Tinatswe Mhaka (BA) (LLB) is an author, lawyer, feminist digital storyteller and activist from Harare, Zimbabwe. Tinatswe is the founder of Feminist Voices Zimbabwe, an organisation strengthening gender advocacy and access to justice through documentation and dissemination of information. Tinatswe is passionate about digital media and the mainstreaming of injustices prevalent against women in the global south. She has numerous publications related to the emancipation of women through law and policy. Tinatswe has previously had stories published in Turquoise Dreams, a short anthology by Zimbabwean women. She is an Atlas Corps Editorial Fellow at the Leonardo International Society of Arts, Science and Technology.

Nyasha Melissa Chiyanike is a young Zimbabwean writer who has a passion for storytelling and youth empowerment. She is a medical student at the University of Zimbabwe where she balances her academic pursuits and creative endeavours. She contributed to the Turquoise Dreams short story anthology in 2020 which showcased the voices of emerging Zimbabwean women writers. This is her first publication alone.
Nyasha believes that writing is a powerful tool for change and empowerment, and she encourages other young people to pursue their dreams and express themselves through words. She looks forward to sharing more of her stories with the world.

Nkosilesisa, better known as Nkosi is a trained journalist, screenwriter and aspiring television producer whose interests lie in storytelling through whatever medium. To date she has written full length and short form films and has also written for television. She also interned at the national weekly newspaper “Sunday News” for a year and had a short stint as editor for an online entertainment magazine “Urban Culxure”. She is currently with the Multichoice Talent Factory where she is working towards improving her skills in film. In her spare time, Nkosi runs a personal blog www.wordsbynkocy.com. Her other skills include public speaking and concept development.

Nadia…
What inspires you to write?

Growing up in a family of writers, I have always taken writing to be something one simply does. I write because my family has taught it to me as a way of release and documenting memories, ideas, thoughts.

Do you think there is a difference between
a writer and an author?

Uncle Google says there is a difference. An author originates the plot or idea and a writer simply writes or pens the piece that is authored. I must say, that is not the definition I had in my mind.

How does it make you feel to be part of a published anthology?

It is a dream come true, it feels unbelievable and exciting. I always knew at some point I would be published but I hardly thought it would be this soon.

Do you face any challenges as a female Zimbabwean writer?

I have only just launched into the space and have not had much experience within the field. I have not faced any challenges thanks to Samantha Vazhure and Carnelian Heart Publishing. However, from watching my mother’s journey I must say that being published as a writer in general in Zimbabwe is a cumbersome process and deters a lot of good writers from being published.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

I started writing in primary school. I used to take pride in the creative writing we did during some of the English lessons and would achieve great scores in my compositions. I entered writing competitions but unfortunately never won. It was not until high school that I became an avid reader, expanded my vocabulary and started writing even more. I began receiving acknowledgment for my writing in class and in small competitions. I did not think I would wind up writing short stories, but I would pen a few. Writing something that would be published was a dream that I had put off to sometime in the future if I became famous. However, I am glad the dream found me now rather than later.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

My favourite author is Maya Angelou, her writing contains so much truth, wisdom and in a sense offers healing to the reader. I would like to be remembered for much of the same things; I would like to speak the truth, initiate change and instil wisdom.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

I am a twenty-year-old Zimbabwean girl and I love to draw from my own experiences as well as those of the people I love. Every character in each of my stories is tied to an experience that is very tangible to me. I enjoy exploring the Zimbabwean experience, particularly that of dysfunctional family situations.

Who is your favourite writer and why?

I have two favourite writers; the first is my mom because she is my mom. My second favourite writer is also Maya Angelou, her deep wisdom makes me wish she had been an aunt of mine during her lifetime.

What are your future writing aspirations?

I definitely would like to write more short stories and plays. I hope the next time I get published it’ll be my own book.

What is your biggest dream?

I am only twenty, I haven’t really thought about my greatest dream but receiving a Grammy or a Nobel Literature Prize would be great.

Panashe…
What inspires you to write?

My inspiration comes from my life challenges. A lot happens in life and sometimes there is happiness and sometimes there are sad moments. Documenting matters concerning people and their lives within my small community is something I enjoy doing.

Do you think there is a difference between a writer and an author?

There is no real difference between the two, because both express their ideas and thoughts through writing. However, if a writer`s work is not published they remain a writer, but if their work is published, they become an author.

How does it make you feel to be part of a published anthology?

It’s a dream come true. I have been writing short stories since I was young, and it is my passion. The two stories I wrote for this anthology are my first to be published and the process groomed me to become a better writer.

Do you face any challenges as a female Zimbabwean writer?

Challenges are always there, but one has to gather enough courage to conquer. Many writers don’t have the opportunity to publish their work because of financial constraints.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

I was in grade seven when I found myself writing a Cinderella-inspired story which I gave to my friends to read, and they were very impressed. That is how is I realised my talent and started short story writing whenever I got the chance. “Cyclone Idai” is my best story so far.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

I am a young talented woman who is thirsty for success. Currently I am still studying and looking forward to a great future ahead through hard work and perseverance.

What are your future writing aspirations?

I look forward to writing more stories based on the day to day lives of people in my community. Chimanimani is a small marginalised area in Zimbabwe, and my wish is to write more stories about my small community until it becomes popular and recognised globally.

What is your biggest dream?

Becoming the best author in my own unique way of writing. Writing is an inborn talent and I wish to grow and improve it every day.

Edith…
What inspires you to write?

I am inspired by everyday life, what we go through as a people, the interesting diversity in people’s characters and societal issues.

Do you think there is a difference between
a writer and an author?

I think writers are born writers. When you find interest in expressing your feelings, beliefs and thoughts with your pen, you are most probably a writer. However, an author is a writer with a published book or work that has been formally acknowledged.

How does it make you feel to be part of a published anthology?

It makes me extremely excited to be able to share my passion with the world and to know that one day, even my great grandchildren will experience my story writing even when I am gone.

Do you face any challenges as a female Zimbabwean writer?

The biggest challenge is getting your work published, because it is costly. There is also the issue of writers not experiencing much recognition locally.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

I started writing when I was in Primary School. I would mostly get recognition for my essays. Throughout High School, I entered Allied Arts English Prose Competitions where I received awards. Since then, I have been writing mostly for fun and blogging for our company.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

I want my work to be remembered as captivating and stimulating enough to spark interesting conversations around societal issues.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

I am a mother of three, married. I enjoy reading, watching drama and soaps on TV. I also love gardening, keeping fit and healthy (hoping to one day write a book about my personal experiences in the area of health and exercise). My faith and belief in God keeps me grounded and positive, always.

Who is your favourite writer and why?

Growing up, my favourite writers were Enid Blyton and Nancy Drew.
I am inspired by Most African writers including, Aaron Chiundura Moyo, Tsitsi Dangarembga and Chinua Achebe.

What are your future writing aspirations?

I would very much want to continue writing, creating dialogue and conversations around situations and challenges affecting our society. Perhaps one day I will write a book that will be recognised for use in English Literature in Schools.

What is your biggest dream?

My biggest dream is to write drama for film and TV production

Gwadamirai…
What inspires you to write?

I love people and believe in listening to people, because everyone has a story to tell. I have been fortunate to have met many amazing souls in my life who have made such an impact in me, and each time I meet or think of some of these people it inspires me to write and celebrate them. Being African, we sadly don’t invest enough in documenting our own stories and celebrating our everyday heroes. This is evident in that even though my children are decades younger than me, they still do not have enough books that they can relate to, books that talk about streets they know and meals they have eaten. So, I also draw my inspiration of the need to contribute so that my children can see more and more of themselves in books and films and believe that heroes do not live in New York or England. They live among them.

Do you think there is a difference between
a writer and an author?

Yes absolutely! With the advent of social media and microblogging sites such as Facebook, a lot of people can be considered writers. The world has evolved so much that there is an information overload with content being originated at a very fast pace and in high volumes. An author, however, is someone whose work has been published. This means for you to graduate from being a writer to an author, you have to get your work published.

How does it make you feel to be part of a published anthology?

I have always wanted to be an author and to get some of my work published. So, to be published in this anthology for me has been a long time coming and something I have had on my vision board for so long, but never got round to doing. Being part of this published anthology makes me feel extremely excited and like I once said to a friend, we all need that moment where you say “…and then the curse was broken” with a lot of things in life. So, this is one of those amazing moments in my life where I strongly believe that the wheels of change and progress have started moving in my life.

Do you face any challenges as a female Zimbabwean writer?

The greatest challenge I have faced as a Zimbabwean living in the diaspora broadly is that a lot of things come down to survival. Life revolves around putting food on not just your table, but that of family you left at home. When life’s focus is around survival and paying bills and making do with your limited social networks for survival, it often takes away the privilege of being able to sit down and put all your thoughts down. It becomes worse when you are female and also have so many other hats you have to wear that range from being a mother, a wife, and a homemaker. The ripple effect is that most people’s writing dreams then just get stillborn.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

A few years ago, my mother called me and told me that she had finally decided to let go of all our junk which she had kept in trunks in our rooms, but she had paused a moment because she had spent almost a day reading the amazing letters, short stories and yes – my old diaries. She wanted my permission to dispose some of the content. Long story short, I have been writing for a very long time and even took up a semester long course at university to try and understand the art of creative writing. It is however only now that I have gathered the guts to start letting more people into my space and get my thoughts and perceptions of the world out there.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

I attended a workshop once with a lot of journalists and we were asking them why the media was so negative. One top South African journalist present responded by saying, “If you call us to cover a story about a man and the man is not burning or being stabbed it will not sell the news and so why should I cover it?” I remember thinking, damn this is why I should write. I would like my work to be remembered as that writing which gave hope in a world flooded by news and information of a lot of pain, anger and distress. I want to be one of those authors who said this is how we dust ourselves up and heal from it all.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

I am a firm believer in investing in the underdog. I tell you, the world is so much poorer today because we judge and listen to people based on their resource base and not their wisdom and what they have to offer the world.

Who is your favourite writer and why?

My favourite writers are quite a number and for various reasons that range from their ability to break down political and social issues and bring then to life. I will just list them here
– Tsitsi Dangarembga
– Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
– Memory Chirere
– Modecai Abenia Hamutyinei
– Chinua Achebe

What are your future writing aspirations?

In the next year I would like to publish my first book, which will contribute to the healing the world narrative I want to champion.

What is your biggest dream?

I don’t want to jinx it, so I won’t mention it here. All I will say though is watch this space! 

Sibonginkosi…
What inspires you to write?

Emotion. I have learned that when I read, I get transported into the emotion of a particular moment and whenever I think about writing I think about the emotions I feel about something, and then I try to illustrate them with words.

Do you think there is a difference between a writer and an author?

I have always thought that authors are writers who have been published and writers are authors who are yet to be published.

How does it make you feel to be part of a published anthology?

Excited, proud and a little nervous. I cannot believe my everyday reflections are part of an official published body of work. I am honestly not sure how to feel.

Do you face any challenges as a female Zimbabwean writer?

I think the biggest challenge has to be that there are not enough opportunities for writers. Much fewer female writers earn a living from being writers. So, it feels as if writing has to take a back seat while you do the work that pays, which shortchanges us because we are hearing from way less Zimbabwean female writers than we should.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

Writing for me has always been something I am able to do, from writing compositions about my holiday in primary school to history essays in High School. I just did not know that I enjoyed it yet because then I had to do it for school, but then a part of me always wanted to recreate worlds the way I witnessed authors do when I read novels. I always dreamt that one day I would write something that would make people pause and feel. Nowadays I write poetry mostly, but I was a finalist in the Africa Book Club short story competition in 2018 and I feel as though I am building towards the dream.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

I want my work to be remembered as honest, authentic and disruptive. I do not wish to simply fit the mold of a Zimbabwean female writer. Writing is way too strenuous a process for me to just create work that does not disrupt thinking and shift mindsets.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

I am very sentimental. I like to believe that everything has meaning, like in a carefully written novel where every line and paragraph is in perfect synergy with the next one and has an impact on the novel in its entirety. I like to believe life is like that.

Who is your favourite writer and why?

Khaled Housseini. Simply because I will never forget the way I felt when I read A Thousand Splendid Suns.

What are your future writing aspirations?

To write novels. On my most ambitious days I dream about writing books that heal and transform people.

What is your biggest dream?

My biggest dream is to be a full-time writer.

Mantate Queeneth Mlotshwa is a creative passionate about the meaningful participation and representation of women and youth in policy and decision- making processes. In her professional work as the Programme Lead for Art4Change at Magamba Network, Mantate works with young, socially conscious artists who use music and film, and other forms of art to amplify the issues prevalent in their communities. She is a speaker and poet, a blogger
on www.radites.com and a social media enthusiast who uses her voice to push for justice, inclusion and the empowerment of marginalised voices. Mantate has been listed in the Gumiguru Incorporated 40 Under 30 Emerging Leaders of 2017, and recently, the 100 Most Influential Zimbabweans Under 40 by Zimbabwe Leadership Institute.

Chipo is a performing practitioner and blogger based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She is the producer and contributing writer of Vagina Monologues Africa, a project inspired by Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues.