Stephen Embleton

Mark Bould gives his insights into this collection of speculative fiction from Africa: Imagine Africa 500 is a smart and engaging addition to the growing number of anthologies of African sf, not quite as literary as Nerine Dorman’s Terra Incognita, nor quite as pulpy as Ivor Hartmann’s AfroSF collections. Billy Kahora, The Story Club and Pan African Publishers are to be congratulated for setting this all in motion, for their commitment to developing new writers, for their efforts to address the domination of African sf by South Africa and Nigeria – Imagine Africa 500 includes five authors from Malawi, four from Uganda and one from Botswana, as well as three Nigerians and two South Africans – and by male writers – two-fifths of the stories are by women, which is not parity but is heading in the right direction. Read the original review here.

In 2010, after I had submitted the draft manuscript of a full length novel to a publisher, I decided to start Journal of a DNA Pirate as a means to continue writing - in any way possible. The objective was NOT to be bogged down by creating a story that had a known end or where I knew it needed to go. I just had to write from one end point to he next. The journal format worked for that purpose. Each time I came back to it I had to ask myself "What now?" And so I began. I stopped it in 2011 but had some ideas of where it was going. I had interest in my novel manuscript so I focused on that once again. Then in 2014, there was a call for submissions by Fox & Raven for their second Ravensmoot speculative fiction anthology - maximum 8,000 words. Journal of a DNA pirate fitted the bill. I just had to finish it off. So, for a few days I wrapped up what I had in mind and made the word count - 8,000 words exactly. I submitted it and waited. The long list was released 1 October 2014...

15/10/2015 215 Words Short Story Day Africa #WriterPrompt He looked into the void and the void screamed back. Blackness speckled with a few stars was how he had always imagined traveling through the vastness of space. Before any campaign he would picture, from his position on the ship's bridge, a 270 degree view of a silent depth, the blackness occasionally interrupted by the mass of a gas giant growing to dominate his vision. Smeared across the charcoal canvas was something alive, breathing its gaseous paints into every inch of black; a myriad of pastels bleeding into one another.

06/11/2015 201 Words Short Story Day Africa #WriterPrompt The floorboards shook. For a moment, the dust and frayed carpeting were suspended in space. Finally, everything settled back down as if nothing had happened. The curtains were sucked against the window frames, one succumbing and disappearing out into the bright noonday sun. With bursts of dust off the fragile floral material, the air returned to the room. For a moment there was silence.

17/10/2014 360 Words The 365 loaves of bread were offloaded in the afternoon. Helen stood in her kitchen doorway watching the delivery van rise on its shocks as the weight of the crate was transferred onto her lawn. Not quite what she had imagined, but who can look a gift horse in the mouth? The delivery man released the hydraulic lift control, stepped around the crate to check all was well with the package, and turned blankly to Helen. His job was done. She smiled back at him with a tentative hand-raising. What the hell was she supposed to do now? 700 grams times by 365, equaled 255 kilograms. That was four times her weight. Twice that of her husband, Jacob. “Win A Year’s Food” it had said. Apparently people live on bread alone. The man retracted the machine arm, closed the back doors and hurried back into the van off to his next delivery. The package remained on the lawn.

2008 In September 2007 the South African Police Services “misplaced” a vital piece of evidence in one of their leading organized crime investigations. This evidence, a video tape, contained footage that would not only bring one of South Africa’s leading crime lords to justice, but would also incriminate the SAPS in a separate but related case. This tape eventually turned up on the internet and finally back in the hands of the media. This is an unedited copy of that tape. Download Script 21 Pages

OUT OF THE BLUE: The Desktop Chronicles Contributions by Michael Louw, Stephen Embleton & William Rea 06/3/2008 In the vein of Monty Python's Flying Circus... 19 Sketches. DOWNLOAD SCRIPT The Pencil Sketch (May 2008) Part 1

Short story published! Grateful to be part of this speculative fiction anthology out of Africa. Thank you Shadreck Chikoti and everyone involved. I can also appreciate the time and effort required to bring a book to print. Imagine Africa 500 years in the future. Imagine Africa 500 - Speculative Fiction From Africa