If you’re looking for the latest literary events, look no further! We’ve created this seasonal planner to highlight upcoming African book talks, readings, signings, and more. This Spring 2022 post will be continuously updated with in-person and virtual events throughout March, April, and May across the globe. Be sure to bookmark this page and check back often for events happening near you.

March

In-person

Warsan Shire: Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head Tour (UK)

  • On March 1 Warsan Shire published her collection of poetry and is heading on a book tour across the UK.
  • March 7th Bristol St Georges (Raise the Bar)
  • March 12th Southbank Centre (WOW Festival)
  • March 14th Contact Theatre (Manchester Literature Festival)
  • For information on attending, check out the different event pages.

Women in Storytelling – A Soma Nami Cafe Event (IWD 2022)

  • Soma Nami and KOFSI invite you to an event to honour of women in storytelling who are shaping new narratives and challenging stereotypes and bias in their fields.
  • Tue 8th March 2022 17:00 PM
  • KOFISI 9, 9 West, Ring Rd, Parklands, Nairobi
  • Entry is free, must RSVP here.

Writing & Climate Activism: An In-Depth Conversation With Vanessa Nakate

  • The African Writers Trust will be in conversation with global icon Vanessa Nakate about writing and climate activism. Copies of Vanessa`s memoir A Bigger Picture will be on sale.
  • Tuesday March 8th; 2pm-4pm EAT
  • MCI Media Hub (rooftop)—Tirupati Mazima Mall, Kampala
  • Entrance fee: UGX 20,000

Damon Galgut In Conversation

  • Penguin Random House and The Book Lounge are hosting an event featuring 2021 Booker Prize winner Damon Galgut (The Promise) in conversation with Mervyn Sloman.
  • Tuesday March 10th; 17:30 SAST
  • The Book Lounge, 71 Roeland Street, Cape Town
  • Free but RSVP is required: Head to the event website to fill out the form
  • Please note: Proof of vaccination required, limited number of spaces available (no walk-ins), and no food or drink will be served

Tales and Cocktails: An Evening of Storytelling with Damilare Kuku

  • Damilare Kuku is the author of the popular book Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad. She will be in conversation with the hosts from The Kokopelli Gallery.
  • March 19 4pm
  • The Kokopelli Gallery — 1, Bunmi Olowude Street, Lekki Phase 1
  • Registration is required and tickets are 3K: RSVP here.

The Open Book Festival 2022

  • After a two year hiatus on an in-person event, The Open Book Festival is scheduled to be coming back this March. According to their Instagram and newsletter about the event, this kick-off March event will be “a miniature, ten event festival. From March onwards look out for events through the year, including September.” While the final stages of programming are still being ironed out, you can subscribe to the newsletter on their website for more information.
  • March 26-27
  • Bertha House — Mowbray, Cape Town
  • Tickets will be available through Webtickets in the near future, however, be aware that the venue capacity is much smaller than in previous years.

Virtual

NoViolet Bulawayo Glory Book Tour

  • NoViolet Bulawayo’s new novel Glory was published on March 8th and the book is already going on tour! Here are some of the March dates but stay tuned for future events.
  • Tattered Cover Book Store + Book & Books + Bookbug + this is a bookstore
    • March 10 (virtual) 6:00 PM MST
    • In Conversation with Megha Majumdar – RSVP
  • The University of Arizona – Tucson Festival of Books
    • March 12 (in-person)
    • March 13 (in-person)
  • Skylight Books + Book Passage
    • March 16 (virtual) 6:00 PM PST
    • In conversation with TK – RSVP

The Shallow Tales Review—Reading Shallow Tales II

  • The Shallow Tales Review, an electronic magazine from Africa aimed at curating African and Black Literature, has brought together African literary writers, publishers, critics, scholars and academics for this year’s event. Each reader will be reading excerpts from any of their creative or critical pieces. These readings will be thereafter curated in an electronic anthology that will be published in early April 2022.
  • Saturday March 12th; 12pm-3pm (WAT)
  • The event is free to attend & you can join via this link.

The 25th Time of the Writer Festival

  • The theme of this years Time of The Writer Festival is “Beyond Words Memory, Imagination, Conscience.” Join events featuring over 100 writers virtually on Facebook and Youtube.
  • Monday March 14 – Monday March 21
  • See the full program and line up.

Smol Fair: “Iberobe and Ogadinma: Women in Nigerian Fiction”

  • Smol Fair is a virtual book fair that runs from March 19-26 that organizes small readings and “opportunities for readers to connect with authors and publishers.” On March 26th, Nigerian authors Kasimma and Ukamaka Olisakwe will reader from their recent works and discussion contemporary Nigerian fiction.
  • March 26 1PM EST
  • The event is free to attend, you can find the Zoom information here.

The Sex Lives of African Women Book Tour

  • The hardcover of The Sex Lives of African Women was published on March 1. The book “celebrates the liberation, individuality, and joy of African women’s multifaceted sexuality.” In celebration of the book’s publication, author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is going on a virtual book tour.

April

In-person

Inaugural Doek Literary Festival

  • The first of its kind, the Doek Literary festival celebrates all things Namibian and African literature. The event aims to “nurture and grow the country’s literary culture while providing a creative and immersive space for encountering the works of Namibian and other African writers.” The festival is hosted in partnership with University of East Anglia’s International Chair of Creative Writing, headed by Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga.
  • April 21 – 23
  • Goethe-Institut in Windhoek, Namibia
  • Information on how to register and attend are forthcoming, but here are some informational dates to keep on your radar:
    • Monday, March 14: announcement of the festival’s featured writers
    • Monday, March 28: announcement of the festival program

The Chika Unigwe Book Tour (France) 

  • Chika Unigwe, author is going on tour in France this spring! Her novel, Fata Morgana, has been translated by Marguerite Capelle.
  • April 1st – 3rd Lyon (Quais Du Polar)
  • Apri 5 – Nates, Coiffard Libairie
  • April 7 – Brussels (Passa Porta/Passa Portabookshop)
  • April 8 – Vincennes, Festival Africa (organized by the Librairie Millepages and held at the Coeur de Ville Auditorium)

Discussion & Demonstration: The Mbira, An African Musical Tradition

  • Saturday April 30, 2022 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM PT
  • MoAD – 685 Mission St (at 3rd), San Francisco, CA 94105 (Ground floor of the St. Regis)
  • A conversation between scholar Umi Vaughan and author Māhealani Uchiyama in celebration of the release of her book The Mbira, An African Musical Tradition. The book is an overview steeped in the history and tradition of the mbira, the ceremonial instrument of the Zimbabwean people. The mbira is made of a wooden soundboard and hammered metal keys. It can be played solo or accompanied by singing, clapping, dancing, percussion, or other mbira. In traditional Zimbabwean culture, the mbira is a spiritual practice that bridges the realm of the ancestors and their healing energies with the world of the living. Māhealani will also share a few mbira songs.

Virtual

Fred Moten Lecture

  • School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) Visiting Artists Program will be arranging a live virtual lecture by theorist Fred Moten followed by an audience Q&A. Fred Moten is a cultural theorist and poet interested in social movement, aesthetic experiment, and Black study.
  • Tuesday, April 12;  6:30 PM – 7:45 PM CDT
  • This event is virtual, free, non-ticketed and open to the general public, join via Zoom.

Debut Novelists: Authors Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, Okwiri Oduor, and Eloghosa Osunde with Anderson Tepper

  • Thee Brooklyn Public Library will be highlighting three stunning debut novels from international authors:  Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s When We Were Birds, Okwiri Oduor’s Things They Lost and Eloghosa Osunde’s Vagabonds!. All three novels explore “themes of outsiderness and the search for belonging” and “bring to life unforgettable worlds” from these thrilling new voices.
  • Sat, Apr 16 2022; 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm EST
  • Free, but must register to receive Zoom link.

Breaking Bread With Kwame Alexander and Friends

  • Tuesday, April 19, 2022 6pmEST
  • Join Kwame Alexander, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, Alicia D Williams, and Van G Garrett for book talks, trash talks, and sharing favorite recipes inspired by their books!
  • No need to RSVP, just attend through the link above.

Blatant: A Forum on Art, Joy and Rage

  • Tuesday, April 19, 2022 4:00 – 5:30pm PST
  • “BLATANT is a forum and live zine series authored and facilitated by Independent curator and cultural strategist Ashara Ekundayo that centers the lived experiences and radical imagination of Black womxn artists and cultural workers creating across discipline and geography. Presented in conjunction with her “Artist As First Responder” platform, this monthly discussion highlights artists whose creative practices heal communities and save lives.”
  • Register here.

Lecture w/ Ato Quayson

  • Wednesday April 20, 2022 4-5pm CT
  • The Program of African Studies at Northwestern University is hosting Ghanaian literature professor and critic Ato Quayson to a virtual literary event to discuss his new book Tragedy and Post-colonial Literature.
  • Register here

Authors in Conversation: Poetics For Space: A Response in Blackness

  • April 20 6:00 – 7:15pm PT
  • Join Artist As First Responder and poet-authors Tonya M. Foster, Tongo Eisen-Martin, and Natalia Molebatsi in a poetic conversation on identity, history, abolition and belonging, facilitated by independent curator Ashara Ekundayo.
  • You will receive instructions to join via zoom after you sign up here. Look for an email from MoAD after you sign up, if you don’t receive it in your inbox, look in your spam or junk mail.

African Book Club: The Fugitives by Jamal Mahjoub

  • April 24 5-6:30pm PT
  • April’s book selection is The Fugitives by Jamal Mahjoub. How to participate: Get a copy of the book, read it in advance of the meeting, and then discuss the book with a group of people interested in reading African literature online via zoom on April 24th at 5:00 PM (PST). After you register you will receive information to join via zoom. If you don’t see an email from MoAD, check your spam or junk mail box.
  • The Fugitives is available for purchase online at the MoAD bookstore.
  • You can view a list of all the books previously read and discussed in African Book Club, and if you order through bookshop, MoAD will receive a percentage of the sale: https://bookshop.org/lists/african-book-club

Uju Asika and We Stories at EyeSeeMe Bookstore

  • Sunday April 24 at 1pm CT/7pm UK time
  • Via Uju Asika’s Instagram:

Im excited to be in conversation with We Stories on Sunday April 24 at 1pm CT (that’s 7pm UK time) We’ll be chatting about Bringing Up Race, how to talk about race with young people, and how to build an anti-racist practice as a family and in your community. We Stories has a brilliant mission which is using diverse books and resources to help children and families start and strengthen conversations about race and racism. You know that’s my sweet spot! ✊🏾 This event is in partnership with Eye See Me, a fantastic Black-owned children’s bookstore run by my new pal Jeffrey 👋🏾😄

May

Virtual

African Book Club: The Son of the House by Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia

  • May 26 5-6:30pm PT
  • May’s book selection is The Son of the House by Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia.

    How to participate: Get a copy of the book, read it in advance of the meeting, and then discuss the book with a group of people interested in reading African literature online via zoom on May 26th at 5:00 PM (PST). After you register you will receive information to join via zoom. If you don’t see an email from MoAD, check your spam or junk mail box.

    The Son of the House is available for purchase online at the MoAD bookstore. Copies are also available to check out from the San Francisco Public Library.

    You can view a list of all the books previously read and discussed in African Book Club, and if you order through bookshop, MoAD will receive a percentage of the sale: https://bookshop.org/lists/african-book-club