Review of Blogs on African Literature

This week’s blog review will focus on those blogs that deal exclusively or primarily with African literature.

Book SA – News

Book SA – News is the official blog of Book Southern Africa which host dozens of blogs by Southern African writers:

“BOOK Southern Africa is a literary news and social network for publishers, authors and the general book-buying and -reading public. BOOK SA reports on local fiction, non-fiction, poetry, biography, book happenings, reviews and more.

BOOK SA is also a free author and publisher website service for those involved in the world of Southern African literature. Our sites' special features help drive information about books throughout the web, attracting new audiences and creating more space for literary endeavours. Our goal is to help build the Southern African literary marketplace to new heights.”

Literary Tourism Blog
http://blog.literarytourism.co.za/

Literary Tourism Blog is another South African blog which is part of the KZN Literary Tourism website maintained by Lindy Stiebel, Professor in English Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Literary tourism is defined here as a literary genre which “deals with places and events from fictional texts as well as the lives of their authors. This could include following the route a fictional character charts in a novel, visiting particular settings from a story or tracking down the haunts of a novelist. Literary tourists are specifically interested in how places have influenced writing and at the same time how writing has created place.”

Anglocamlit
http://anglocamlit.blogspot.com/

Anglocamlit, is a blog on Cameroon Literature in English which showcases works of fiction from Anglophone Cameroon and seeks to eradicate the widely-held view that there is a paucity of literary talent in the English speaking part of Cameroon:

“Is Cameroon Anglophone Literature non-existent? Or is there a thriving literary community in the former British Southern Cameroons which is simply not known on the national and international scene?

This blog will try to answer this question by profiling novelists, poets and playwrights from that former British trust territory, most of whose works are not available out of Cameroon, and have only limited distribution within Cameroon.

The blog will also focus on the emerging third generation Anglophone writers in the Diaspora who are part of what is increasingly being referred to as the Anglophone Cameroon Literary Renaissance.”

Discovery of Gambian Literature & Writing
http://www.gambianliterature.blogspot.com/

Discovery of Gambian Literature & Writing also seeks to introduce the world to the little-known Gambian literature:

“The following information on Gambian Writers (of literary texts) is meant to be shared with those interested in Gambian authors and their works. It is a humble contribution and far from exhaustive. Many thanks to Dr Jean-Dominique Penel, the coordinator and director of the research and to whom this is dedicated, Dr Momodou Tangara and Dr Pierre Gomez (lecturers University of The Gambia), Mr Saihou Bah (Principal Sheick Mass Kah), Ms Isatou Niang and Ms Aissa Dabo (Journalist)”.

Kenyan Poet
http://www.kenyanpoet.blogspot.com/

Kenyan Poet is ”A Kenyan Artistic Space that showcases the best in Kenyan Arts, Music, Creative writing, Spoken Word Poetry, art and book reviews as well as emerging art trends.”

Wordsbody
http://wordsbody.blogspot.com/

Wordsbody is a literary blog maintained by Molara Wood, a Nigerian writer and arts journalist based in London. The blog focuses on the Nigerian, African and international literature.

Poefrika
http://poefrika.blogspot.com/

Described as a “weblog of creative, Africa-inspired writing”, it carries both original poems by its creators (Rethabile Masilo and Phomolo both from Lesotho) and poems published elsewhere.

African Poetry Review (USA)
http://african-poetry.blogspot.com/

African Poetry Review (USA) is a blog run by Mark Lilleleht in Madison, Wisconsin:

“Thoughts on reading, reviewing, critiquing, considering African poetry; playing with poetry from across the Continent; engaging poets working in Africa and abroad; and generally just getting thoughts and knee-jerk reactions into a format that might encourage dialogue. Hopefully fruitful dialogue...”

Scribbles from the Den
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