Young writers in the country have been urged to create literary networks through which they can use to exchange ideas and opportunities on writing.
This was said at an event dubbed Writing Excursion which was organised by a grouping of emerging writers called Pen Avenue.
The Excursion took place in Zomba and involved journeys through parks for writing inspiration. It also involved workshops in open air spaces.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Excursion, Amos Nsabwe, who was the Team leader for the Excursion said the idea came about as a way of creating an opportunity for young writers to meet.
“We wanted to create a forum through which young writers can meet and establish circles through which they can be sharing opportunities and feedback on each other’s work,” said Nsabwe.
He added that it was important for young writers to meet and exchange ideas even if it is online.
Nsabwe said that Malawian young writers were usually unaware of opportunities and hardly have spaces where they could get peer reviewed.
Commenting on the event, Chairperson for Pen Avenue Beaton Galafa challenged Malawian young writers to reach heights that other aging writers have not. He also said that they should be resourceful in hunting for opportunities.
“It is time for the young writers to take on the world. While it is impressive to see that most young people are getting successful in writing, we cannot comfortably say that we are where we want to be. There’s a lot to be done,” said Galafa who was selected to be a 2017 mentee for the Uganda based Writivism Mentorship Scheme.
“At the same time, we should also be resourceful. We should use the Internet and any resource before us to look for writing opportunities and other works that can help improve our craft,” he said.
The Excursion brought together 10 people including students from Polytechnic and Domasi.
It saw the emerging writers have writing workshops at Mulunguzi dam, Trout Farm and Ku Chawe Inn. The writers also had a walk through Botanical gardens.
Pen Avenue was formed in 2016 and since its formation, it has organised a writing competition which was won by Polytechnic’s Angasa Maliro; the Excursion was its second activity.
