Ber Anena Bursts Through Barriers

I  met Anena over ten years ago in Kampala, a friend to Aujo Lillian Akampurira, first winner of the Beverley Nambozo Poetry Award. Anena, undeniably consistent with her writing and determination, published in both print and online journals, amongst them Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation anthologies.

Anena travelled to study for her Master's in Creative Writing at Columbia University, in 2019. A few years later, Anena has won a a six-figure deal with Flatiron Books for her forthcoming memoir, The Lies We Tell for America.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Anena, after finding out about this incredible opportunity.

Please share a bit about the journey to your book deal

In 2019, when I moved to New York, I began writing about my journey to Columbia University. As you probably recall, I embarked on quite a brazen fundraising for the MFA Writing program I was admitted to. By 2020, what had started as short essays was a book-length memoir called The Lies We Tell for America.

I began looking for a literary agent to represent my book but was not successful until 2022 when Sophie Scard from United Agents sent me an email asking if I wanted to be represented. Someone she didn’t name at the time had told Sophie to check out my writing and she loved it. I was in disbelief but immensely grateful. Anyone who has queried agents knows how extremely hard it can be to land one, so having one show interest in your work is truly reassuring.

I went through several rounds of editing with Sophie from 2022 and in September 2024, she began sending the book out to publishers. I was beyond thrilled when Flatiron Books expressed interest and ultimately offered us a preempt deal about a week later.

All of this has felt surreal but I’m immensely grateful. I also feel really lucky that I found an agent and editor who share my vision for the memoir and understand and champion my writing.

This book, how important is it to you and your studies?

I started my creative writing journey as a poet and the memoir is an affirmation of the creative and genre versatility I’ve always wanted as a writer.  At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where I’m pursuing a PhD in Creative Writing with a focus on poetry, I’ve endeavored to write and enroll in fiction and nonfiction classes as well. As I look forward to a career in academia, being able to teach multiple genres in the Creative Writing field is a blessing.

How has this deal shifted your idea of writing?

I don’t think my idea of writing has changed. I still believe in its value to the writer and the world in general. What has deepened is my belief that as unrewarding as writing can be, acknowledgement and recognition is possible. I had worked extremely hard at bringing this memoir to life. My poetry and fiction had been recognized and awarded prizes before, but whatever else followed was not a guarantee. The life of a writer is a constant hit or miss. A gamble. I had hoped that a publisher would pick up the memoir but never dreamed it would be this huge deal. It’s a writer’s dream and I don’t take the opportunity for granted.  

How far do you believe poetry can take us?

I don’t think there’s a limit to where poetry can take us. I believe that my debut poetry collection, A Nation in Labour, played a role in my acceptance to Columbia. When the book was selected joint winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa in 2018, it provided me an introduction to the literary scene beyond Uganda. I have had and continue to have several opportunities because of that poetry collection. The limit depends on how far one is willing and able to push themselves, to grow as a writer and to take advantage of every opportunity that comes.   

Inspiring words for poets in Uganda

Send your work out. There are countless online journals today looking for work. Many of them are free, others offer submission fee waivers. I’m often puzzled every time I get an email from writers asking me where they should submit their work. As long as you can afford to be on social media, you should be able to Google search literary journals or look at the bios of your favorite writers. They always list the publications their work appears in. There will be rejections, but the acceptances will come too. And, read. Buy books by writers whose work you admire and learn from them. Attend writing workshops and readings. You never know where your inspiration or the next big break will come from.  

What's next?

I’ll be working with my editor to bring the memoir to your bookshelves by Fall 2026. I’m also working on completing my PhD and hoping for the publication of my next poetry collection. So fingers and toes crossed.

We're extremely pleased for Anena and are waiting agog for more super news.

Interview by Beverley N Nsengiyunva

A Poetic Peak and A Rise

From when I was a child, I loved the musicality of words. I knew that this made me different and it still does. 

I have never been moved by the things that many girls like to do, like talking for hours about hairstyles and makeup. Some are able to entertain crowds this way and earn. Not I. I was born with hair which grows effortlessly. I was born with skin that maintains its suppleness, even after a run.

God gave me these attributes so that I could focus on what was on the inside, the poetry. Poetry is not just words that rhyme or lyrics that sound pleasant, it is expression, it is joy, fear, helplessness, courage, openness, vulnerability, the future, the past, silence, noise, playfulness, and all the in-between. 

I have written, published and performed in the name of poetry. I have supported hundreds of African poets with their writing, publishing and performance through the Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation. I have pored over dozens of poetry manuscripts with teams across the world and yet I feel I have just begun. It is an enthralling time to be a poet.

Some of my favourite poetry collections are 'The Animals of My Earth School,' by Dr. Mildred Barya, 'Wheels,' by Prof. Kwame Dawes, 'Weeping Becomes a River,' by Siphokazi Jonas, 'Teaching my Mother to Give Birth,' by Warsan Shire and various collections by Emily Dickinson. 

In my poetry journey, certain individuals have paved the way for me, cut through hedgegrow and roughness to ensure that I flourish. As a writer, studying for my Master's in Poetry at Lancaster University in England provided the impetus to focus in the intellectual space. Thanks to Prof. Graham Mort, who was instrumental.

As an arts entrepreneur, Prof. Kwame Dawes, who runs the African Poetry Book Fund, has supported the Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation through various collaborations. He makes every dream seem reachable.

As a friend and one whose writing inspires and speaks volumes, Dr. Mildred Barya is one of a kind. There are others with whom I have held conversations and whose work I admire. These are Ber Anena, Lillian Aujo, and after participating in the Poetry Africa Festival in 2024, a dozen more poets across the world.

"The invitation to the Poetry Africa Festival in Durban came when my poetry was seeking a home where it would thrive and burst at the seams without censorship or reductionism." Beverley N Nsengiyunva

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I have been introduced by certain individuals in public settings and whenever they mention my name, they reduce my poetic journey to a mere reduction of their own myopic sense of self. 

And then there other places in Uganda and abroad where people mention my name and it is as if a diamond shines between their teeth. They uplift me. They show me to the world with pride. They see me for my worth and want the world to witness this gem. I am grateful to those people.

I am grateful to Poetry Africa. The experience in Durban was unrivalled and the best one so far, in 2024. What a time to be a poet! Because I am a public speaking trainer, I enjoy audience engagement and my poetry performance came from that place, where I engage, share a story and hold a dialogue with the unsuspecting audience. A little but of theatre didn't hurt, either.

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The applause and the encouragement. I was home. Meeting exceptionally talented poets from across the world. Their published works, their performances, their articulation of their journeys, their stories in various languages and just being there with them. I moved me to places I did not even know existed. There was so much synergy and it will ripple into something new. I feel it. I know it.

Two other Ugandans, Dr. Nick Makoha based in the UK, who participated online and also spoken word performer Hawa Kimbugwe with her pieces on parts of the female experience.

Immersed in knowledge and the abundance of those willing to share about how to maintain a high standard as a poet, the journey of branding and marketing and building a network of credible people. 

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At the finale, the Grand Slam Competition, I almost fell off the edge of my seat witnessing one overpowering talent after another. The winner, Olive Olusegun delivered with such intensity and imagination. In second place, Masai Sepuru was equally positioned to share deeply vulnerable poetry about men, choices and prejudices. It was a night above any other night, in poetry.

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I am deeply grateful to Siphindile Hlongwa and Quaz Roodt, the co-curators who managed the Johannesburg and Durban segments of the poetry festival seamlessly. The Center of Creative Arts at Kwa-Zulu Natal University, the entire organising team, supporters and friends.

Beverley N Nsengiyunva

'Weeping Becomes A River' Poetry collection by Siphokazi Jonas

 My idea of a sound poetry collection, is when I read it like a story and reimagine it in various contexts. To top it off, is when I have the pleasure of meeting the poet themselves.

The Poetry Africa 2024 festival, was an assortment of the finest wine, delicacies and feasts of poetry. There were numerous bits of excellence to select from. I shall begin with 'Weeping Becomes A River,' a poetry collection by Siphokazi Jonas, a South African poet, playwright and actor, which was also launched at the festival. Poetry Africa is co-curated by Siphindile Hlongwa and Quaz Roodt, with several huge partners from Center of Creative Arts at Kwa Zulu Natal University, University of Johannesburg and more.

Siphokazi does not come in small parts but brings her entirety to her reading, her writing and her storytelling, which is why the poetry becomes a collection of poems, which  are also able to form stories.

Siphokazi Jonas. (Courtesy photo)

'First baptism,' is one of the most retold stories we have heard, of how boys and girls who have been raised in traditional Sub-Saharan African homes are raised differently, and yet Siphokazi's imagination is unfettered and her specific detail builds a powerful storyline of time and place. She reawakens our own pasts, as we recall some of the pleasures and displeasures of growing up.

I had the pleasure of sharing a Branding and Masterclass session with Siphokazi and Emma Mabye, moderated by Lakin Morgan-Baatjies. During this session, we see how she takes her poetry seriously, removing as many of life's distractions so that she can invest real time to her work.

'White people's things and other translations,' is a theme that many poets grasp. Siphokazi treats this enormous theme with specificity, which makes the experience authentic and palatable. In this, she also questions her own prejudices.

'Weeping Becomes a River,' published by Penguin Random House South Africa, is available online. With a talent like Siphokazi's, a foreword by famous South African composer of film and television series, Dr. Trevor Jones, and a publisher of high note, this is a collection worth reading. Her manager, Martin Myers, does a tremendous job of promoting her.

More details of her work at Siphokazi Jonas

Review by Beverley N Nsengiyunva

P.S I shall be writing about Poetry Africa 2024 in regular doses. 

The Professor Senteza Kajubi Fulbright Memorial Lecture

The Yusuf Lule Lecture Hall at Makerere University, named after former President of Uganda, Yusuf Lule, was packed with students, academics, Ambassadors, members of the private sector and interested individuals.

Thursday 3 October, Makerere University, in partnership with the US Embassy in Uganda, hosted the Professor Senteza Kajubi Fulbright Memorial Lecture. The scholarship was named after the former U.S Senator, Fulbright. Professor Senteza Kajubi was Africa's first Fulbright scholar. where he studied at the University of Chicago from 1952. Kajubi also chaired the National Symbols Committee that decided upon the National Anthem, National Flag and Uganda Coat of Arms.

Kajubi's Family

During the fifth lecture of this kind, this one thematized 'The Role of Higher Education in Building Active Citizens,' there was a panel discussion with Guild President Lubega Nsamba, Dr Pamela Tibihikirra-Kalyegira, Director of Law Development Centre and Dr. Biyinzika Kasolo, Director of GROW at Private Sector Foundation Uganda.

They heartily discussed practical ways of nurturing active citizens proud of their countries starting from home, providing them with opportunities in businesses and teaching them citizenship as a way of shaping Uganda. 

U.S Ambassador William Popp to Uganda, acknowledged the academic milestones of Prof. Kajubi, including being elected Vice Chancellor to Makerere University, twice. He also mentioned Hon. Joyce Mpanga, who was Uganda's first female Fulbright scholar and third female graduate in East Africa, including first Women's Minister of State Affairs in Uganda.

Ambassador William Popp, U.S to Uganda

Ambassador Popp spoke of the introduction of American Studies in the Political Sciences Department of Makerere University and appreciated the efforts that Makerere had made in the past. 

Chairperson of Makerere University Council, Lorna Magara, the first woman in 100 years to be appointed to the position, was lauded for her work towards the university's progress.

...

Bukoto Toastmasters Club, Independence Meeting

There are some events that will take you to the moon, where you will dance with the stars and then play with the sunshine. Bukoto Toastmasters Club.

What a distinguished honour to be a member of a team that plays to win and does not play alone. They take everybody with them. To the Toastmasters that played a role in the meeting held on 1 October, to all the guests who participated, to the members from other clubs who engaged us with energy and verve, mwebale!

Toastmasters is a non profit educational space that nurtures individuals in public speaking and leadership.

We learned so much about our individual independent lives, the importance of grasping a goal and the consistency that lies within it , to me truly free and the hurdles of life which we overcome everyday.

To know more about Toastmasters, kindly visit https://toastmasters.org/

He came to put a Face to the AIDS scourge.

He returned to Uganda to put a face to the AIDS scourge. He returned to Uganda to tell us to take AIDS seriously. He is Philly Bongoley Lutaaya.

As a writer, the work that I do takes me further into the archives of wonder, of miracles and of people of great repute. It was in 2023 that I began a purposeful journey of searching for Ugandans whose lives had made an indelible mark.

Recently during research for a new project, I was reminded of Philly Bongoley Lutaaya, and came across this newspaper clipping on social media.

Internet source

A friend of mine was a student at Makerere University in 1989, when Lutaaya visited the main hall to speak to students. Some students who did not get a chair to sit on, actually climbed trees so that they could peer inside the hall and listen to Lutaaya.

"I have come to give a face to AIDS," he said.

"I have come to tell you to take AIDS seriously," he continued.

D. Sam Okware, the head of the Uganda AIDS Control Programme at the time, officially introduced Philly Lutaaya to the students.

In 1989, Lutaaya broke barriers, he restored hope i those facing stigma and his courage opened the doors to initiatives around the country supporting those with HIV and AIDS.

...

Beverley N Nsengiyunva

 

Ugandan Doctor Performs a Successful Postmorten Caesarean Section

In the same year that I gave birth to my own child, in 2018, who was delivered by caesarean section, where I was able to hold her, feed her and kiss her together with my husband, another baby, Gabriel, has a far different story.

I focus my time on searching for iconic Ugandans who have performed near miracles, Ugandans who have impacted lives at a large scale and those who have dedicated their lives to changing communities. I write their stories and share with the world.

Dr. Oriba Dan Langoya, a young doctor of Lacor Hospital in Northern Uganda, about 450 km north of Kampala, miraculously delivered a baby into the world.

Baby Gabriel's mother was brought to Lacor Hospital on a boda boda, which is a motorcycle used for public transport in Uganda. She had travelled 104 km on that boda boda from the nearby district of Kitgum. In critical condition she did not make it alive off the hospital bed. Dr. Obria, an intern at the time, was devastated, as was the medical team.

On listening closely to the mother's abdomen, he could hear the faint heartbeat of the baby. Not one to lose complete hope, he sought his supervisor, the medical attendant, Dr. Odong Ayella, Dr. Oriba proceeded to perform a postmortem caesarean section to save the baby.

That is how he was able to bring Baby Gabriel into the world, in what can only be described as a miracle.

The full story is here: Read more about Gabriel as a young boy and Dr. Opira and his wife's journey in ensuring he has a good life.

Baby Gabriel The Miracle