“Through Multiculturalism We Become Better Humans”: A Conversation with Vonani Bila, by Ming Di

“Through Multiculturalism We Become Better Humans”: A Conversation with Vonani Bila, by Ming Di Interviews [email protected] Thu, 06/13/2024 - 15:21 Vonani Bila with his mother and his son. Courtesy of Mark Waller, 2010.Vonani Bila (b. 1972) grew up in Shirley Village, Limpopo province, South Africa, from where he used to walk fourteen kilometers daily to Lemana High School in Elim. He is a poet, essayist, cultural activist, founding editor of the poetry journal Timbila, publisher of Timbila Books, curator of the Vhembe International Poetry festival, and founder of Timbila Writers’ Village, a rural retreat center for writers. He has been instrumental in promoting marginalized poets and has become an iconic figure among the poets of his generation in South Africa. His poetry continues the tradition of South African resistance poetry of the 1970s and 1980s, blended with postmodernist experiments. He is the author of eight storybooks in English, Northern Sotho, and Xitsonga for newly literate adult readers; two children’s books; co-compiler of a Xitsonga monolingual dictionary with M. M. Marhanele, Tihlùngù ta Rixaka (2016); and is currently a lecturer in English at the University of Limpopo. He holds an MFA in creative writing (cum laude) from Rhodes University and is currently a PhD candidate (creative writing) at Wits University. His poetry books include No Free Sleeping (1998) (with Donald Parenzee and Alan Finlay); In the... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2024-06-13 20:21:36 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "“Through Multiculturalism We Become Better Humans”: A Conversation with Vonani Bila, by Ming Di"


‘I Saw a Peacock’: The 400 Year-Old Nonsense Poem

In this week’s Dispatches from The Secret Library, Dr Oliver Tearle analyses a poem that represents the meeting-point of ancient riddle and modern nonsense ‘I Saw a Peacock’ is an anonymous nonsense poem that is included in Quentin Blake’s The Puffin Book of Nonsense Verse (Puffin Poetry), a... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2020-07-03 14:00:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Can Political Satire Outpace Reality? 3 Books Toss Their Hats in the Ring

Christopher Buckley’s “Make Russia Great Again,” Jessica Anthony’s “Enter the Aardvark” and the anthology “The Faking of the President” all have fun with American politics. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-07-02 09:00:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Michael Winterbottom to bring Boris Johnson's handling of Covid-19 to TV

‘There are rare moments in history when leaders find their private lives uniquely connected to national events’ say producersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMichael Winterbottom is set to bring Boris Johnson’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic to television. The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-26 13:30:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Native Nonfiction in the Classroom and Beyond, by Casandra López

The Once Over Casandra López Detail of a Cowlitz artist’s Large Coiled Gathering Basket, ca. 1900, cedar root and beargrass, Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection, Portland Art Museum, 2012.97.11 In spring 2020 I had the opportunity to teach two Native... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2020-06-18 13:23:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Literature on Lockdown 9: #CultureConnectsUs

As the lockdown restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19 begin to be relaxed across the UK, we’re bringing you the final instalment of our Literature on Lockdown series.Following the worldwide demonstrations, protests and public events in support of the Black Lives Matter movement,... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2020-06-16 16:00:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this


New Ishiguro novel coming in March 2021

Klara and the Sun, the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017, will be published by Faber & Faber on 2nd March 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-16 08:35:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this


South Sudan title among PEN Translates award-winners

Nineteen books from 15 countries and 13 languages have won English PEN’s flagship translation awards, including the first novel from South Sudan ever to be published in the UK.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-10 01:27:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Free 'global voices' anthology released to coincide with World Refugee Day

A digital collection of "global voices" will launch to coincide with World Refugee Day (20th June 2020).  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-08 08:51:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Grace Edwards, Harlem Mystery Writer, Dies at 87

A former director of the Harlem Writers Guild, she published her first novel when she was 55, and her first mystery, featuring a stylish female ex-cop turned sleuth, when she was 64. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-06-05 21:17:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this


This year’s Desmond Elliott shortlist features all black writers.

The Desmond Elliott Prize is awarded annually to a writer whose first novel is written in English and published in the UK. Since 2007, it has supported and heralded new writers; the honor comes with a £10,000 prize. It’s heartening to see, especially right now, that this year the Desmond Elliott... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-02 17:58:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Less! Less! Less!: How the miniseries took over television

From Quiz to Chernobyl, the one-off television series is the perfect antidote to the relentlessness of multi-season shows. But do they ultimately leave us wanting more?Broadcast across three nights as lockdown kept us glued to our sofas, ITV’s Quiz was the first new drama in a long time that... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-02 14:27:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this


20 New Asian American Books to Read Right Now

It’s been just over 45 years since the publication of Aiiieeeee!, a groundbreaking and trailblazing anthology that established the category of Asian American literature. Since then, we’ve seen the amalgamation of great organizations centering around Asian American Pacific Islander literature,... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2020-05-29 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Like the rest of our lives, the National Book Festival will be online this year.

The latest live event to shift its plans in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic: the National Book Festival. Organizers announced Thursday that the festival, which was originally set to take place Aug. 29 at the Washington Convention Center will now run online from Sept. 25-27. The event... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-28 16:22:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Coronavirus forces National Book Festival to shift to online-only format this year

The Library of Congress’s annual event usually draws hundreds of thousands of attendees. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-05-28 15:10:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Literature on Lockdown 6: #CultureConnectsUs

Everyone peaked too early.    You remember. The beginning of lockdown, when suddenly half of your friends were FaceTiming you about Tiger King, or downloading a language app, and so many people ordered yoga mats online that they took an estimated six weeks to be delivered. Now the yoga mat... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2020-05-22 15:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


10 of the Best Poems of Remembrance

Here are some of the finest poems of remembrance, or about remembrance, which can all be found in the wonderful anthology of remembrance poems, The Nation’s Favourite Poems of Remembrance. Remembrance – whether it’s recalling or remembering a past loved one, or commemorating someone who has... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2020-05-20 14:00:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Mekkiayah Jacobs: New York City Needs to Care For Its Homeless

Every year, Girls Write Now provides the opportunity for mentees to be published in a book form; in recent years, the print edition has been produced by Dutton, and the digital edition by the Feminist Press. Taking Our Place in History: The Girls Write Now 2020 Anthology invites you to witness... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-20 08:47:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Path Not Taken

Stephanie Danler’s memoir Stray invites us to look closely at our own life: our family dynamics, our loss, our trauma, and the moments of happiness that still exist within that fragile frame. With deep introspection and stunning prose, Danler tells us about the years she spent after writing her... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2020-05-19 11:00:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Adam wins Authors' Club Best First Novel Award

Claire Adam has scooped the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award for her “outstanding” novel Golden Child (Faber). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-17 13:26:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Newcastle crime writers create anthology for NHS

A group of crime writers have collaborated to produce a short story collection during the UK lockdown, with all proceeds to go to NHS Charities Together. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-16 04:47:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this