The Library of Africa and the African Diaspora (LOATAD) is welcoming applications from African writers into its second annual Black Atlantic Residency.
This call is open to writers of African descent who reside in Africa, the Americas, Europe or the Caribbean. Scheduled for early 2025, the LOATAD Black Atlantic Residency will run with the theme “African Solidarities.”
For its second iteration, the Residency draws attention to the contemporary and historical movements that advance demands for social and economic justice in Africa and the Diaspora. It seeks perspective from writers whose works grapple with the complexities and nuances of what it means to be African, or of African descent, in the 21st century.
For 2025, African Solidarities will consider the following questions:
What does African solidarity mean to you?
What solidarities exist, or could exist, between Africans on the continent and each other, and between Africans on the continent and people of African descent in the Diaspora?
How much are our fates tied?
What can we learn from African solidarities of the past for movements in the present?
What role can writers play in building African solidarities?
What role can fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction play in contemporary movements?
Generously supported by Hawthornden Foundation, the Residency seeks to break down barriers between writers from across the continent and the Diaspora by bringing them together physically, in community, around a common purpose and theme.
Overview:
Length of Residency: One Month / 4 weeks
Location: LOATAD, Greater Accra, Ghana
Open to: Writers of all genres whose work centres or engages with Africa and/or the African Diaspora
Residency Dates: February 2025 – March 2025 or March 2025 – April 2025
Eligibility:
Beginner, Emerging and Established writers from and/or based in Africa, the Caribbean, North America, South America, and Europe whose work engages with issues concerning Africa and/or the Diaspora, specifically, The Black Atlantic.
Writers of fiction, narrative nonfiction, poetry, playwrights, and academic texts with good publication credits in literary journals/magazines/newspapers, etc.
Writers can write in any language but must be able to communicate in English.
Writers must be aged 21 or over.
Writers must own a valid passport and be willing to travel to Ghana to participate.
Benefits:
Selected writers will receive:
Up to $600 USD to cover travel costs to and from Ghana (excluding writers who live in the USA)
One month room and board at LOATAD in Accra, Ghana.
A stipend of $500 USD.
Access to the library’s extensive resources.
Trips to relevant places of interest in Ghana.
Meetings with key players in the Ghanaian/African literary space.
Interested persons must complete the application form and upload the following documents in one single PDF document by 18 August, 2024, 23.59 GMT:
Letter of motivation (one page)
Description of how your work to date has engaged with the themes of this residency
Writing sample of no more than 1500 words in English, or with an English translation
Name and contact information of two referees (they will only be contacted if your application is successful)
Name your PDF submission using the following convention:
Surname_First Name_Country_Genre (E.g. Lumumba_Patrice_DRC_Nonfiction.)
LOATAD is a private library in Accra, Ghana, founded in 2017. The library’s focus is on books by writers of African descent including African, African-American, Caribbean, Black European, Afro-Latin, and Indigenous writers. It has over 4000 volumes of literary fiction and narrative nonfiction dating from the early 20th century to the present day.
From Algeria to Kenya, and Liberia to Zimbabwe, LOATAD’s collection represents the rich diversity of the African continent and its vast Diaspora. Since its inception, the library’s mission has evolved to help address the serious literacy challenges faced by many people across the country and the continent.
Click here to find out more about the LOATAD Black Atlantic Residency.
Source link : https://thebritishblacklist.co.uk/out-of-africa-library-of-africa-and-the-african-diaspora-loatad-invites-writers-to-apply-for-the-black-atlantic-residency/
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Publish date : 2024-07-28 10:21:43
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