Brittle Paper’s Writer of the Month for December is Kawira Koome!

Kawira Koome was born in Meru, Kenya. She obtained her Journalism degree from the United States International University in Nairobi. While she has tried her hand at photography and filmmaking, she finds her home in the written word. She crafts fiction and non-fiction as a labour of love, but ghostwrites online articles to pay the bills. Her creative works are featured on Brittle Paper and Kalahari Review. In her personal blog titled These Are My Theories, she explores neurodiversity and complex PTSD. She is currently writing a series of speculative fiction novels.

Beyond storytelling, Kawira enjoys the simple things: a good book, a good meal, and a long walk in the East African sun. She is notoriously introverted and independent, happily venturing off the beaten track. She was recently adopted by a tortoiseshell cat and together they reside in Kiambu, Kenya.

There is so much more to learn about Kawira so let’s get into the interview with our December Writer of the Month!

 

Brittle Paper

Kawira, congratulations on being our December Writer of the Month! Your piece “8 Reasons Why I’m Not Black Enough, Apparently” is my favourite of the past month. But before we get into why your writing is so incredible, we have to start with your origin story. How did Kawira Koome become a writer?

Kawira Koome

Thank you so much! It’s such an honour to contribute to your publication.

To answer your question, I’ll borrow a quote that I saw a few years ago: “Reading is the inhale, writing is the exhale.” I became a writer by reading first. I was always drawn to unusual books and stories. My reading list has everything from Edgar Allan Poe to Meja Mwangi to Ayn Rand to Brian Bilston to A. Igoni Barrett. By the time I got to writing beyond my diary, all these authors, styles, and genres played a role. Eventually, I found my own voice, and here I am, beginning to exhale.

Brittle Paper

I love that answer because I think so many writers will resonate with it. And I think many readers who find themselves in the beginning stages of reading a lot, waiting to find the words to start themselves, will hopefully be patient with themselves and trust the process. It truly takes time.

Let’s do some random questions before we get into your writing!

Do you have a book, or three, that you absolutely adore?

Kawira Koome

I’d say Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, and more recently, The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. I could read these books over and over and never get tired.

Brittle Paper

Perhaps a harder question to answer, have you ever read a book and thought, “Why are people not talking about this enough?!” And have you ever read a book and thought, “People are talking way too much about this, and I don’t get why?”

Kawira Koome

There’s an author called Ron Sanders. I came across his manuscripts when I was in university. The one that stuck with me was called Carnival, but all his stories just blew my mind. I find his style hilarious, abrasive, authentic.  As far as I know, he doesn’t have a website or a profile anywhere online. I hope one day he’ll get the appreciation he deserves.

On the flipside, I don’t get the Harry Potter series. Let’s just say I’m not part of the target audience.

Brittle Paper

I’m with you on that last one, and I’m sure many will find that controversial [laughs]

If you could have a dinner party with your favourite artists, who would they be?

Kawira Koome

It would be a small party. Margaret Atwood would be on the top of the list. All her books are incredible. Binyavanga Wainaina would be a close second. I wonder how he would write about post-Covid Africa if he was still alive today. I would invite Wes Anderson, too. I cannot get over the near-perfect symmetry in his films. Keith Haring would have a place at the table as well. His artwork is bold but simple in a way. “Radiant Baby” is my favourite piece of his.

Brittle Paper

I’ve started asking that final question over the past few months, and every dinner party list makes me wish we could actually plan it!

Now, let’s chat about your November piece, “8 Reasons Why I’m Not Black Enough, Apparently.” I know this may seem like a silly question since you presented a very clear point but since this story shows an accumulation of experiences, what finally prompted you to write this piece?

Kawira Koome

I saw a stand-up set by Trevor Noah where he said he had to leave South Africa to be considered a black man. He is biracial, I am not, but I related so much to his perspective. I started thinking of all the feedback I got over the years because of my complexion. Then I realised other things that made me an “outsider” other than my skin tone. It was tough to narrow down to just eight points. I concluded that because of colourism, my education, and personality type, there was absolutely nothing I could ever do to fit in. This piece was my light-hearted form of protest.

Brittle Paper

The second reason in your piece reads:

Every woman has a kitenge or ankara piece in their wardrobe. I am not one of them. I only admire these bold, vibrant fabrics from a safe distance. You see, I’m neurospicy, and it comes with sensory problems. Kitenge and ankara are stiff, rigid, unmoving. No, thanks. I like fabrics that feel like a hug on my skin, not like plywood. Even if someone invented the softest kitenge or wispiest ankara, I would not be caught dead in such a loud print. It’s bad enough my skin tone yells foreigner; that’s more than enough attention.

There’s something so unapologetic, so sincere, so striking about this section. If there was a section that could be read on its own to represent the whole piece, for me, it would be this section. It holds everything your story says in a succinct little paragraph. Also, I love the term, “neurospicy.”

Kawira Koome

I came across “neurospicy” when I researched neurodiversity earlier this year. It’s an easier term than autistic or dyslexic, especially for conditions that aren’t yet known or recognised. When I discovered I was spicy-brained, my entire life suddenly made sense. My struggles with learning, cooking, dating, finding jobs, moving house, all of them could be traced to how my brain is wired. I saw its side-effects everywhere. It means there are certain things I can’t comfortably do or wear or eat, and it’s not for lack of trying.

Being neurospicy makes my life a touch more difficult, but not impossible. Something as seemingly insignificant as the right colour and texture of a fabric can mean the world to me. But imagine being invited to an event with kitenge as a dress code. Or worse, being a bridesmaid in an outfit that makes you want to scream. These kinds of thoughts add a subconscious hum of anxiety that I could really do without.

Brittle Paper

I like that you’ve made that comment, and it’s something that I, and I am sure many of our readers as well, find relatable. Once you can identify and have the words to describe the way your brain is wired, for no one else other than yourself, does not cure the problem but it brings a wave of reassurance and it helps be more patient with yourself.

Last year, I published another one of your pieces, “3 Reasons Why I’ll Be a Cat in My Next Life.” So, I have to ask, how many more lists can we expect from you?

Kawira Koome

I was inspired to write lists by your very own submission guidelines! “We accept fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, book reviews, essays, literary commentaries, fun listicles, and any writing with a literary bent.” I write lists all the time as part of my job as a web content writer, so I thought, “Yeah, I could do a fun listicle.” I took my chances with the cat story and couldn’t believe you published it.

I do have a few more ideas for listicles in the works. It’s a tricky format, though. The list must flow logically. It must be easy to read and remember. It cannot be too long or too short. Each subheading, each paragraph must add some kind of value for the reader. The story must lend itself to a list, too. Otherwise, it might as well be prose or poetry. A lot of planning goes into a listicle. I’m glad my pieces found a place here.

Brittle Paper

You’re right in that something like the listicles, is very tricky to do but your work flows and reads so effortlessly which is such a testament to your talent.

You also have a blog called These Are My Theories, which seems like a space to share your writing more freely. Is this the reason behind having the blog? To have your work be out there without being constrained to certain publishing standards or waitlists?

Kawira Koome

You’re partly right. I feel like I have a lot of writing in me, and it needs an outlet. Some stories want to be books, others want to be articles, others want to live in literary journals. My blog is one avenue, and I do write more freely there. I don’t edit it too heavily, and I don’t plan or schedule it too rigidly. When the inspiration hits, I go with it.

At the same time, the blog is like my public-facing diary. It’s a way to address the never-ending questions I have about almost everything. And because I have no concrete answers – I’m figuring things out as I go, like everyone else – I come up with theories. Maybe I am a certain way because I have experienced certain things. Maybe my experiences are not unique at all. Maybe there’s more than one way to manage life. Maybe I’ll never figure anything out. Who knows?

Brittle Paper

You, along with our November Writer of the Month, will be blessing us with a third story for 2023! What can you tell our readers about Friday’s piece? And how many reasons will be listed in the title? [laughs]

Kawira Koome

Lo and behold, the Friday piece will not be a listicle! It is a bittersweet letter to my writing process, which is fraught with doubts. I can’t speak for anyone else, but writing is hard work. It draws out emotions and fears that I never thought I’d have. It’s constantly evolving, too. What ends up published is never exactly what I wrote originally. I’m going back to the beginning in this piece. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Brittle Paper

I have no doubt that we will all enjoy it!

Before we go, apart from your writing, Kawira, what is one thing about yourself that you want to share with our readers?

Kawira Koome

I would like to share part of a quote from Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler:

Your teachers are all around you. All that you perceive, all that you experience, all that is given to you or taken from you, all that you love or hate, need or fear will teach you–if you will learn. Learn or die.

I live by these words. I treat every experience as an assignment. I must study and grasp it, because a test will come. It’s the only way I can stay mindful and grounded. Otherwise, I might get stuck in a loop of resitting and failing many lessons. Life is a hard teacher, though, and the learning never stops.

Brittle Paper

Kawira, it’s been an absolute pleasure chatting with you. I hope Brittle Paper gets to share many more Kawira Koome stories in 2024!

 

 

For more of Kawira’s work, be sure to check back in on Monday, and for more interviews with our writers, check out our last month’s with Chinaza James-Ibe here.