The hotly anticipated first issue of the interview magazine Africa in Dialogue has a cover star: Nii Ayikwei Parkes.

Parkes, that Ghanaian writer with gorgeous dreadlocks who chaired this year’s Caine Prize judging panel, is the author of the novel Tail of the Blue Bird (2009), which was shortlisted for the 2010 Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book, and of three poetry chapbooks: eyes of a boy, lips of a man (1999), M is for Madrigal (2004), and shorter (2005).

Africa in Dialogue is edited by the dynamic Motswana poet and activist, Gaamangwe Joy Mogami. This debut issue is guest-edited by Emmanuel Iduma, co-founder of Saraba magazine, and has the Zimbabwean spoken word poet Mutsa Diana Shiripinda as Visual Director.

It will be dropping in four days’ time.

Read some of the magazine’s interviews which we’ve republished.