Announcing an African Reading Group
25 Mar 2011
Explore new fiction out of Africa
From May, a new monthly reading group will meet regularly in Manchester ... open to all. It is a group for anyone interested in reading new fiction from Africa and discussing the books with others. We all know about Achebe and Soyinka. This is a group that seeks acquaintance with new voices from Africa.
When:
Wednesday 11 May
and
the second Wednesday of each month, at 6.30pm for 7pm, finish 9pm
Where:
The first session will meet at Kro Bar opposite the Students' Union of The University of Manchester, at 325 Oxford Road (on the corner of Dover Street and Oxford Road next to church). The group will then go from there to the meeting room at The University of Manchester, Mansfield Cooper Building 2.04. The area is well served by buses and taxis.
We’ll discuss a continuing venue after that.
What book:
The first title for May is
- The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone)
The book has recently been part of a W H Smith promotion and should be widely available.
Other suggested titles (all available from Amazon):
- Oil and Water by Helon Habilia (Nigeria)
- Voice of America by E. C. Osondu
- No Tigers in Africa by Norman Silver
- Whale Caller by Zakes Mda (South Africa)
- Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed (Somalia)
- Tail of a Blue Bird by Nii Parkes (Ghana)
Please feel free to make a suggestion for future group reading.
The group is in association with the journal African Writing and The University of Manchester. It is led by author Jennifer Makumbi and Geoff Ryman, Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester.
Contact: