Story Club courts South African author

The Story Club Malawi has courted the presence of South African author, Shafinaaz Hassim, for its international literary session slated for Mibawa Café in Blantyre this Sunday.

Story Club Malawi Founder Shadreck Chikoti disclosed this yesterday.

Chikoti, the winner of last year's Peer Gynt Award, said the session will deal with subjects such as publishing opportunities, the process of writing, the South African literary scene, music, poetry, drama and movies.

"Shafinaaz will talk about the South African literary scene and how we can take advantage of it in terms of publishing, printing of books, sourcing editors, etc.

"Being an all-rounder, Shafinaaz will also talk about the South African movie and music industry," said Chikoti who is also vice president for Malawi Writers Union (Mawu).

The South African acclaimed author will read from her works which will also be available for sale.

Shafinaaz is also an Africa 39 author project, alongside Malawian and Siwtzerland-based writer, Stanley Kenani, and renowned Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi.

Her works include Daughters are Diamonds: Honour, Shame and Seclusion- A South African Perspective (2007) and Memoirs For Kimya (2009).

Shafinaaz completed a Master of Arts in Social Science at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Her first book was launched at the Cape Town Book Fair in 2007 with her second being launched on Women's Day at Museum Africa during the Jozi Book Fair in 2009.

She has presented seminars at Humboldt University in Berlin and she has also lectured at the Department of Sociology at both University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban and at the University of the Witwatersrand.

She is the editor of Belly of Fire: an anthology (2011) and has recently authored a novel on domestic violence titled SoPhia (November 2012).