Organizers of the Toyin Fálọlá Prize and the publisher of Lunaris Review, LUNARIS has unveiled the shortlisted authors selected for the Toyin Falola Prize Shortlist 2024 edition.
The writers and their shortlisted pieces are as follows:
- “Fibers from the deep” by Divine Inyang Titus
- “A Place like here/Hotel Baghdad” by Mlilo Mpondo
- “The Harvestor’s Commandment” by Mohammad Haruna
- “The Blood We Tie” by Immaculate Halla
- “The Recrudescence” by Nwafor Emmanuel
Divine Inyang Titus is a writer, performance poet, and songwriter, keen on exploring the nuances of the human experience through art. He is the winner of the STCW Future Folklore Climate Fiction Contest, 2021, the 1st Runner-up for the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) 2021, and a winner of Shuzia Poetry Prize. He is the author of the chapbook “A Beautiful Place To Be Born”. His works have appeared or are forthcoming in Brittle Paper, The Parliament Literary Journal, The Shallow Tales Review, The Puritan Literary Magazine, The Kalahari Review, and elsewhere.
At 32 years old, a born-again Christian and devoted mother of three girls, Mlilo Mpondo is a seasoned writer and business development officer. Her passion for storytelling focuses on the lives of women on the socio-economic and cultural periphery of society. As a published columnist and author, her work has been featured in renowned platforms like ELLE Magazine and The Guardian. Recognized by various literary programs and awarded a publishing contract with Black Bird Books, she continues to create and curate compelling content.
Mohammed Haruna is a writer and teacher from Nigeria. His works appear in the Kalahari Review, Merak Magazine, Sensual Sneezes: an African Anthology of Short Stories and on Brittle Paper.
Immaculate Halla is an emerging writer from Tanzania who is passionate about storytelling. An alumna of Idembeka Creative Writing Workshop for African Writers 2023, she was longlisted for the Island Fiction Prize. Her work was also mentioned in The Writers College Short Story Competition 2023 Honors list. Some of her work can be found on Writers Space Africa Magazine, Wattpad, and other online literary spaces.
Nwafor Emmanuel is a lawyer, humorist and creative writer who got his creative writing certificate from the Garden City Literary Festival which was facilitated by the award-winning Ugandan writer, Doreen Baigana and Professor Chukwuemeka Ike.
Lunaris is a leading literary platform that is devoted to the cultivation and celebration of African literature. They produce stories in African voices and those that capture African experience and produce new editions to bring out contemporary and efficient writing all across the African continent. Lunaris have held a great reputation for their publishing work, as well as being the organizers of the Toyin Fálọlá Prize awarding the very best literary talent and celebrating the storytelling ethos of Africa. With its Initiatives, the aim of Lunaris is to excise the voice of Africa expurgating the pretentious names in a place that is home to voices that will form indelible imprints in the global literary space.
Congratulations Inyang, Mpondo, Halla, Mohammad and Emmanuel!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
