The Short Story is Dead, Long Live the Short Story! Volume 1

An anthology of short stories and poetry from Africa

Stories have dominated my life ever since I was born. I was the storyteller regaling my friends in the dirt, using stones as characters to imitate the life I read in books, saw on TV and saw all around me.

Truth is I don't know where I would be without the kinds of stories that make me feel like I'm not alone (not the only weirdo) or stories that let me escape my mundane life or stories that taught me about the rest of the world. It is because of stories that my imagination dances with dragons, swims with mermaids, rides unicorns and wears the biggest crown made of gold hewn from the deepest Afrikan mines.

This collection is mainly a short story collection but it also features poetry. I'm excited to feature voices from South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

I owe the title to Don Makatile, and I thank him and all the writers and poets featured in this collection for their inspiring submissions. I also thank those who submitted but weren't successful this time. Were it not for all of you, passionate talented writers, this collection would not exist.

duduzile zamantungwa mabaso
editor, publisher, 2012.