As we close the pages on 2025, we want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to you, our readers, for making this year extraordinary. It has been our absolute pleasure to serve as your gateway to African literature, and we’re thrilled to share some of the highlights that made 2025 such a remarkable year for the continent’s literary landscape.

Major Highlights of 2025

100 Notable African Books of 2025 – Our highly anticipated annual list is finally here! This year’s edition spans 27 countries across the continent, featuring everything from poetry to nonfiction, genre fiction to middle grade literature. From familiar literary centers like Nigeria and South Africa to rarely featured countries like São Tomé and Príncipe, the Comoros, Benin, Madagascar, and Central African Republic, this list is a testament to the breadth and depth of African literary production. Whether you’re looking for your next great read or want to explore new voices, this list is your essential guide.

Sharjah Publishers Conference – In November, our Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Ainehi Edoro, represented African literature on the global stage at the prestigious Sharjah Publishers Conference in the UAE. Leading workshops on “Inside the African Literary Market: What Global Publishers Need to Know,” Dr. Edoro engaged with over 1,000 publishing professionals from more than 100 countries. Publishers Weekly devoted significant coverage to African publishing at the conference, highlighting Brittle Paper’s role in shaping conversations about the continent’s literary future.

Celebrating New Voices – Throughout 2025, we’ve had the honor of introducing debut authors to the world, including Musih Tedji Xaviere, whose groundbreaking novel These Letters End in Tears made them the first Cameroonian-based author to sign an international book deal. These featured authors and many others remind us why amplifying new voices remains at the heart of our mission.

Major Prize Coverage – We’ve tracked and celebrated African literary excellence across prestigious platforms, from the Sunday Times Literary Awards to the Forward Prizes. Each announcement reinforced what we already know: African literature is thriving and gaining the global recognition it deserves.

Community Building Through Anthologies – We launched calls for submissions for two exciting anthology projects: our first-ever children’s anthology in May, featuring poetry, nursery rhymes, short stories, illustrations, and comic strips for ages 0-12, and the Festive Anthology Vol. IV in November, which focused on diaspora experiences and celebrating holidays away from home. These projects continue to build the vibrant community that makes Brittle Paper Africa’s literary village square.

Supporting Translation and Accessibility – We amplified initiatives like the African Translation Project which works to translate contemporary fiction from non-colonial African languages into English, ensuring that authentic African storytelling becomes accessible to readers worldwide, and Kokonut Head Media‘s quest to preserve authentic African stories.

As we prepare for a well-deserved break, we encourage you to dive into the wealth of content we’ve published this year. Whether it’s discovering a new author on our 100 Notable Books list, catching up on prize announcements, exploring opportunities for writers, or simply revisiting your favorite stories and poems published throughout the year, there’s plenty to keep you engaged.

Processing hundreds of submissions monthly, publishing original fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, essays, and book reviews, while covering the pulse of African literature worldwide, 2025 has been a year of relentless dedication to our mission of archiving African literary production and making it accessible to readers, publishers, writers, and scholars across the globe.

We’ll be taking a break to recharge, but we’re already excited about what’s to come. When we return on January 5, 2026, we’ll be bringing you even more stories, more voices, and more opportunities to engage with the ever-evolving landscape of African literature.

Thank you for reading, submitting, sharing, and being part of this incredible community. Your engagement makes everything we do worthwhile.

Happy holidays, and see you in the new year!

The Brittle Paper Team