Stephen Embleton

It was a proud day to celebrate the release of this wonderful, and enigmatic book: The Lake Goddess. Until now, only published in Nigeria, I wanted to celebrate the work of Flora Nwapa and publish this posthumous book to a wider audience. I had the privilege of not only editing the book (with my Editor's Introduction) but also designed the cover. Rather than depicting any perceived dark and mysterious theme, and the legendary figure of Ogbuide (the Lake Goddess herself), I wanted to reflect the vibrancy of the story's real-world lake region of Oguta as well as the people and their traditions. Paperback (Feb/March 2023) 20 March 2023: I spent the day with Ejine Nzeribe, showing her damp Oxford, talking about her mother Flora Nwapa, and Flora’s novel, The Lake Goddess , which we published in the UK this month 📖 and ending with some ugba (oil bean seed) from Ona Nwelue ❤️🌶️ Read my Editor's Introduction to the new edition below... Ugba (oil bean seeds) Ejine Nzeribe and Step...

Eugen Bacon's review of the James Currey Anthology features in Aurealis Magazine #157 (Australia) in February 2023. The Review in full here: Review by Eugen Bacon  This unique anthology of everything African comes in two parts: short stories and  creative essays. Editor Stephen Embleton, himself award-winning as a writer,  showcases the diversity of African fiction writing and the intensity of African critical  thinking. This book sings voices from the continent on matters of death, dirge,  superstition, patriarchy, belonging, and more. The pertinent miscellany opens with Mbaeze Nnedimma’s darkly twisted  ‘Ihekanwa’, the voice of a child on the power of fear and belief  a Rubin’s blossom—young and tender, the rarest plant with its properties of healing— belief. Offering the secret of  in a shoebox is N. A. Ntumy’s ‘Don’t Whis...

My latest short story,  “Soyinka's Memory ” , published in The Shallow Tales Review “MEMORY” #40 January 2023." On 17 August 2022 I reached out to Professor Wole Soyinka (through Onyeka Nwelue) regarding the early draft of a short story I had written which featured a fictional Wole Soyinka. Within a few hours I received a direct response! I am pleased to share that the short story is now published in The Shallow Tales Review, along with Professor Soyinka’s acknowledgment of the work, below the title. Please note: an acknowledgment is not an endorsement. I also included the rather poignant and apt sentence he wrote in his email to me within the final draft of the short story itself:  “My ‘memory’ is under strain.” The rest of the short story is FICTION – in a small part autobiographical, but for the most part it is fiction. It is magical realism. It expands on an original Jorge Luis Borges short story from 1938, “Shakespeare's Memory” . “Embleton begins his riveting st...

It was a great surprise today to find out I made the cover of the 40th issue of The Shallow Tales Review (out on 31 Jan)! Along with the inclusion of my short story ( "Soyinka's Memory" ), I had enjoyed being interviewed for the publication by Nzube Nlebedim – talking about my work, South Africa (my childhood and now) and speculative fiction. "Speculative Fiction and the Magic of African Literature: A Conversation with Stephen Embleton"  – The Shallow Tales Review #40 , 31 January 2023  Read the full interview here. The Table of Contents for Issue #40: Cover for Issue #40:

Death Rattle detail – Stephen Embleton (2026) I have had the pleasure of designing a number of book covers over recent years (two of them my own, and two as editor). Below are examples of some of them. Illustration, Typography and Design – Stephen Embleton (2026) Death Rattle – Stephen Embleton (2026) Death Rattle detail: "Oya" – Stephen Embleton (2026) The Nga'phandileh Whisperer – Cover Illustration The Nga'phandileh Whisperer Detail  – Stephen Embleton 2025 The Company of Birds – Cover Design/Illustration (2024) Waypoint Seven – Cover Design/Illustration (2024) Design & Typography: Stephen Embleton , Illustration: Akintoba Kalejaye Fission #3 (2023) "Yamtarawala, the Warrior King" by Henry Akubuiro (2023) – watercolour "Yamtarawala, the Warrior King" by Henry Akubuirois a historical dramatic play. Full cover: "Yamtarawala, the Warrior King" by Henry Akubuiro (2023) The Lake Goddess by Flora Nwapa (2023 Edition) Paperback (Feb 2023)...

I am so glad, and proud, to have The James Currey Anthology, which I edited, included in the Brittle Paper 100 Notable African Books of 2022 🔥❤️ Congratulations to the 12 contributors whose works made this book what it is. C. S. Hadebe (South Africa)  Bontsi Z. Kennedy, nee Morewane (Botswana) Ifunanya Madufor (Nigeria) Gothataone Moeng (Botswana) Majini Ya Mombasa (Kenya)  Nzube Nlebedim (Nigeria)  Mbaeze Nnedimma (Nigeria)  Cheryl S. Ntumy (Ghana)  N. A. Ntumy (Botswana)  Lynn Nyaera Onywere (Kenya) Maxine Sibihwana (Uganda) Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike (Nigeria)  #africanliterature