Bakwa Young Writers’ Workshop

Application Deadline: 8 May 2019

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Are you in Cameroon? Are you between the ages of 18 and 30*?
Are you an emerging writer or do you want to be one?
Bakwa Magazine, in collaboration with the University of Bristol, is pleased to announce that applications are open for an exciting new creative writing workshop aimed at young Cameroonian writers.
If you’re working on a short story or have an idea for one, if you are from Cameroon and are in or can travel to Yaounde, you are exactly who we are looking for.
We are looking for new voices that represent the diversity of Cameroon and showcase the vibrancy of its literary scene. We seek stories that surprise us, shock us, delight us and make us think. As such, we are not interested in the predictable, the single story or the conservative. With no limitations on the short story’s genre or form, we want to see how your stories re-imagine life in Cameroon and beyond. Writing that pushes the limits to inspire and excite is especially welcome.
The workshop, scheduled for 3-7 June 2019, will be facilitated by award-winning writer Billy Kahora, whose short stories and creative non-fiction have been shortlisted for prizes including the Caine Prize for African Writing.
After the workshop, each participant will be paired with an established writer for a mentorship period of three months to finish their stories. The stories will then be copyedited, proofread and translated into French for publication in a new, bilingual anthology of new writing from Cameroon. The anthology will be published in February 2020.
All successful applicants will be required to participate in the full range of activities: the workshops, the mentorship period, as well as a series of launch events in early 2020, including public readings, schools visits and more.
To apply for the workshop, applicants should submit the following: