{"product_id":"toward-a-living-archive-of-african-poetry-kwame-dawes-and-chris-abani-on-the-new-generation-african-poets-chapbook-series-9781636142555","title":"Toward a Living Archive of African Poetry: Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani on the New-Generation African Poets Chapbook Series","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e \u003cem\u003eTOWARD A LIVING ARCHIVE OF AFRICAN POETRY\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e collects Kwame Dawes's and Chris Abani's introductory essays for the New-Generation African Poets Chapbook Box Set Series. These essays are conversations that celebrate the work of emerging African poets and build--meticulously and with principled care--a vision of a pluralistic literary community in which poets may thrive. Over more than ten years, Dawes and Abani have offered readers a glimpse into their editorial labor and philosophy, which are guided by generosity and curiosity and trust in the work of African poets. Dawes's and Abani's editorial labor is a gift, an expansive curation that honors the past, present, and future of African literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2024, the APBF celebrates the publication of the tenth edition of the New-Generation African Poets Chapbooks Box Sets. Each of the box sets, edited by Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani, feature a selection of chapbooks by emerging African authors who have not yet published a full-length collection of poetry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMany thought-provoking threads related to African poetics appear across the essays. They advance a transnational vision of and for African poetry, one arising from their literary leadership to imagine and create a landscape in which the work of as many poets as possible can thrive, receive recognition, and be preserved for future generations. For, as they mention in their introduction to \u003cem\u003eNANE\u003c\/em\u003e, \"the idea of a poetic community enacts the promise of being seen.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMasannat, Siwar:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eSIWAR MASANNAT \u003c\/strong\u003eis a Jordanian writer and the author of \u003cem\u003ecue\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003e50 Water Dreams\u003c\/em\u003e. Masannat holds a PhD in English from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, an MFA from George Mason University, and a BSc from the University of Jordan. Masannat works as Managing Editor of the African Poetry Book Fund and the \u003cem\u003ePrairie Schooner.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDawes, Kwame:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eKWAME DAWES\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of numerous books of poetry and other works of fiction, criticism, and essays. His most recent poetry collection, \u003cem\u003eSturge Town\u003c\/em\u003e, was published by Peepal Tree Press in the UK and W. W. Norton in the US. Dawes is a professor of Literary Arts at Brown University. He also teaches in the Pacific MFA Program and is the series editor of the African Poetry Book Series, director of the African Poetry Book Fund, and artistic director of the Calabash International Literary Festival. He is a Chancellor for the Academy of American Poets and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Dawes is the winner of the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize for Poetry and was a finalist for the 2022 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. In 2022, Kwame Dawes was awarded the Order of Distinction Commander Class by the Government of Jamaica, and in 2024, he was appointed Poet Laureate of Jamaica.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAbani, Chris:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eCHRIS ABANI\u003c\/strong\u003e's prose includes \u003cem\u003eThe Secret History of Las Vegas, Song for Night, The Virgin of Flames, Becoming Abigail, GraceLand, \u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMasters of the Board.\u003c\/em\u003e His poetry collections include \u003cem\u003eSmoking the Bible, Sanctificum, There Are No Names for Red, Feed Me the Sun, Hands Washing Water, Dog Woman, Daphne's Lot, \u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eKalakuta Republic\u003c\/em\u003e. He holds a BA and MA in English, an MA in gender and culture, and a PhD in literature and creative writing. Abani is the recipient of a PEN America Freedom to Write Award, a Prince Claus Award, a Lannan Literary fellowship, a California Book Award, a Hurston\/Wright Legacy Award, a PEN Beyond Margins Award, a PEN\/Hemingway Award, and a Guggenheim fellowship. He won the prestigious 2024 UNT Rilke Prize and was a finalist for the 2024 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Born in Nigeria, he is currently on the board of trustees, a professor of English, and director of African Studies at Northwestern University.","brand":"Akashic Books, Ltd.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51552913654034,"sku":"9781636142555","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_26a2cd9b-433e-4eed-ae10-44d92efcb59d.jpg?v=1754912361","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/toward-a-living-archive-of-african-poetry-kwame-dawes-and-chris-abani-on-the-new-generation-african-poets-chapbook-series-9781636142555","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}