- The upcoming YA workshop will be led by accomplished British author Danielle Jawando
GAZETTE REPORTER
This year, the Gaborone Book Festival Trust is set to inspire and elevate Botswana’s literary community with its 2024 Writing Workshop series, focusing on the burgeoning genre of Young Adult (YA) fiction. Funded by the British Council and supported by the esteemed Cheltenham Literature Festival, this three-part workshop series will take place from July to August 2024, welcoming 20 Batswana writers, both novice and established.
Keikantse Phele, co-founder of the Gaborone Book Festival Trust in an interview, expressed the organization’s commitment to fostering literary talent in Botswana: “Our aim with this series of workshops is to uplift and elevate the writing community in Botswana. As a platform dedicated to promoting the literary works of Batswana authors, we are compelled to contribute to the quality of work being released into the market by providing the necessary resources and tools.”
Nurturing a vibrant and dynamic literary culture
Since 2022, the Gaborone Book Festival Trust has been organizing writing workshops, and Keikantse proudly announced that the legacy and output of the 2022 workshops will soon be unveiled to the public. This continuity underscores the Trust’s dedication to nurturing a vibrant and dynamic literary culture in Botswana.
The upcoming YA workshop will be led by accomplished British author Danielle Jawando. Jawando’s debut YA novel, “And the Stars Were Burning Brightly,” has garnered multiple accolades, including winning Best Senior Novel in the Great Reads Award and being shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the YA Book Prize, among others. Her portfolio also includes the non-fiction children’s book “Maya Angelou” (Little Guides to Great Lives), various short stories, and several short plays. Additionally, Jawando has experience as a storyline writer for the popular television show “Coronation Street.” Her second YA novel, “When Our Worlds Collided,” was published in 2022, further solidifying her status as a leading voice in YA literature.
Golden opportunity for Batswana writers
The Gaborone Book Festival (GBF), a Botswana-registered Trust, has been promoting a culture of reading for six years. Its flagship event, the Annual Gaborone Book Festival, along with a country-wide children’s programme targeting hard-to-reach, low-income, and vulnerable communities, book afternoons, and an accessible book club, underscores its commitment to making literature a vital part of Botswana’s cultural landscape.
These workshops represent a golden opportunity for Batswana writers to hone their craft, guided by an author whose work has already made a significant impact in the YA genre. As these writers embark on their creative journeys, they will contribute to the rich tapestry of Botswana’s literary heritage, bringing fresh voices and new stories to the forefront.
For young writers dreaming of crafting compelling stories that resonate with readers aged 12 to 20, the Gaborone Book Festival Trust’s YA writing workshops are the perfect platform to ignite their creative spark. This initiative not only enhances the quality of YA literature in Botswana but also reinforces the importance of storytelling in shaping the minds and hearts of future generations.