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International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2026 Longlist Announced
Here are the African writers on the longlist of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2026, announced on Monday, December 15, 2025. The International Prize for Arabic Fiction rewards excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing while encouraging the readership of high-quality Arabic literature through the translation and publication of winning and shortlisted novels in other…
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PEN America Elects Dinaw Mengestu As President
PEN America has elected novelist Dinaw Mengestu as its new president on Wednesday, December 17. He will begin a two-year term, succeeding author and LGBTQ+ activist Jennifer Finney Boylan. PEN America champions free expression, uniting writers and readers to defend the freedom to write and speak out against censorship, both in the U.S. and globally,…
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US National Book Critics Circle Awards 2025 Longlists Announced
The US National Book Critics Circle has announced its 2025 award longlists. The lists were revealed from December 15 to 19, 2025. Since 1974, the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) has honored the best books published in English in the United States across six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry, and Criticism. Finalists are nominated…
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Book Digest: Amon Chizema, Yejide Kilanko, Brionni Nwosu, Marvellous Michael Anson
Our regular Book Digest segment spotlights new books by Amon Chizema, Yejide Kilanko, Brionni Nwosu, and Marvellous Michael Anson. The Land Remembers by Amon Chizema Publisher: Troubador PublishingPublication Date: November 28, 2025Genre: FictionLanguage: EnglishWhere to find it: Troubador Publishing Amon Chizema Amon Chizema, who was born and bred in Zimbabwe, is a Professor of Corporate…
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UK’s Royal Society of Literature Announces 2025 International Writers
The UK’s Royal Society of Literature announced its latest group of International Writers on Saturday, December 13, 2025. The Royal Society of Literature was founded to “reward literary merit and excite literary talent” in the United Kingdom in 1820. One of its awards is its International Writers Award, which recognises the contribution of writers across…
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Prix National Cénacle du Livre Senegal 2025 finalists announced
Prix National Cénacle du Livre Senegal 2025 finalists were announced in Dakar on Saturday, December 6, 2025. The Prix National du Cénacle, one of Senegal’s most prestigious literary awards, is organized by the Cénacle de la Littérature Sénégalaise, an association of Senegalese writers, critics, and academics dedicated to promoting Senegalese literature. The first winners, Tabara…
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Maaza Mengiste Supports PEN International’s Day of the Imprisoned Writer 2025
Maaza Mengiste has lent her voice to PEN International’s Day of the Imprisoned Writer 2025 campaign by writing a letter of solidarity to Venezuelan journalist and activist Rory Branker. The Day of the Imprisoned Writer is an annual initiative established by PEN International to show solidarity with writers, poets, journalists, and publishers who are jailed,…
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Hausa International Book and Arts Festival 2025 to Begin December 19
The Hausa International Book and Arts Festival (HIBAF) returns for its 2025 edition in Abuja, Nigeria, from December 19–20. This year’s theme is “Knowledge Production(s).” Founded and curated by Sada Malumfashi, the festival showcases contemporary African literature, poetry, music, art, film, and theatre in Hausa. First held in Kaduna in 2021, it has since become…
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Kenyan Author Meja Mwangi Has Passed Away
Kenyan author Meja Mwangi passed away in Malindi on Thursday, December 11, 2025. He was 76. Born David Dominic Mwangi in Nanyuki on December 27, 1948, Mwangi was educated at Nanyuki Secondary School and Kenyatta College, followed by brief studies at the University of Leeds. He began his career working for the French Broadcasting Corporation…
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Book Digest: Nadia Davids, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Lolá Ákínmádé, Hussain Ahmed
Our regular Book Digest segment spotlights new books by Nadia Davids, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Lolá Ákínmádé, and Hussain Ahmed. Cape Fever By Nadia Davids Publisher: Simon & SchusterPublication Date: December 9, 2025Genre: FictionLanguage: EnglishWhere to find it: Simon & Schuster Nadia Davids Nadia Davids is an acclaimed South African playwright, novelist, academic, and former President of…
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Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards 2025 Winners Announced.
Jeremy Tiboth, Filemon Iiyambo, Jedidja Kakuva, and Luigi Arnat won the Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards 2025 in Windhoek on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. Established in 2021 by Doek, the biennial Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards celebrate contributors to Doek! Literary Magazine across the categories of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art. Previous winners of…
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Najila Woodroffe wins Grenada Writers’ Prize 2025
Najila Woodroffe won the inaugural Grenada Writers’ Prize in St. George’s, Grenada, on Monday, December 8, 2025. The Grenada Writers’ Prize is a new national short story competition open to residents of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique. This initiative, supported by the Grenada Office of Creative Affairs and other sponsors, will award winners with cash…
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Kenyan Author and Academic David Mulwa Has Passed Away
Kenyan novelist, playwright, actor, and academic David Mulwa passed away on Friday, December 5, 2025, while receiving treatment for cardiac arrest in Nairobi. Born on April 9, 1950, in Mukaa, Machakos County, Mulwa built a distinguished career across education and the arts. He studied at the University of Nairobi, UCLA, and Ohio University. After teaching…
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Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2026 Longlists Announced
The longlists for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2026 were announced in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, starting on Thursday, November 27, 2025. Now in its landmark 20th edition, the award honours Arab writers, intellectuals, publishers, and young talent whose works and translations in the humanities have enriched Arab cultural, literary, and social life. One…
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Sunday Times Literary Awards 2025 Winners Announced
Shubnum Khan and Khumisho Moguerane were declared winners of the Sunday Times Literary Awards 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday, December 4, 2025. The Sunday Times Literary Awards are awarded annually in fiction (since 1989) and nonfiction (since 2001). Organised by South African newspaper The Sunday Times, it has been won in recent times…
