WEALTH OF IDEAS

Title: Matters of Life Author: Sympathy Sibanda Year: 2009 [book available in 2010) Publisher: Veriest Solutions International ISBN: 978-0-7974-4013-5 Reviewed by Beaven Tapureta/WIN-ZIMBABWE This anthology of more than fifty poems is an assortment of emotions, ideas and experiences. One wonders where all this splendid talent has been hiding. Carefully selecting her words, measuring her rhythm with the momentum of feelings, Sympathy Sibanda’s voice has broken the prejudice that young Zimbabwean women are mere spectators in a world fast becoming a single village. Sibanda tackles issues of ‘ the now’ and blends them with simple but insightful language. The recurrent motif in this collection is that of giving hope where there is no hope. In this day and age, society has been bogged down by lots of social ills, and yet so often we have applied the un-applicable scientific solutions. Sibanda gives the prophetic key to a better world. Poems such as "Was She the One?", "A ...

YOUNG ZIMBABWEAN WOMEN POETS BREAK SILENCE Title: Sunflowers in Your Eyes – Four Zimbabwean Poets Editor: Menna Elfyn Publisher: Cinnamon Press ISBN: 978-1-907090-13-4 Year: 2010 Reviewed by Tinashe Mushakavanhu Zimbabwean poetry has been largely a choir of male voices. The absence of women is too visible in KZ Muchemwa’s Zimbabwean Poetry in English (1978), Musaemura Zimunya and Mudereri Kadhani’s And Now the Poets Speak (1982), Flora Veit-Wild’s Patterns of Poetry in Zimbabwean Poetry (1988) and more recently Jane Morris’ Intwasa Poetry (2008). The agenda of this book is to give women their voices as the editor Menna Elfyn outlines in her preface, ‘this book goes some way in redressing this imbalance.’ I read the book with so much relish. It is an empowering book in many ways. In poetry as well as in the other artistic fields, the Zimbabwean woman is often restricted to a subordinate role as a muse, confidant and comforter. This book brings a refreshing insight as the four poets – E...

Butare, Rwanda (photo credit: FORA) For the past three years I have read the commemorative poem at the Friends of Rwanda Annual Memorial event. The first time I wrote the poem (which took half a night), I entitled it "A Tree Grows in Rwanda",but I was aware that the title was not original, as there is a novel entitled A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , which I had not read. I wanted to capture the image of a tree, which represented a message of hope and the regenerative power of life. Commemorating the loss of life, the poem was born as a celebration of new life, new possibilities. Since its conception, the poem has undergone revision in preparation for each reading, and this year I deleted the last stanza, which conveyed the message that hope will die the day trees decide to stop growing. I thought this message had already become apparent in the previous stanzas. One reader, however, has requested that I put it back, which I am considering, but after thorough scrutiny of every word...

It's a nice Tuesday morning, and my summer here(I am done grading papers and have posted grades), I am ready to blog, read, and write. I have made Tuesday my official library day (because that's when the two Sacramento libraries in my neighborhood open for the week and I get to see what new stuff they have, what books are on sale in the Friends of Sacramento Library store, etc). Of course, I go to the library on other days too, but Tuesday has become important as it is also the day of premiers of books, magazines, videos, and CDs at places like Barnes and Noble and Borders. It's time to read all the books that have accumulated throughout the academic year, and as I look at them, it's hard to decide which one to start with. I was going to start with How to Read and Why by Harold Bloom, but realized I have been reading parts of it throughout the year (it's a good starting point if you want to do informed reading, biased, of course, to Bloom's taste, but if you kn...

I Take Thee, English for My Beloved and Footnoes to Algebra by Eileen Tabios. Whenever I use the word "discover" (that is, when I become aware of the existence of a writer whose works I may enjoy) I always find myself thinking of it in terms of how it was used by Christopher Columbus when he discovered America, or David Livingstone discovering Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River. For me, the process is grand...in other words, very important, because I quickly realize that I have discovered what has always been there.... My latest discovery then is the Southern California poet, Eileen Tabios, who recently sent me two of her poetry publications: Footnotes to Algebra (containing her poems from 1995-2009) and a thick volume entitled I take Thee, English, for My Beloved . Thank you, Eileen. About the discovery. I knew nothing about Tabios until recently, when I reviewed Intwasa Poetry (amabooks, 2008) for her publication Galatea Resurrects , a rich online venue for poetry revi...

UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBAWE || PUBLIC LECTURE || FACULTY OF ARTS TOPIC : Book Discussion and Launch of David Mungoshi's The Fading Sun (NAMA AWARD 2009) DATE: Thursday, 20th May 2010 TIME: 2.15pm VENUE: HLT400 PROGRAMME: Master of Ceremony: Memory Chirere Introduction: Dean of Faculty of Arts, Prof. P.Mashiri Opening Remarks: Vice-Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe, Prof. L. Nyagura Readings by Students: Chipo Tunha (HEL2) Malvin Moyo (HEL3) David Mungoshi: Presentation and Question time Remarks: Chief Mukanganwi , Department of Linguistics Vote of Thanks: Mr.M.B.Zimunya The University of Zimbabwe cordially invites all staff, students and the public to above public lecture. Comments: This is one of those book launches I wish I would attend; just to witness the celebration of a great book, a deeply-felt story of the emotional and physical struggles of a woman at the end of her life. Mungoshi writes with compassion and makes this story ...

"We began to take writing more seriously. We joined the writing class conducted by Chenjerai Hove the writer- in- residence then. There were many of us in there: Nhamo Mhiripiri, Ignatius Mabasa, Joyce Mutiti, Emmanuel Sigauke, Zvisinei Sandi, Thabisani Ndlovu, Eresina Hwede and others. Our mentor had just won the Noma Award but behaved like he had just simply sold a goat. Hove listened as we read out our stories. Then he would close his eyes, hold his chest and say: ‘Vapfanha, writing comes from here’. We laughed at that but up until your death; we slowly awakened to the message behind that riddle," writes Memory Chirere in his memory-jogging obituary on Ruzvidzo Mupfudza. What I remember of Ruzvidzo is how he somehow made writing look cool; the way he seemed to live the writer's life, and how in appearance and attitude he was a link to Dambudzo (and most of us aspiring writers then could not afford not to look at Marechera as our model). I can't claim to have had ...

CRJ As Trina Drotar of the Sacramento Poetry Center already pointed out, this is the literary journal season for Sacramento. The local colleges launch their Spring issues in May, and today Cosumnes River college is launching its annual issue, volume 4. CRJ, freshly delivered, and here I am showing off my copy. Photo by Heather Hutcheson . This year's installment is the best ever, high-quality color cover and great poetry, fiction, images, and essays, featuring contributions by students and writers from the surrounding communities, as well as some out of area works, such as poetry by Zimbabwe'a Tinashe Muchuri. The print copy is beautiful, and for a taste of the content, here is the electronic version. The readings from the journal were fantastic. The attending writers did a great job of bringing their poetry and short stories to life. Below are some images from the event itself. Cosumnes River Journal editorial stuff for 2010 . We read over 400 pages of submissions and ended...

!X Ensemble, the theatre from Sacramento City College, delivered another electrifying performance at the Sacramento Poetry Center. Bob Stanley, Sacramento Poet Laureate, and I hosted the event, which ended before the audience were ready for it to end: it was that good. Let's see some pictures: Bob Stanley introduced me. I introduced Angela-Dee Alforque, pictured below, the director of the !X Sacramento City College Ethnic Theatre Workshop. Angela in turn introduced the group, and from that point on, the group members treated us to a feast of poetry, music, drama and dance. The ensemble, celebrating its 5th anniversary, is part of professor Alforque's Theatre Arts class, whose work culminates into a Spring series of performances at different Sacramento Venues. The SPC performance was the third Spring 2010 event. The group presented poetry and drama that covered issues like the miseducation of America, prejudice, the disappearance of arts education in schools, health issues, t...

In February, I read a really good book, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky , by Heidi W. Durrow , winner of the 2008 Bellwether Fiction Prize. I didn't know this author but I noticed the novel because of Barbara Kingsolver's blurb on the front cover, and the other blurbs on the back which compare it to books by Toni Morrison and Jamaica Kincaid, works that feature grandmothers, mothers and daughters. Although belated, this review is relevant now for four reasons: 1. It's a good mother's day read. 2. The 2010 Bellwether Fiction manuscript has just been announced (on May 3), and this one, as I pointed earlier, is particularly important because it went to my friend Naomi Benaron, whose novel is set in Rwanda. 3. Durow's book continues to receive great reviews and seems to be doing very well. 4. I really enjoyed the novel, and continue to read it to enjoy the beauty of its language. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky is about a girl who actually fell from the roof of a tall Ch...

My review of this book has come out on Galatea Resurrects. Go there and read this and 63 other poetry reviews in the May 5 issue.