Emerging Malawian writer Timwa Lipeng has been signed by UK-based literary agency Laxfield Literary Associates.

Lipeng’s manuscript Songs from a Cabbage Patch was and entry for the 2020 African Writers Trust Manuscript Assessment Programme. Co-incidentally, one of the assessors was Emma Shercliff, founder of Laxfield Literary Associates. The manuscript was subsequently shortlisted for The Laxfield Literary Launch Prize, open to unpublished manuscripts in any genre. Although she did not win, her work caught the attention of Shercliff who was impressed with how well Lipeng utilized her feedback, and, with AWT recommendation, went on to sign Lipeng.

The judges of the Laxfield Literary Launch Prize, which also included Abubakar Ibrahim Olumide Poopola and Chris Gribble, praised the novel for its “character development, and the quiet pace of the narrative.”

There is no specified date for the publication of the novel yet.

We at Brittle Paper are excited for Timwa Lipeng, and we hope this step is the beginning of greater milestones.