Stephen Embleton

Fists & Bones & Broken Bricks (Poem) by Stephen Embleton (Aug 2022) I’m going to clench my fist Crush my fingers White my knuckles And bash the brick wall that is in my way. Like a pounding drum, The sound of barriers bending Breaking Powdered bone. Rage at the ruin Wail at the skies Blast a banshee screech And shatter the glass. Release. Release it all Open for the new. Step forward and go! Fists and bricks and broken bones.

I was able to attend Chicon 8 in September 2022 as a virtual guest – a Table Talk session, a Reading session and fortunate to be included on the Afrofuturism Panel with Erin Roberts, Phenderson Djèlí Clark, Stephen Embleton, Wole Talabi (moderator), Yvette Lisa Ndlovu.  #Chicon8 And our panel was featured in the Locus summary of the entire event: https://locusmag.com/2022/10/chicon-8-report-and-2022-wsfs-business-meeting/ Thursday, 1 September 2022:  4:00 PM CDT (10:00 PM BST) Virtual Table Talk - Stephen Embleton  Duration: 60 mins Stephen Embleton, author of the YA fantasy Bones & Runes weaves in African traditional beliefs, mythology and language into his various works. Current University of Oxford Fellow, Stephen focuses on the magical elements featured in many classics of African literature. One of my guests, Somto Ihezue Friday, 2 September 2022  4:00 PM CDT (10:00 PM BST) Beyond Afrofuturism: Steamfunk, Afro-Surrealism, and More Erin Roberts Phenderson Dj...

As the 2022 James Currey Fellow at the University of Oxford, I was given the privilege of editing an anthology of short stories and essays, to be launched in paperback only on September 3rd at the The James Currey Literary Festival. ❤️📖🔥 BACK COVER: In the spirit of James Currey, with his work bringing African writers and their stories to the world, the James Currey Anthology showcases a broad range of literary work, with contributors hailing from Botswana to Nigeria, Ghana to South Africa – writing from the Continent or in the diaspora. These writers transport us into their world today, or in the past, some feeling the effects of love clashing with prejudice; or the devastating portrayal of a lived experience witnessing the terror of tribalism. While historical fiction, used well, gives us perspectives which have long been side-lined in favour of a certain, one-sided narrative. Reflections on parenting and ageing; the intensity and torment of relationships, and toxic environments; t...