Ekari Writes

Readers of Strange Horizons and Omenana.com have in the past year enjoyed my short story "Montague's Last" about a dying slave seeking redemption, both as an e-magazine and in audio form. And now I am proud to bring you Montague's Last, my first ebook, available on Amazon.com!  The ebook cover has been decked out by amazing Malawian artist Simon Banda II, who describes himself as an afrofuturist. Simon has done justice to the Montague I imagined when the story first flowed onto my keyboard.  To get "Montague's Last" in your digital collection and show your support, head to the book's page on  Amazon.com  Tell your friends too!  Check out my Bibliography page as well for more of my fiction :-)

The Elephant in the Room is the first short story I've ever written, and in this reintroduction, I have an exciting new illustration! Dominic Kampezeni is the artist behind it, he specialises in cartoons and comic strips. If you haven't yet done so, read about the misadventure of Sylvester Gondwe, a Malawian college student in Cape Town who finds an unconventional vacation job in a newly discovered parallel universe...  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Disclaimer: reference to any real persons in this story is purely fictional It was going to be big. Actually, it was going to be Big’s fat older cousin, Colossal. The Prince’s Ball was rumoured to be one unlike any there had ever been – or ever will be, as economists predicted the...

The Elephant in the Room is the first short story I've ever written, and in this reintroduction, I have an exciting new illustration! Dominic Kampezeni is the artist behind it, he specialises in cartoons and comic strips. If you haven't yet done so, read about the misadventure of Sylvester Gondwe, a Malawian college student in Cape Town who finds an unconventional vacation job in a newly discovered parallel universe...  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< The Elephant in the Room By Ekari Mbvundula Disclaimer: reference to any real persons in this story is purely fictional It was going to be big. Actually, it was going to be Big’s fat older cousin, Colossal. The Prince’s Ball was rumoured to be one unlike any there had ever been – o...

Check out my interview at Classic Desserts in  Harare Zimbabwe, I talk  about The Writer 2016, my favourite books, favourite celebrity, and future writing projects...  To read my stories, visit my Bibliography page for a list of everything I've published.

When a writer meets a comedian... Kansiime Anne came to Malawi again! Anyone who doesn't yet know this Ugandan comedy force of nature needs to catch up and fast. She is best known for her online skits, portraying the crazy sides of Ugandan life, but which all Africans and beyond can laugh at. Tickets were quickly sold out for the occasion. 

I got through to the final Week of the competition! I could barely believe it and was totally over the moon about the support I received! So in Week 3 I had wondered what on Earth could be left remaining after Speculative Fiction seemed to sweep up all the possible genres in one go (sci-fi, fantasy, horror... eek, nothing left!). It turns out I had a reason to be afraid. Week 4's theme turned out to be Creative Non-Fiction, a genre I have no experience in.

Source: Red Orbit Speculative Fiction is a little bit of an insider term - it really just means anything that is not possible in the realm of reality. Horror, SciFi, Fantasy, wherever the writer's mind can go to morph reality. I liked that we were given a choice, although it made me worry about Week 4, should I make it through. What genre on Earth will there be left to write if they are all compounded into Week 3? But I had to worry about the present first.

Source: Red Orbit Speculative Fiction is a little bit of an insider term - it really just means anything that is not possible in the realm of reality. Horror, SciFi, Fantasy, wherever the writer's mind can go to morph reality. I liked that we were given a choice, although it made me worry about Week 4, should I make it through. What genre on Earth will there be left to write if they are all compounded into Week 3? But I had to worry about the present first.

Source: Wikipedia Creative burnout is a real thing. I realised this is the first time I have had to create a new story so soon after finishing one. Usually I have time to rest mentally, bask, absorb other stories through reading or TV... But this time I had to keep going when the creative well was all but dried up. I had a bit of a panic session as the deadline drew closer, but got it done in the end!

So, romance is not easy y'all. Translating the feeling of love into words that is supposed to again translate themselves into the reader's feelings? Yikes, I must say. Soooo much opportunity for corniness haha.  But I've given it my best shot! I had been brainstorming for awhile before I typed a single word, until I had a breakthrough at something like 2am. It was this strong feeling which overwhelmed me, and brought me to (happy) tears, and I knew I had something I could work with.  All the other story elements, plot, character, setting etc, were dressing which provided the framework for this emotion to come through. See if you can spot where that moment is... read my first swing of the bat:  The Chief's Daughter, The Warrior and the Grootslang . It's a story of survival on Mulanje Mountain [Link] and tribal prejudice, overcome by love. If you like it, vote. If you really like it, tell a friends to vote. If you love it, shout about it to your friends a...

So, romance is not easy y'all. Translating the feeling of love into words that is supposed to again translate themselves into the reader's feelings? Yikes, I must say. Soooo much opportunity for corniness haha.  But I've given it my best shot! I had been brainstorming for awhile before I typed a single word, until I had a breakthrough at something like 2am. It was this strong feeling which overwhelmed me, and brought me to (happy) tears, and I knew I had something I could work with.  All the other story elements, plot, character, setting etc, were dressing which provided the framework for this emotion to come through. See if you can spot where that moment is... read my first swing of the bat:  The Chief's Daughter, The Warrior and the Grootslang . It's a story of survival on Mulanje Mountain [Link] and tribal prejudice, overcome by love. If you like it, vote. If you really like it, tell a friends to vote. If you love it, shout about it to your friends a...

I love new challenges!  I get the chance to push myself, stretch my abilities and grow as a writer. I'm really excited to be selected as one of the 12 finalists on Season 4 of The Writer, an African reality-show styled online competition run by The Naked Convos (Nigeria based webzine). It is taking place over 4 weeks starting from the 12th of May. There were over 3000 submissions, so doing the maths, that's a 4 in 1000 chance of making it to the top twelve. I'm already deeply honoured by this opportunity. Each week, THREE writers will be eliminated from the pool until finally there are only three remaining to compete for 1st 2nd, and 3rd prize. It's going to be a thrill ride which I almost wish I was merely watching because yikes, the stakes! Heart medication close at hand... I'm going to be the only Malawian participating, so no pressure at all to represent Sub-Saharan Africa haha. I'm nervous, but more excited, because I get to be tested in a skill I ...

I'm a fan of behind the scenes specials, and I wish I could peep into the artistic process of all my favourite stories. So I'm going to attempt to offer some insight into how I came to write my short story "Montague's Last", an alternative history piece about a regretful slave seeking redemption in the final moments of his life.  First and foremost, if you have not yet done so, you may read the ebook on Amazon.com  before reading the article below, as it contains serious spoilers. You have been warned!  (Malawian readers can request an encrypted pdf version through ekarimbvundula@gmail.com) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Still proceeding? Ok then! I'll assume you've read the story. It took me three years (on and off) and 8 drafts to finish Montague's Last from conception to final draft. It started as just another one of my notes with raw ideas sp...

A website called  Kinna Reads  initiated an Africa Reading Challenge with a simple rule: read at least 5 African books in the period of January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015. I thought this was a great excuse to venture into a large range of quality African books which the world is finally starting to notice. It also fit in very conveniently with the personal challenge I had already given myself a few years ago to read more African books. The goal of my challenge was to begin to familiarise myself with African writing, since my intention is to be published amongst that group. I grew up preferring western novels for reasons I have discovered have more to do with the global industry (availability, advertising, what type of African books get published) than actual quality. Without venturing into what can and cannot be defined as an African book, I made my choice based on accessibility (to me) and  interest. I sourced them from a variety of places, ...

A website called  Kinna Reads  initiated an Africa Reading Challenge with a simple rule: read at least 5 African books in the period of January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015. I thought this was a great excuse to venture into a large range of quality African books which the world is finally starting to notice. It also fit in very conveniently with the personal challenge I had already given myself a few years ago to read more African books. The goal of my challenge was to begin to familiarise myself with African writing, since my intention is to be published amongst that group. I grew up preferring western novels for reasons I have discovered have more to do with the global industry (availability, advertising, what type of African books get published) than actual quality. Without venturing into what can and cannot be defined as an African book, I made my choice based on accessibility (to me) and  interest. I sourced them from a variety of places, ...