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Idza Luhumyo

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Idza Luhumyo
Luhumyo (2023)
Luhumyo (2023)
Born1993 (age 30–31)
Mombasa, Kenya
OccupationLawyer, Writer, Translator
NationalityKenyan
Alma materSOAS University of London;
University of Nairobi
Texas State University MFA
Notable awardsShort Story Day Africa Prize 2021;
Caine Prize 2022

Idza Luhumyo (born 1993) is a Kenyan short story writer, whose work explores Kenyan coastal identities. In July 2020, Luhumyo was announced as the inaugural recipient of the Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award.[1] She was the winner of the 2021 Short Story Day Africa Prize with her story "Five Years Next Sunday",[2] which also won the 2022 Caine Prize.[3]

Life

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Idza Luhumyo was born in Mombasa, Kenya, and holds a law degree from Nairobi University. She lives between Kilifi and Nairobi, and works as a screenwriter and copywriter.[4][5] On 21 July 2020 it was announced that she was the first recipient of a scholarship enabled by the publication by Myriad Editions of Margaret Busby's 1919 anthology New Daughters of Africa and that Luhumyo would start postgraduate studies at SOAS University of London in autumn 2020, with accommodation provided by International Students House.[6][7] Discussing her course, Luhumyo said: "My favourite thing about the MA Comparative Literature program is its interdisciplinarity. Sometimes I like to think of it as 'literature-without-borders meets critical theory,' which is just perfect."[8]

Luhumyo is currently a student and Rose Fellow in the MFA Creative Writing program at Texas State University.[9]

Luhumyo's work has been published by Popula,[10] Jalada Africa, The Writivism Anthology, Baphash Literary & Arts Quarterly, MaThoko's Books, Gordon Square Review, Amsterdam's ZAM Magazine, Short Story Day Africa, the New Internationalist, The Dark and African Arguments.[11][12] Her work has been shortlisted for the Short Story Day Africa Prize, the Miles Morland Writing Scholarship, and the Gerald Kraak Award.[12]

Luhumyo won the Short Story Day Africa Prize 2021 with "Five Years Next Sunday".[8] In June 2022, the story was also announced on the shortlist for the Caine Prize, alongside stories by Joshua Chizoma, Nana-Ama Danquah, Hannah Giorgis and Billie McTernan.[13][14][15][16][17] Luhumyo went on to become the winner, chosen out of 349 entries from 27 African countries.[18][19][20] Chair of the Caine Prize judging panel Okey Ndibe described "Five Years Next Sunday" as an "incandescent" story, which used "exquisite language".[21][22][23] Luhumyo is the fifth Kenyan writer to have been awarded the Caine Prize.[24]

In December 2022, Luhumyo was listed by New African magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential Africans" of the year.[25]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Idza Luhumyo Wins Inaugural Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award", Brittle Paper, 3 August 2020. Accessed 6 August 2020.
  2. ^ Ibeh, Chukwuebuka (21 June 2021). "3 Winners Emerge for the 2020/21 Short Story Day Africa Prize". Brittle Paper.
  3. ^ Brown, Lauren (18 July 2022). "Kenyan writer Luhumyo wins £10k AKO Caine Prize for 'incandescent' story". The Bookseller. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  4. ^ AWT Team (22 July 2020). "First recipient of The Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa announced". African Writers Trust. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  5. ^ "The Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award" Archived 2022-05-28 at the Wayback Machine, SOAS.
  6. ^ Murua, James (21 July 2020). "Idza Luhumyo is inaugural Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award recipient". Writing Africa. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  7. ^ Kogbara, Duno [sic], "New daughters of Africa", Vanguard, Nigeria, 24 July 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  8. ^ a b Mountford, Angharad (30 June 2021). "SOAS student wins prestigious short story competition". SOAS, University of London. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Texas State MFA first year fiction student Idza Luhumyo has been shortlisted for the 2022 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing (@CainePrize) Congrats Idza!!". Twitter. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  10. ^ Luhumyo, Idza (26 August 2019). "Palimpsest". Popula. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  11. ^ Luhumyo, Idza (October 2019). "On Full Moon Nights". The Dark. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  12. ^ a b Luhumyo, Idza (14 October 2019). "How I fell in, out, and back in love with the leso". African Arguments.
  13. ^ "The AKO Caine Prize announces its 2022 shortlisted writers". The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  14. ^ Mwongela, Ferdinand (12 June 2022). "Kenyan in AKO Caine Prize for African Writing 2022 shortlist". The Standard. Kenya. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  15. ^ Murua, James (8 June 2022). "AKO Caine Prize for African Writing 2022 shortlist announced". Writing Africa. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  16. ^ Nlebedim, Nzube (21 June 2022). "The Year of Anthologies | Review of the 2022 Caine Prize Shortlisted Stories". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Press release: Congratulating Idza Luhumyo and Mbozi Haimbre". LitNet. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  18. ^ Mhute, Wadzanai (18 July 2022). "Idza Luhumyo is the 2022 Caine Prize for African Writing Winner". Oprah Daily. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  19. ^ Ibeh, Chukwuebuka (18 July 2022). "Idza Luhumyo is the 5th Kenyan to Win the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  20. ^ Murua, James (19 July 2022). "Idza Luhumyo wins AKO Caine Prize for African Writing 2022". Writing Africa. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  21. ^ Shaffi, Sarah (18 July 2022). "Caine prize goes to 'incandescent' short story by Idza Luhumyo". The Guardian.
  22. ^ "Idza Luhumyo of Kenya wins the Caine Prize for 'exquisite' short story". Guardian. Nigeria. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  23. ^ Ambani, Sylvania (22 July 2022). "Kenyan writer Idza Luhumyo wins Caine Prize for short story". Nation. Kenya: Nation Media Group. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  24. ^ Ambani, Sylvania (21 July 2022). "Kenyan writer Idza Luhumyo wins AKO Caine Prize for African Writing". Nairobi News. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  25. ^ "Creatives | Idza Luhumyo – The incandescent storyteller", New African, December 2022/January 2023, p. 68.
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