As an editor, reading submissions for forthcoming issues of The Journal of African Youth Literature (JAY Lit) does not prepare one for the sumptuous experience that beholding a new issue of the journal always turns out to be. It is, I believe, similar to unwrapping a present. Right from discovering the issue’s cover, which is always a carefully selected work of art, to the rich collection of poems, stories, essays, visual arts, and others. I’d describe this experience as humbling and eye-opening.
JAY Lit has always promised to be a home to writers at various stages of their creative careers, and, like in other issues of JAY Lit, this promise is again evident in this new issue. JAY Lit Issue 10 boasts of award winning creatives who have been published far and wide, just as it is also sporting relatively new creatives, their shared excellence being the common denominator.
Gift-wrapped in a beautiful time-freeze of the Lagos lagoon as captured by Anjola Kazeem, this issue brims with original African creativity with roots from Ghana, Liberia, Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya, and Eswatini. This quality creates a rich blend of language, stories, perspectives, and style.
Undoing the ribbon knots and introducing you to this issue is introducing you to rich poetry that preaches love, broods about life, tells of the fleeting nature of our existence, evokes voices of longing, and so much more. Introducing you to this issue is introducing you to vivid storytelling that explores the personification of curses, the uncertainty of reward for work and service, bold writing, the siamese nature of love and lust, the sad reality of femicide and gender based violence, and much else. Introducing you to this issue is introducing you to personal essays that ride on memory and explores the effects of the past on the present, critical essays that questions who we are as people, and photography that is as graceful as it is thought-provoking.
As you unwrap this issue, I crave your indulgence to approach it like a child unwrapping a present. Bask in the wonder and versatility, admire the sublime beauty, and most importantly, begin and engage in discussions sparked by the works in this issue, because this is one quick way to drive meaningful change.
Click here for this new issue.
Sincerely,
Deborah Oluniran-Adeniyi
Deborah Oluniran-Adeniyi
Deborah (Oluniran) Adeniyi writes from Nigeria. Her work has appeared in Agbówo, Litro UK, Iskanchi, Hotch Potch, Ocotillo, SAND, Hustleco, Ecotheo Review, Culture Custodian, and elsewhere. She is also an alumna of Chimamanda’s Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Workshop (2018) and she was shortlisted for the Miles Morland Fellowship in 2023. When she is not working as a writing coach or a book consultant, you'll find her talking about books. Deborah is the fiction editor at the Journal of African Youth Literature (JAY Lit).
