Where I come from, they don’t name a child until seven days and seven nights have passed They wait, because to name something is to give it life, and if you name the baby when...

She would talk to her god, often, and he would respond ‘But,’ she would start, as far back as she could remember, ‘but why is this necessary if love is cyclic and...

I was fingered once on my back, in front of the maize cobs that waved in my mother's backyard I remember itchy grass and an uncomfortable feeling that something was poking...

His short dreadlocks fell on either side of his face giving the impression that he was brisk, risqué – just the right amount of dangerous He was talking on the phone looking at...

“Grandpa, Chinedu is too small to take snuffs Don’t you know that you are destroying his lungs by giving it to him You ask your grandfather as he is teaching your younger...

Originally published in Arts and Africa This man Madam Nyambura calls Daktari does not look to me like a doctor doctor, maybe just one of those people who know how to cut...

If brevity is indeed the soul of wit, then just how many words does a writer need to tell a story I asked a few writers this question The responses ranged from 4000 to 200 words...

You knew it, even before you stepped inside, even before you entered the half closed door – that something was amiss But you didn't expect Poja to be moaning on top of your...

You stand out in the cold You have on a brown pair of pants, a white shirt, a soft blue sweater and a scarf Old clothes; clothes that fit on your frame perfectly; familiarity in a...

Looking into his eyes that night, she knew exactly what she wanted, which was unusual, because she hardly ever had anything figured out They had been friends for a while now and...

You were on your way home when you died It was a car accident Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless You left behind a wife and two children It was a painless...

She moaned as he dismounted but it was more out of relief than pleasure He slumped face down beside her, heaving and apparently too tired to turn around There was no banter or...