Editor's Note
We kicked around the idea of starting a journal for many months over empty coffee mugs and heavily marked up copies of each other’s stories. In addition to the members of the Nairobi-based writing group that Kikwetu grew out of, we knew there were many East African writers and writers with connections to East Africa looking for more places to publish their work. We were excited and humbled by the prospect of contributing to the literary community in Nairobi and beyond.
After three months of evading us, the name Kikwetu (Swahili for: it’s ours), finally came during an editors’ meeting where we held each other hostage for hours with threats over settling the rapidly growing coffee bill. Once we announced the call for submissions, we waited with great anticipation, not knowing who would submit and what types of pieces we would receive, but by the end of the reading period, we were ecstatic that we received so many wonderful stories from new and published writers from around the world. We’re super grateful to all of you who trusted us with your work. We read your stories with great care and passion. Thank you, asanteni. We didn’t receive any submissions in Swahili, which was disappointing, but poses a challenge to us as editors to find new outreach methods for future issues.
We are delighted to present you with an eclectic first issue. These seven pieces span the real and the surreal, they occupy both rural and urban settings, and they are told from a range of perspectives. Despite their differences, we feel that together these pieces are like a family, some closely related like siblings and others more like distant cousins. Perhaps similar to attending a family reunion, we hope that reading this gathering of short fiction will allow for a surprising and meaningful experience.
The Editors
Christine, Michael, and John
After three months of evading us, the name Kikwetu (Swahili for: it’s ours), finally came during an editors’ meeting where we held each other hostage for hours with threats over settling the rapidly growing coffee bill. Once we announced the call for submissions, we waited with great anticipation, not knowing who would submit and what types of pieces we would receive, but by the end of the reading period, we were ecstatic that we received so many wonderful stories from new and published writers from around the world. We’re super grateful to all of you who trusted us with your work. We read your stories with great care and passion. Thank you, asanteni. We didn’t receive any submissions in Swahili, which was disappointing, but poses a challenge to us as editors to find new outreach methods for future issues.
We are delighted to present you with an eclectic first issue. These seven pieces span the real and the surreal, they occupy both rural and urban settings, and they are told from a range of perspectives. Despite their differences, we feel that together these pieces are like a family, some closely related like siblings and others more like distant cousins. Perhaps similar to attending a family reunion, we hope that reading this gathering of short fiction will allow for a surprising and meaningful experience.
The Editors
Christine, Michael, and John