s Bottle. His translations of short stories include a collection by Nubian writer Haggag Hassan Odoul entitled Nights of Musk: Stories of Old Nubia, and have appeared in a Palestinian collection edited by Nur and Abdulwahab El Messiri entitled Land of Thyme and Stone.

He has contributed to a number of anthologies of modern Arabic Literature including Unbuttoning the Violin (Banipal 2006), the collection Madinah, edited by Joumana Haddad (2008), and the Beirut 39 project. He has also translated numerous pieces for Banipal Magazine. In 2010 he translated an excerpt from Abdo Khal’s novel Spewing Sparks as Big as Castles, which went on to win the Arab Booker Prize.

He has spoken on translation and translation theory at international conferences and cultural gatherings and has conducted translation workshops for the British Council and the Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature. His translation of Yousef Al-Mohaimeed’s novel Wolves of the Crescent Moon was shortlisted for the 2010 Jan Michalski Prize. He has lived in the Middle East for many years and is currently based in Riyadh Saudi Arabia where he is Deputy Director of the British Council.

Maya Jaggi (journalist)

Maya Jaggi is an award-winning cultural journalist and an influential critic on international literature. Her arts profiles in the Guardian Review over a decade are credited with enhancing understanding of world writers, from Günter Grass, Umberto Eco and Jose Saramago to Chinua Achebe, Toni Morrison and Mario Vargas Llosa – as well as British figures such as Jeanette Winterson and Sir Tom Stoppard. The late critic Professor Edward Said described her interview with him as 'in a class of its own'. Her work has appeared widely in periodicals including the Guardian, Independent, Sunday Times Culture, Financial Times, Daily Telegraph, Economist, TLS and BookForum (New York), and in books such as Lives and Works, Writing Across Worlds and Women of the Revolution. She contributes to BBC radio (including Radio 4’s Any Questions?, Front Row and Open Book) and television.

She has interviewed 12 Nobel prizewinners in literature – as well as Arab writers including Mahmoud Darwish, Hanan al-Shaykh, Elias Khoury, Alaa al-Aswany, Tahar Ben Jelloun and Amin Maalouf. She has been a judge of literary awards including the Orange prize, the David Cohen, the Caine, the Commonwealth Writers prize and the Saif Ghobash-Banipal prize for Arabic literary translation. She was educated at Oxford University and the London School of Economics, and is an Associate Fellow of Warwick University and a member of English PEN’s Writers in Prison committee.

Penelope Lively (author)

Penelope Lively was born in Cairo, Egypt and spent her childhood there. She came to England at the age of twelve, in 1945, and went to boarding school in Sussex. She subsequently read Modern History at St. Anne's College, Oxford. In 1957 she married Jack Lively (who died in 1998). They had two children, Josephine and Adam. Jack Lively's academic career took the family from Swansea to Sussex and Oxford, and eventually to Warwick University, where he was Professor of Politics. Penelope Lively now has six grandchildren and lives in London.
Briony Everroad (editor)

Briony Everroad is an editor at Harvill Secker, where she publishes authors Jo Nesbø, Karin Fossum, and Andrey Kurkov, among others. She studied English literature at University College London and in 2002 began working at Random House. Always keen to explore new languages, she spent a term studying French at the Sorbonne in 2006 and is currently learning Spanish. In 2010 she founded the Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize.

Entry Guidelines:

To enter: complete the entry form and submit it with one translation of the story ‘Layl Qouti’ by Mansoura Ez Eldin to the following address:

Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize
Harvill Secker
The Random House Group Limited
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road
London SW1V 2SA
England

Note: entrants submitting a joint translation must complete and include separate forms in the same envelope.

1. T&Cs – By entering this competition you agree to accept and be bound by these terms and conditions.

2. Entrants – This competition is open to anyone aged 18 to 34 years on 29th July 2011 except for employees of Harvill Secker (‘promoter’), Foyles, their families or any other company connected with the competition. The promoter will accept one entry per entrant subject to point 5(c) below. The entrant must not have previously translated (or currently be contracted to translate) more than one full-length work for print or online publication.

3. Dates – Entries must be submitted by Friday 29th July 2011 (‘closing date’). The winning entrant will be notified by telephone in September 2011.

4. Prize – A prize of £1000.00 (one thousand pounds sterling) (‘prize’) will be awarded to the winning entrant.

5. Entry Specifications – Entrants are advised to retain a copy of their translations as the promoter will be unable to return any submitted entry. Each entry must be:

(a) an English translation of the story entitled ‘Layl Qouti’ by Mansoura Ez Eldin (‘story’).
(b) the entrant’s own original work, completed entirely without assistance from professional translators or academic staff. Joint entries involving one translation of the story by a maximum of two translators in accordance with these terms and conditions will be accepted.
(c) submitted as a typeset hard copy with the following specifications: double-spaced, set in 12-point type, with numbered pages and no staples.
(d) Entrants are advised not to include their name on the translation. This is to ensure anonymity.

6. Copyright – The copyright and publishing rights in the story are expressly and fully reserved by Mansoura Ez Eldin. Each entrant undertakes to obtain written permission from Mansoura Ez Eldin before selling, making available or otherwise publishing his/her translation of the story in any form throughout the world.

7. Unacceptable Entries – Entries which do not comply with point 5(c) above, are illegible, submitted electronically, or received after the closing date will not be accepted. The promoter is not responsible for delayed, undelivered or lost entries.

8. Events – Events may occur which render the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the promoter and the promoter may, at its absolute discretion, vary, amend, or suspend the prize with or without notice.

9. Judges – The competition will be judged by four judges looking for emerging talent and seeking to identify the most faithful translation of exceptional literary quality of the story. The judges’ decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into in relation to their joint or individual decisions or this competition.

10. Winning Entrant – The winning entrant grants the promoter and Foyles all necessary and relevant rights and permissions in relation to the marketing, publicising and publication of the winning entry on www.youngtranslatorsprize.com. The winning entrant agrees to the promoter’s use of his/her name and photograph in relation to any publicity material relating to this competition and the winning entry.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: youngtranslatorsprize@randomhouse.co.uk

For submissions: Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize, Harvill Secker, The Random House Group Limited, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA, England

Website: http://www.vintage-books.co.uk, www.youngtranslatorsprize.com

Deadline: 5 - 25 March 2011

Locations: Meditterainee (Mar.5), Aliance Francaise (Mar.11, 25), Morija (Mar.19)

Ba re Literary Festival launches in Lesotho with a month long literature fest, hosting some of the prominent writters of our time, the likes of Nt. Keorapetse Kgosithsile, Kgafela oa Magogodi, Lesego Rampolokeng, Lesedi Mokhele, Lomile Maputle, and many others.

The fest will run on weekends in different places in Lesotho, and entry for all events will be free.

Schedule:

Mar.5 (@Meditterainee): Morabo Morejele in discussion with Kgafela oa Magogodi and Lesego Ramolokeng;

Mar.11 (@Alliance Francaise): Patrick Bereng in discussion with Mathorela Tsikoane & Patrick Bereng;

Mar.19 (@Morija): Lesedi Mokhele, Mpho Brown, Keorapetse Kgositsile in discussion with Lomile Maputle;

Mar.25 (@Alliance Francaise): `M`e Polo `Malehlohonolo Ndumo and Mokuena (Pinnacle) in discussion with L'ouvre editor

For more info contact: +266 597 38 858

Dates: 20 - 23 March 2011

Come WAM! it up with us!

Join women journalists, advocates, media-makers and -users, students, artists, and others as we open conversations, strengthen connections and build collaborations about gender, equity and social justice!

What’s happening and where?

We’re calling creative women to join us March 20-23, 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya. We’ll discuss some of the big questions facing women and girls in media: What are the barriers for the full participation of female journalists in East African media? How are stories of women and girls in Kenya told (or not told) in the international press? Whose voices “matter”?

To RSVP, email us at wamnairobi [at] gmail dot com. Check out the specs below!

Sunday, March 20

Social gathering in a downtown pub, 6 pm. Location details coming when you RSVP!

Monday, March 21

Getting Women and Girls on the Front Page, a drop-in afternoon workshop for activists, advocates and other movers and shakers to learn strategies for winning the interest of local and international journalists — and helping them focus on the information that matters. We’ll be at Nairobi Java House (Mama Ngina Street) from 1-4 p.m. Stop on by! (We’d appreciate a heads up to let us know your coming by emailing wamnairobi [at] g mail dot com, but it’s not required)

My Africa, Your Africa, a dialogue between local and foreign journalists about the differences in their coverage.

* Helen Nyambura-Mwaura, Reuters
* Carolyn Dunn, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
* Karen Rothmyer, public editor of at the Star (Kenya) and contributing editor to The Nation (US).

Learn more about our speakers and their organizations here.

At the Source: Raising local voices across media, where citizen journalists, literary artists, and social media experts describe breaking new ground for news in Kenya.

* Rebecca Wanjiku, blogger/journalist and staff at Ushahidi
* Rachel Gichinga, co-founder, Kuweni Serious
* Angela Wachuku, executive director, Kwani Trust

Learn more about our speakers and their organizations here.

Both events from 6-8 p.m. at the Goethe-Institut library, second floor, Maendeleo House, at the corner of Loita and Monrovia streets.

Tuesday, March 22

Women’s Voices in a Man’s World. Journalists and other media-makers will discuss dealing with gender gaps, glass ceilings and other perils of being female in the media world.

The Spot Pitch: Winning coverage for women and girls in 120 seconds. Ten advocates and activists will get 2 minutes each to sell the audience on their most irresistible story about the issues facing women and girls. If you want to apply to be one of the ten people who gets to pitch a roomful of interested media professionals, click here to learn more.

Both events from 6-8 p.m. at the Goethe-Institut library, second floor, Maendeleo House, at the corner of Loita and Monrovia streets.

Deadline: 15 March 2011

WordArt Publishers invites you to submit your poems on the theme of child rights abuse and, or related issues for possible inclusion in a forthcoming poetry anthology- ‘Whispers from Africa '.

We are seeking diverse forms of well-crafted poetry which cover issues such as child-marriage, child trafficking, child labour, child battering, female genital mutilation, etc. All works will be considered, but the best will be published.

Our aim is to present new and captivating literary works to the world, while propelling social change. Therefore, we are especially interested in poets who enjoy performing their works. Selected poets may be invited to read their works at social and literary events.

SUBMISSION DETAILS

Limit on Submissions: We accept up to 5 poems per author. However, note that the editors reserve the right to limit number of works published.

Submission Email: poetrydish@gmail.com

Submission Format: Type your titled poems in the body of the email and send together with a short autobiography and the following information.

a. Your full name
b. Email address
c. Telephone number
d. Mailing address (physical address or mail box)

Subject Line: Email subject line should bear 'Poetry' and the author's first and last names (e.g. Poetry Jane Anderson)

Submission Deadline: March 15, 2011

Note: The anthology is only open to African residents.

All accepted poets will get free copies of the anthology.

Deadline: 20 March 2011

Journalists and their media organisations around the world are invited to submit entries for the Global Energy Prize's Energy of Word award at http://www.globalenergyprize.org/en/request/pen/new. The prize is open to writers who submit published work in any language which tells a captivating and illuminating story in the field of Energy.

The competition aims to reward those who contribute to public awareness of the energy challenges faced worldwide and scientific innovations which provide new energy efficiencies. Entries are evaluated for their depth, objectivity, style, and relevance to society. This includes articles, opinion pieces, interviews and photojournalism published in journals, magazines and newspapers (including those published online), as well as radio and television programmes and documentary films. Entries do not need to reference the Global Energy Prize or any of its sponsors, and may have been published at any time between 1 March 2010 and 1 March 2011.

Applications will be accepted until March 20th 2011 and winners will be announced in April 2011. Submitting work for consideration takes only a few minutes, candidates can enter here: http://www.globalenergyprize.org/en/request/pen/new. Winners receive a week-long all-expenses-paid trip to St Petersburg, Russia, in June 2011 and an exclusive interview with a Russian VIP, yet to be determined.

The Energy of Word award winner's trip to Russia will include the opportunity to attend events associated with the Global Energy Prize Laureates' Week (13-19 June) and the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (16-18 June). This will include an invitation to attend the Global Energy Award Ceremony, which is presided over by the President of Russia.

The Energy of Word award was established by the organisers of the Global Energy Prize, one of the world's most respected awards in energy development, awarding US$1m annually for scientific breakthroughs and bringing international recognition to energy efficiency innovators. The degree to which a development contributes to the benefit of humanity is a key driver in deciding the recipient of the prize. Since its inception in 2002, the Global Energy Prize has been granted to 22 scientists from around the globe, including past laureates from Great Britain, Iceland, Canada, Russia, the US, France, Germany and Japan.

Media Contacts:

Glen Cameron or Laura Suisted
SweeneyVesty
glen@sweeneyvesty.co.uk
laura@sweeneyvesty.co.uk
+44(0)20-3178-5710

About the project

Energy of Word is an international media competition established in 2004 by the non-commercial partnership on development of the international researches and projects in the field of energetic "Global Energy". It is aimed to reward the mass media and individual journalists for the contribution to popularizing energy related problems. Since 2010 the Energy of Word Award is working under the aegis of the PRESSzvanie International Award of Business Journalism.

Entry terms

Works by the foreign, federal and regional mass media journalists covering energy related events of any country and published during the current year are eligible to enter.

The works are entitled to be nominated for the prize by:

* The authors;
* The mass media;
* The mass media creative teams;
* Journalist public organizations;
* Publishing houses both on the territory of Russia and abroad.

The authors of works with the most interesting and extent coverage of the energy related problems will become the nominees.

The entry deadline is March 20 2011.

The entries evaluation

The entries will be judged by the Expert council and the Jury formed after the Executive Board recommendations and approved by the Partners Assembly.

Authors’ and mass media names are concealed before the Executive Board members and the Jury get the access to the works.

Evaluation criteria:

* Energy related subject
* The subject’s relevance and social significance
* Competence in the subject
* Information analysis, the extent of theme elaboration
* Objectivity of the author’s approach
* Independence of the author’s position
* Literary skills

Awards

The award ceremony takes place in St. Petersburg during the Laureate`s Week of The Global Energy Prize.

The winner is awarded with the Global Energy Prize and is entitled to put his palmprint in the cement trophy.

The second and third best nominees are awarded with honorary diplomas.

No financial reward is provided.

Submit here.

Deadline: 1 November 2011

Women’s roles are historically remembered as primarily passive on both sides of “the color line”: while White women’s bodies have historically been protected and defended, women of color have been raped, beaten, mutilated, or ignored. These dual constructions, while often accurate and productive for highlighting the gendered and sexualized violence inflicted upon the bodies of women of color, leave a yawning void in both our understanding of minority communities’ resistance to national, racialized forms of terrorism, and our cultural memory of white women’s role in the public domain and their engagement in “the race question.”

This panel calls for interdisciplinary investigations of trauma and the woman/girl of color in narratives of violence and their consequences. This panel considers the violence of displacement and dispossession due to social conflicts, climate change, natural disasters, civil wars, ethnic clashes, or economic needs that are accompanied by the processes of acculturation and experiences of identity loss, marginalization, disempowerment, and discrimination. Traumatic events leave marks on female bodies and undoubtedly affect the health (mental and physical) of the population.

How should we approach and teach representations of trauma? How does violence mark the bodies and psyches of women of color? How do narratives by women of color attempt to work through catastrophic loss and dispossession?

Papers should discuss not only how this female body is framed, but also how women of color (and their allies) have sought to write/rite themselves back into these social discourses on their terms.

Suggested topics to explore include, but are not limited to:

• Trauma Studies and contemporary women's writing
• Trauma in the writings of Women of Color
• Trauma and patriarchal cultures
• The representation of rape and sexual violence
• Motherhood as trauma
• Lynching
• The Scarred or Marked Body
• Women's experience of war
• Writing as 'self-healing'
• The power of 'herstories'
• Testimony and Literature
• Beyond 'herstory'? Transgendered trauma narratives

Following the ‘ethical turn’ in criticism of the 1980s, trauma studies emerged in the United States in the 1990s as an important critical trend; according to Roger Luckhurst, this was the period ‘when various lines of inquiry converged to make trauma a privileged critical category’ (2006: 497). Psychiatrists and psychologists started to study the psychological aspect of trauma in communities that had been affected by the Holocaust, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. Then, study was extended to all communities that had suffered some kind of systematic abuse. The importance of trauma theory in literary studies has increased year on year with literary works seen as a site for the expression and working through of trauma. In this context, a plethora of trauma narratives by representatives of previously neglected social groups have come to the fore.

For individual submissions, please submit a paper abstract (250 words maximum), as a Word attachment. For all submissions, please include a note indicating if audiovisual equipment is required.

Send submissions to: patricia.hopkins@cnu.edu

Abstract Deadline: November 1, 2011, by midnight.

Conference will be held on March 24-26, 2011 at The Women’s Studies Institute, Georgia State University

Date: 10 November 2010

A Celebration of Contemporary African Fiction

The literary and cultural magazine AGNI—with cosponsors The Center for African Studies at Boston University, the African American Studies Program at Boston University, and PEN New England: celebrates contemporary African fiction with an afternoon panel discussion and an evening reading and reception. These events feature four voices in African writing: the acclaimed Nigerian novelist Helon Habila; Ugandan writer Doreen Baingana; Caine Prize–winner Henrietta Rose-Innes of South Africa; and Zimbabwean story-writer Bernard Farai Matambo. The panel discussion will be moderated by celebrated Nigerian writer E. C. Osondu and will include Senegalese drumming and traditional African dancing.

Starts

4:00pm on Wednesday, November 10th 2010

Location

African Studies Center, 232 Bay State Road (ASC Conference Room, 5th floor)

Shmoop (www.shmoop.com) is a digital curriculum company that makes learning, teaching, and test prep materials that are - get this - smart and fun. We are seeking graduate students and professionals who know there is a better way to comprehend. Due to the success of our initial subjects, we are ready and excited to include content focusing on African-American lit.

Work with an exciting and growing company doing what you love. We are looking for writers who are passionate about their subjects, are well-informed about current events and today's youth culture, and have a good sense of humor.

Requirements:

* Candidates must have strong writing, editing, and literary analysis skills.
* Recent or current PhD student with strong academic performance in undergraduate/graduate degree (or equivalent). All majors welcome.
* Areas of particular interest include African-American Literature and Poetry.
* Experience and comfort with writing for a non-academic audience, and potential/ability to write in a Shmoopy voice - fun, clear, engaging.
* Self-starting, flexible, and comfortable working independently/remotely.
* Passion for and understanding of great works of literature (classic and contemporary), as well as communicating that passion to others.

Flexible hours and location (work from home), paid per completed writing project.

When you are finally ready to change learning forever, send us your wittiest writing sample pertaining to one of the subjects listed above, making sure to include cover letter and resume.

Payment is $500 - $1000 per completed writing project.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: jobs@shmoop.com

For submissions: jobs@shmoop.com

Website: http://www.shmoop.com

Deadline: 29 April 2011

2010 Submission Criteria for the Burt Award for African Literature - Ghana

Manuscript Criteria

In the second year of the the Burt Award for African Literature in Ghana, manuscripts will be accepted through publishers only who are allowed to submit no more than three manuscripts per publisher. The manuscripts are expected to be prepared by authors in collaboration with publishers. This is to ensure that the submitted manuscripts are edited to some extent by the publishers before they are read by the jury.

Manuscripts will be reviewed by a panel of judges based on the following criteria:

The Award is restricted to authors who are citizens and reside in Ghana.

1. Manuscripts shall be written in English.
2. Manuscripts should be thought-provoking and original.
3. Manuscripts should show creativity, readability, and suitability to adolescents (12-15 years old).
4. Manuscripts should portray strong and admirable principal characters.
5. Manuscripts should use humour and or suspense to entertain and captivate the reader.
6. Manuscripts should be lively and allow for dramatization.
7. Manuscripts should reflect modern realities and indicate some of the social problems which are facing adolescents in Ghana.

Manuscripts are encouraged to be written with potential to evolve into a book series or sequel.

The Award is restricted to authors who are Ghanaian citizens and reside in Ghana.

Tips for strong submissions:

The best stories:

* Engage young readers in characters they can identify with such as protagonists who overcome challenges or obstacles in a positive way.
* Have a well-developed plot with a good flow of events and pacing.
* Effectively use literary devices, such as flashbacks.
* Display excellent story-telling style, such as strong imagery, lively dialogue, and vivid descriptions.
* Reflect current issues and challenges of concern to contemporary Ghanaian adolescents

Specifications

To be accepted for consideration manuscripts need to be:

* Manuscripts should be between 80-120 pages in length.
* Manuscripts should be in chapter form.
* Manuscripts should be type-written and double spaced on an A-4 sized paper.
* The font type should be Times New Roman and size 12.

Winning authors will be awarded monetary prizes and will work with local publishers to ensure 3,000 published copies are distributed by GBT to schools in rural areas of Ghana. The announcement of the second Burt Award winners will coincide with the Ghana International Book Fair to be held in November 2011.

Deadline for Submission

The manuscripts should be submitted in both hard and soft copies through publishers to the Ghana Book Trust by 29th April, 2011 by 4.00pm. They will be reviewed and assessed by a panel of qualified judges to determine the winners.

Three awards will be presented annually:

Gold, 16,000 GHS
Silver 8,000 GHS
Bronze 4,000 GHS

(Prizes are based on $12,000, $6,000 and $3,000 Canadian dollars and are subject to changes in currency exchange rates)

Contact Information

The Ghana Book Trust (GBT) is the implementing organization that manages the award. The Ghana Book Trust (GBT) is a non-governmental organization that increases literacy by supporting educators to teach reading and writing, while supplying relevant books and learning materials to school and community libraries across Ghana.

Ghana Book Trust
No. 16 IPS Road
P.O. Box LG 536
Legon-Accra
Tel: + 233 (0) 21 502495
Email: gbt@africaonline.com.gh

The Award is sponsored by CODE, a Canadian NGO, with generous support from a Canadian individual, Bill Burt.