ZamaShort has announced the cover and publication date for the platform’s first short story “Piss Corpse” by Muthi Nhlema! The story will be published on May 1, 2025 and is available to pre-order here!

“Piss Corpse” was selected to be the debut short story of the ZamaShort imprint ebook series of single short stories. This story is about Charlotte, a Peace Corps volunteer who arrives in Malawi to teach English, full of big expectations and even bigger misconceptions. Coming from Iowa, she’s an American, feminist, and agnostic, ready for an adventure—though not one where her American identity and privilege become a constant source of awkward humor. With the help of her lively chaperone, Mbumba, Charlotte is thrown headfirst into a cultural clash that feels more like a train wreck than an adventure, but ultimately makes her feel more alive than ever.

The author, Muthi Nhlema, is a Malawian writer best known for his adventures (and misadventures) in African speculative fiction. He is the author “Hiraeth,” published in the eco-fiction anthology Mombera Rising, which was longlisted for the 2024 BSFA for “Best Shorter Fiction.” “Piss Corpse” was written during his stay in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, which recently lost funding from the U.S. State Department as a result of the current administration’s widespread funding cuts.

“Piss Corpse” has already received praise from fellow African writers.

Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Jaji says,

“Piss Corpse” is a marvellous debut in the ZamaShort series. The very best elements of short stories – characters immediately brought to life, a setting both familiar and defamiliarized, a tight narrative arc with a perfectly paced ending, and, best of all, the type of satire that makes African humour so brilliant.

Fellow Zimbabwean author Tendai Huchu adds,

Nhlema’s prose is electric and fizzy, accentuating the absurd in this delightful comedy of cross-cultural confusion. You will laugh your head off and be wowed by this tale.

ZamaShort is a project of African sci-fi powerhouse StoryTime Publishing. The platform is dedicated to celebrating the incredible power of the short story, giving each one its own publication to be fully appreciated and enjoyed as a standalone piece. Following the StoryTime Publishing mandate established in 2007, ZamaShort will continue to support and contribute to the expanding body of African literature, promoting excellence and diversity.

Pre-order the story here!