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The Winner
• The Winner
We are thrilled to share the winner of the inaugural Hope Prize, MUKANDI SIAME! Her essay, Like Mother, was published in Issue 1.
Mukandi wins a $500 prize and publication in the fall issue of Shenandoah.
Congratulations Mukandi!
ABOUT THE WINNER
MUKANDI SIAME is a writer and brand strategist devoted to books, dogs and one-pot rice dishes. Her short stories Landing On Clouds and No Strings Attached were runner-ups in the Zambia Women Writers Award and Kalemba Short Story Prize 2023, respectively. She contributes to Nkwazi and AFREADA and writes a personal newsletter called Kandi’s Notes. She believes great stories can change the world. Her winning essay, Like Mother, was published in Issue 1 of Ubwali Literary Magazine. Mukandi wins $500 and publication in the 2024 fall issue of Shenandoah.
From the judge:
Rereading Mukandi Siame's Like Mother was as striking this time as it was the first. With prose reminiscent of poetry, the winning essay exceeds the expectations it sets in the title, not only scrutinising the parallels between self and Mother but also beautifully laying bare the shifting relationships with memory, the expectations of womanhood, and the meaning of love in loss. It is beautiful, poignant, and hopeful–even in the face of death.
From Shenandoah:
We’re so excited to publish “Like Mother” as our inaugural winner of the Hope Prize in our fall issue and are thrilled at the chance to spend more time with the essay and to give it another platform in addition to Ubwali to help it find a wide readership.
In Mukandi’s words:
I gave the essay everything I had in that moment: hopes, prayers, fears, insecurities, regrets, shame, vulnerability, and cognitive agility. At the time, there was no prize. I didn't know where it would lead but I felt that I owed it to myself to show up as the writer I always said I wanted to be. Sometimes I don't know the difference between being a good essay writer and being a good person - it often feels like the same thing. The editorial process was work as much as it was a healing play. As a writer, Ubwali has shown me that there is more in us if we are curious, hopeful and gritty enough to search for it. It has shown me that Zambians write, but they also read. It has exposed all the different forms and colours our people can take. I felt like I did my part in telling our story. This win makes me feel seen, there is a lot of work ahead, but it feels like credible work, not just for me but for the writers and readers to come.
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The Shortlist
• The Shortlist
GERRY SIKAZWE is a Zambian poet and author of collections of poems ‘Words That Matter’ (2018), ‘Take Me With You’ (2020), and forthcoming ‘Umutolilo Wa Nsele’ (2024), an Ici-Bemba poetry collection. He has contributed to several anthologies such as ‘Best New African Poets’ (2018) by Mwanaka Media and Publishing, ‘Sister Wives & Other Short Stories’ (2021) by Myaambo, ‘Generational Discordance: Ake Arts & Book Festival Review Volume 8 (2021), ‘Old Love Skin: Voices From Contemporary Africa’ (2022) by Mukana Press, ‘Canvas of Truth’ (2023) compiled by Sheba Lishika-Dzekedzeke, and ‘Canto Planetario’ (2023) compiled by Carlos Jarquín. He studied Adult Education at the University of Zambia, and his poems promote freedom of expression, identity and explores civic responsibilities. Read Gerry’s shortlisted poems here.
MUTINTA NANCHENGWA is an avid reader and writer. She sits as an ordinary board member on the Zambian writing cooperative, Myaambo, and has twice been long-listed for the Kalemba Short Story Prize. Despite high-fantasy being her favourite genre, Mutinta’s writing can be considered genre-bending, as long as it reflects how beautifully complicated human beings are. Mutinta trained as a journalist, and is an advocate for digital and media rights. Read Mutinta’s shortlisted story here.
MUKANDI SIAME is a writer and brand strategist devoted to books, dogs and one-pot rice dishes. Her short stories Landing On Clouds and No Strings Attached were runner-ups in the Zambia Women Writers Award and Kalemba Short Story Prize 2023, respectively. She contributes to Nkwazi, Myaambo Writers Cooperative, AFREADA and writes a personal newsletter called Kandi’s Notes. She believes great stories can change the world. Read Mukandi’s shortlisted essay here.
ANNA ZGAMBO was born at Lusaka’s Kalingalinga Clinic in November 1989. She holds a degree in English from the University of Pretoria and a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Zambia. She studies creative writing at Open Window University. Anna is a Ngoma Awards Finalist, Zed Rasta Awards Winner, and 2024 Idembeka Creative Writing Fellow. Thorn Bird Literary Agency represents her. She lives in Mtendere. Read Anna’s shortlisted poems here.
EMILY PENSULO is a Zambian writer and economist. Her writing has appeared in the Bulletin and Record, Zacci Journal, Down River Road and Ubwali. In 2018, Emily was longlisted for the Kalemba Prize for her short story, Dowry. In 2022, she was a scriptwriter for Lifeblood, directed by a BAFTA-nominated director. She was a fellow of the inaugural Inkubator program in 2022, and three of her short stories were published in May 2024 in Captive: an anthology. In early 2024, Emily was longlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for her short story, Celebrity. Read Emily’s shortlisted story here.