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Author Archive
MY PRESIDENT THINKS READING IS BORING
Apr. 12 | In a recent interview reported in one of the midweek papers, President Ian Khama repeated, yet again, that he thinks reading is boring. This is the second time that a national paper has reported the president uttering such a statement. I’m shocked...
MEANWHILE IN THE WORLD OF BOOKS…
Mar. 29 | OSCAR PISTORIUS BOOK IN THE PIPELINE Pan Macmillan South Africa has announced that it has signed a deal with two journalists, Mandy Wiener and Barry Bateman, for the book Behind the Door: The Oscar and Reeva Story. Bateman was one of the first...
KNOWING PUB LIBSHING TERMS
Mar. 8 | Book publishing has jargon like any other industry and it is important to know that jargon if you intend to be a published writer. This week I thought we’d look at a few key terms. Advance: an advance is money paid to an author by a publisher...
ARTIST IS A WORD OF VALUE
Mar. 1 | I’m aware that the world has changed. According to the new dispensation, if you want it, you should get it, and it shouldn’t involve much work. There’s an easy way and that’s always the way you should take. The entire and only point is to reach...
AFRICAN PUBLISHING NEWS
Feb. 22 | New Random House Imprints Traditional publishers are finally paying attention to the power of ebooks. Random House has launched four new imprints exclusively for manuscripts that will be published only as ebooks. The four are Loveswept (romance and women’s...
The Difference between Short Stories and Novels
Feb. 8 | I recently read a novel written by a short story writer I really respect and it got me wondering. This writer’s short stories are wonderful. But I was disappointed by her novel. There were places of fine writing indeed, but the novel didn’t resonate...
A LOOK AT THE KALAHARI REVIEW
Feb. 1 | Some time back I let you all know about our new, online literary magazine based in Gaborone, The Kalahari Review. Since its launch it has grown quite a bit. It is truly a Pan-African journal with contributions from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and South...
WHY DO PEOPLE NEED TREATMENT?
Feb. 1 | Last year we reported that BOSASNet was threatened with closure because of lack of funding. Although we are now back open for business, we are still not out of the woods and need the support of the community this year to help us provide essential services...
MARKETS FOR SETSWANA WRITING
Jan. 25 | Finding markets for Setswana poetry and short stories as well as Setswana book manuscripts is not easy. People writing in Setswana need to accept that the bulk of the published works will be for schools. The trade market for Setswana is minimal if even...
INTERVIEW WITH AN EDITOR
Dec. 14 | Many people see hiring a professional editor as a cost they can cut out of their budget. I think this comes from not understanding the role of an editor. To rectify, this I went in search of a professional editor. Lesley Hay-Whitton is a freelance editor...
A READING PITSO? YAHOO!!
Nov. 1 | People who know me know that I’m not a fan of di-Pitso. I see them as talk shops coming out with vague, unobtainable objectives that waste piles of money the country just doesn’t have. This was especially true for di-Pitso around culture....
AFRICAN BOOK NEWS
Oct. 25 | WINNER: Henrietta Rose-Innes African book news this week. South African Takes Second in BBC International Short Story Award. South African novelist and Caine Prize winner, Henrietta Rose-Innes was judged runner-up in the just ended BBC International Short...
LOVE ON THE ROCKS – REVISITED
Oct. 19 | NOVELIST: Andrew Sesinyi I think if such things were measured in Botswana, the novel, Love on the Rocks by Andrew Sesinyi may be one of the most read books by Batswana. It’s the Romeo and Juliet tale of Moradi, the upper class girl, in love with Pule,...
BATSWANA POETS SHOWCASED IN THE US
Oct. 6 | ACHIEVER: TJ Dema Fourteen Batswana poets and one visual artist have had the opportunity to have their work published in the prestigious literary journal, Prairie Schooner, a publication out of the University of Nebraska. This special issue of the journal...
The Storymoja Hay Festival
Sep. 28 | From the 12-18th September I was away to Nairobi for the Storymoja Hay Festival. The Festival is the partnership between the Kenyan publisher, Storymoja, and the Hay Festival, a UK based literary festival that partners with people around the world to...
WRITING A WINNING ESSAY
Sep. 21 | The word essay nearly makes me want to go to sleep. We wrote them ad infinitum in school and I can say confidently that 100% of them were dead boring. Perhaps it’s the topics we were given or the school setting in general, but actually essays needn’t...
MAHALAPYE BOOK CLUB
Sep. 14 | I’ve long wanted to be part of a book club. I hear about people in book clubs and wondered how it could work in a village like Mahalapye. Most book clubs are made up of a group of people who meet regularly, perhaps once a month and discuss a book that...
100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE
Sep. 7 | On the 29th of September poets, musicians and artists around the world, in more than 110 countries with 650 events, will participate in the second annual 100 Thousand Poets for Change. In Botswana, there are three events listed on the website, one in...
THE VOW BY CHERYL NTUMY
Aug. 24 | Bessie Head Literature Award winner, Cheryl Ntumy has a new book out with the South African romance publisher, Sapphire Press. I interviewed her about the book and writing romance. I understand you have a new romance novella out with the South African...
