Beatrice Lamwaka

Beatrice Lamwaka
Born Beatrice Lamwaka
Gulu, Uganda
Occupation Short story writer
Nationality Ugandan
Alma mater Makerere University
Genre Short stories
Notable works Butterfly dreams

Beatrice Lamwaka (born and raised in Alokolum, Gulu) is a Ugandan writer.[1] She was shortlisted for the 2011 Caine Prize for her story "Butterfly Dreams".[2] She is the founder and director of the Arts Therapy Foundation,[3] a non-profit organisation that provides psychological and emotional support through creative arts therapies. She is the general secretary of PEN Uganda Chapter and an executive member of the Uganda Reproduction Rights Organisation (URRO).[4] She has served on the executive board of the Uganda Women Writers Association (FEMRITE), where she has been a member since 1998.

She formerly wrote articles for the Global Press Institute about issues affecting women, including HIV/AIDS, the impact of war on women, and social justice. Her creative writing (short stories and her novel) also focus on these issues.[5] In 2009, she was a writer in residence at Château de Lavingny, Switzerland.[6] In November 2013, she was a resident working on her novel, Sunflowers at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center. She was a recipient of 2011 Young Achievers Award in the category of Art, Culture and Fashion.[7] She received a grant from HF Guggenheim to research land disputes in post-conflict northern Uganda. She was shortlisted for the 2011 Caine Prize for African Writing and a finalist for the PEN/Studzinski Literary Award 2009.[8][9][10]

Early life and education

Lamwaka was born and raised in Alokolum, Gulu, Uganda. She attended the Uganda Martyrs Secondary School, Namugongo, before joining Makerere University for a Bachelor of Arts with Education. She specialised in literature and English.[11] She has pursued a masters degree in human rights from Makerere University.[12]

Writing career

In her third year at Makerere University, she joined FEMRITE, an organisation aimed at developing and promoting women writers. By 2001, her first short story, "Vengeance of the Gods", was published in the anthology Words From A Granary. Later, she penned, "Queen of Tobacco", a fictional story of a lady who idolised tobacco smoking. This story was picked up by the British Council (BC) after she submitted it to Gowanus Books online in an ongoing project dubbed Crossing Borders.[13] She was shortlisted for the 2011 Caine Prize for her story "Butterfly Dreams".[14][15] Her short stories have been published in various anthologies including Caine Prize anthologies, To See the Mountain and other stories, and African Violet and Other Stories. Her works have appeared in other anthologies including: Butterfly Dreams and Other Stories from Uganda, New Writing from Africa 2009, Words from A Granary, World of Our Own, Farming Ashes, Summoning the Rains, Queer Africa: New and Collected Fiction, PMS poemmemoirstory journal, among others. She is working on her first novel, Sunflowers, and a number of short stories.[16]

Published works

Story books

Short stories

Poems

Awards and recorgnition

References

  1. Ugandan writer shortlisted for Caine Prize
  2. caineprize Previously shortlisted writers. caineprize.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  3. "Butterfly Dreams by Beatrice Lamwaka", Arts Therapy Foundation. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  4. Uganda Reproduction Rights Organisation, IFRRO. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  5. Beatrice Lamwaka, transculturalwriting.com. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  6. Writers' Residence, Château de Lavigny. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  7. Beatrice Lamwaka, diversity.org.mk. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  8. Short Story Day Africa. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  9. "Writivism Mentorship Programme", Caceafrica, 23 January 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  10. Beatrice Lamwaka – 2011 Caine Prize Nominee. Tuesday, August 2, 2011, femriteuganda.blogspot.com. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  11. Racheal Ninsiima, "Babe of the week: Lamwaka, the princess who loves words", The Observer (Uganda). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  12. "Beatrice Lamwaka", Global Press Journal. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  13. "Babe of the week: Lamwaka, the princess who loves words". October 10, 2013, The Oobserver (Uganda). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  14. caineprize Previously shortlisted writers. caineprize.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  15. Mildred Barya, "Beatrice Lamwaka on the 2011 Caine Prize Shortlist", 23 May 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  16. "The Butterfly Effect: An interview with Caine Prize-nominee Beatrice Lamwaka", Start Journal, 1 November 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  17. Beatrice Lamwaka diversity.org.mk. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  18. caineprize Previously shortlisted writers, caineprize.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  19. "2009 PEN/Studzinski Literary Award Finalists Announced", BooksLive, 5 February 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  20. Beatrice Lamwaka, Global Press Journal. Retrieved 26 January 2014.

External links

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