Stories on Stage Features African Writers

Sacramento, Calif: On June 24, Stories on Stage will feature readings of short stories by African writers Beatrice Lamwaka (Uganda), Ivor W. Hartmann (Zimbabwe), and Gothataone Moeng (Botswana). This event, which I will guest host, takes place at the Sacramento Poetry Center, the monthly venue of Stories on Stage. While this special feature is the first of its kind, my hope is that other African writers will take the opportunity to send their stories as the series, which usually features short fiction by established and emerging writers from Sacramento and surrounding areas, but is set to expand way beyond, as this special event demonstrates. Usually introduced by their writers, the stories are read by actors. Since the writers featured on June 24 are not going to be present at the event, I will read the introductions they sent to Stories on Stage. I look forward to this and similar readings. The SoS series runs on the last Friday of every month.

So here are the details of the featured writers, some of the African continent's emerging talent, all of whom have already won awards for their writing.

Beatrice Lamwaka,one of the shortlisted writers for the 2011 Caine Prize for African Writing, was born in Gulu in northern Uganda, and now lives in Kampala, Uganda. She is a journalist, and currently studying MA in Human Rights in Makerere University. She was a Finalist for the PEN/Studzinski Literary Award 2009. Her stories have appeared in Gowanus Books, Women’s World website, WordWrite - FEMRITE Literary Journal, PMS Journal, as well as anthologies such as New Writing from Africa 2009: Selected by J.M.Coetzee, and Butterfly Dreams and Other Short Stories. She writes poetry, short stories and is working on her memoir, The Market Vendor and a collection of short stories, The Garden of Mushrooms.



Ivor W. Hartmann, is a Zimbabwean writer, editor, publisher and visual artist, currently based in Jhb, South Africa. He is the author of Mr. Goop (Vivlia, 2010), and was nominated for the UMA Award (2009), and awarded The Golden Baobab Prize (2009). His writing has appeared in StoryTime, African Writing Magazine, Wordsetc, Munyori Literary Journal, Something Wicked, Paulo Coelho's Blog, Sentinel Literary Quartley, African Writer, Kubatana, and the anthology African Roar (StoryTime Publishing, 2010). He is the editor/publisher of StoryTime, co-editor/publisher African Roar, consulting editor African Writing Magazine, contributing editor Sentinel Nigeria, and on the advisory board of Writers International Network Zimbabwe.

Gothataone Moeng is a freelance journalist, aspiring filmmaker, and writer based in Gaborone, Botswana. She won the 2009 Bessie Head Literary Prize (short story). Her work has been published in Mslexia, Lemon Tea and other Stories, A Long Time Coming, StoryTime and The Bed Book of Short Stories. In October 2005, she was a participant at the Beyond Borders: a Festival of Contemporary African Writing in Kampala, Uganda. Gothataone is at work on a collection of short stories on the theme of negotiating
identities.

Below are the actors who will read the stories on June 24.

Katye Ridgeway has been an actor/storyteller for many years. She began her career as an actor and performed in several plays before becoming primarily a Storyteller. As a Storyteller, Katye has performed for the Prison Arts Project at Pelican Bay, California State University, Sacramento, and the California State Fair, among others. Katye has taught Storytelling classes in schools for SMAC. She performed a one-woman show called A Woman of Color: A Memory for several years, and was named Outstanding Woman in the Arts by the YWCA. Katye will read Beatrice Lamwaka’s “The Queen of Tobacco.”


Rick Cook is a local actor and business man. Rick has performed at the Woodland Opera House, and various other community productions, including Gary Agvid’s monthly Workshops for Playwrights. He is currently a founding partner at Back2ONE Acting. Rick's most recent national television appearance was on the show I (Almost) Got Away With It, as a record mogul. He is excited about working with Stories on Stage again, and he will read Ivor Hartmann's "A Mouse Amongst Men."

Traci Scott obtained her MFA in theatre from the University of Alabama, and has been involved in theatre for about ten years. She has performed locally at Celebration Arts, Ooley Theatre, and The Space Theatre. She has been cast as: Jill in Jack and Jill, Esther in Intimate Apparel, Karen in Reverse Psychology, and Miss Leah in Flyin West. She is thrilled to be included in Stories on Stage. Traci will read Gothataone Moeng’s “Singing in the Rain.”


Interviews with the writers will appear on the Stories on Stage blog and on Moments in Literature.

Friday, June 24th, 2011, 7:30PM
Sacramento Poetry Center

1719 25th Street (Between Q & R)
Donation: $5

Doors open 7PM