Zambian writer Mubanga Kalimamukwento’s poetry collection, Another Mother Does Not Come When Yours Dies, is out today!
Published by Wayfarer Books, this hybrid collection of essays and poems explores the emotional landscape of grief, motherhood, ancestry, and survival through a distinctly African lens.
The title draws from the Bemba proverb tapafwa noko, apesa umbi, a reminder of the irreplaceable bond between mother and child. Blending English with Zambian languages and oral traditions, the book carries readers through memory and mourning in lyrical, genre-bending form. It was a finalist for the 2023 Center for African American Poetry and Poetics (CAAPP) Book Prize.
The collection has drawn early praise from notable literary writers. Cheswayo Mphanza (The Rinehart Frames) writes:
“For contemporary African letters, this is foundational work… to leave an indelible mark.”
Sheila O’Connor (Evidence of V) calls it :
“a fierce love song, a prayer, an unforgettable homage by a visionary artist.”
Sihle Ntuli of the Zabalaza Republic adds:
“The ingenuity of this text lies in its bold challenge to linearity… unrelenting loyalty towards emotive integrity.”
Kalimamukwento is also the author of The Mourning Bird and Obligations to the Wounded, the latter of which won the 2024 Drue Heinz Literature Prize—making her the first Zambian to earn the honor. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Feminist Studies at the University of Minnesota and is the founding editor of Ubwali Literary Magazine.
Another Mother Does Not Come When Yours Dies is available on Amazon.
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
