Editorial Issue 3 – Talk as me like
The term ‘freedom of expression’ is bandied about so much that we often forget that it is not a political…
Speak OUT!
Speak OUT! is a collection curated by guest editors Brenda Lee-Browne, Beatrice Lamwaka, Rifat Munim and Peter Sipeli, from a call for submissions related to Freedom of Expression covering gender, LGBTQ+, race/ethnicity, and politics, among others. The collection is comprised of four issues, each featuring an introduction by one editor and 7-8 works of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction.
All stories
Editorial Issue 4 – Let these birds fly
Later, I hear feathers rustle inside as annapakshis stomp along the border, protesting in endless circles. -- ‘Birds at the…
The Architecture of Disdain: When Freedom Is an Incarceration
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and…
Publishing: A Journey of Instability
I have to start this piece with an event I want to forget the most. Whenever I discuss or write…
Do You See Them? & Ansar
Do you see them? The fifth gate of grief is…‘ancestral grief’ …
The Brief Life of a Beautiful Thing
1. Don't Worry About a Thing Today begins with anticipation and reggae. Seven am. The last time I was up…
Children of Death
Shaheda holds the bag close to her chest to stop the shivers, folding her hands tightly around it. It is…
I will Always Love You like Whitney Houston
Like a Candlelight Struggling Against a Soft Breeze The name of the shop is Yori Yori Beauty Palace. I often…
Imbambazi & Homing birds
Imbambazi Stashed in our wet residual memory, Mother walks with fast legs, Like mother hen on sighting an eagle up…
Rumah ibu & the riot, the bodhisattva
Rumah ibu No home without the heart of the woman, the quivering keepsake of meat. Bury it beneath …
We Run Free (For Ahmaud) & Camera
We run free (For Ahmaud) We run free inside ourselves Where the tread is sure and terrain is familiar In…
The River of Stolen Words
We didn’t know that’s what they were doing When they first took our words From the toddlers’ mouths, Replacing babbles…
Hair/Her Emancipation
Listen. Become as quiet as the space between your ribs, so you can learn why trees wear their hair underground.…
A Doctor, a Lawyer, an Engineer or a Shame to the Family
Dear Nanozga, Per Amama’s instruction, this letter should be something beautiful about what it means to be Zambian, from aunt…
Dis Language Ah Speak
They say to come again when I speak their language, When I can properly pronounce my vowels without overshadowing my…
Annabeth
‘Damn you, Annabeth!’ Mama came at me with an empty Pall Mall carton, twisted it in my face. I politely…