Black History Month 2020 Highlight: Part 1 February 3, 2020 – Posted in: Highlights, Readings & Excerpts

Kagiso Lesego Molope just recently won the Ottawa Book Award (English Fiction) for her YA release of This Book Betrays My Brother, which was originally published in South Africa …where it won the Percy Fitzpatrick Prize by the English Academy of Southern Africa! For her latest novel, Such a Lonely, Lovely Road, which is a story about two men coming out in South Africa, she became the inaugural winner of the Pius Adesanmi Memorial Award…

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Pride Highlight: Kagiso Lesego Molope June 4, 2019 – Posted in: Book Recs, Highlights

More about Kagiso: Kagiso Lesego Molope was born and educated in South Africa. Her first novel, Dancing in the Dust (Mawenzi House) was on the IBBY Honour List for 2006. Her second novel, The Mending Season, was chosen to be on the school curriculum in South Africa. This Book Betrays My Brother was awarded the Percy Fitzpatrick Prize by the English Academy of Southern Africa, where it was first published. The Canadian edition received a…

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Mawenzi House Authors on International Women’s Day March 8, 2019 – Posted in: Holidays & Observances

I believe that for change to occur, particularly for BIWOC writers, our voices must be amplified in ways that are meaningful and sustainable. We need to be allies, and we need allies so we can begin the messy work of breaking down systemic barriers through an intersectional lens. While it has been encouraging to see a shift in narratives, with more of our voices coming to the fore, we also need to examine the powers…