What inspires you to write poetry?

I write to deal with life, the joys and pains I see, the thoughts and feelings I have.  Writing is my breath; I must write to live. 

How does it make you feel to be part of a published anthology?

It feels great, I feel validated (I am good enough), it gives me courage to keep writing and hope that my poems and stories will go out there and be read.

Do you face any challenges as a Zimbabwean woman poet?

Yes

Platforms to express my art are few, moreso how to monetize it so that I can earn a living from it.  Most of the art platforms offer exposure in return for the art, but an artist also needs to earn a living.

I believe music and perhaps television and film are the forms of art that are mostly pushed in Zimbabwe, which leaves poetry underappreciated.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

I grew up reading lots of English and Shona books. 

My parents and grandparents vividly narrated stories during my childhood which in my mind would come alive, creating the fertile grounds for my active imagination. 

In primary school, I doodled as a way of telling my stories and I had many books of my scripted stories.  I wrote a play for Prize Giving Day in Grade 5 which could unfortunately not be performed due to character complexities. 

Age drew me towards poetry and short stories. I have submitted many to competitions and received equally as many rejections for those submissions (in fact I still receive them). I constantly ask myself “is my work good enough”? And yet, I will never question my love of writing, it keeps me going.

My poems have been published in print and electronic journals like The Sunday Mail - Zimbabwe (2014), Ntinga Literary Journal – South Africa (2014) Poetry Portion – South Africa (2018), Kalahari Review - Namibia (2021), and Through The Eyes of African Women – Nigeria (2019).

I placed second in April 2019’s spoken word contest hosted by the Harare International Festival of the Arts. 

My short story, “The Ransom Wife” was amongst the 14 shortlisted stories for the Intwasa Short Story Competition. 

In October 2019, I placed first in the poetry category of the International Labour Organisation’s Fast Forward Competition for the Arts.  My poem, “A new day, new possibilities” was on exhibition at the National Art Gallery in Harare with over 300people having attended the inaugural exhibition.  From 10 January 2020 onwards, the exhibition moved to Bulawayo. 

In November 2019, my poem, “A letter to my son” was one of the few shortlisted poems by Akinna Mama wa Africa in Uganda for publishment in the Beijing Dispatch, a journal to commemorate the Beijing Platform for Action turning 25. 

My poem, “One day we will all be no more” was longlisted by the Ibua Journal and my short story “How far we go”, came 7^th in the short story competition.

In 2020, I collaborated with other Zimbabwean poets on a poem titled “Isu”.  The collaboration was facilitated by The Incubator Zw.

In March 2021, I worked with the United Nations on their Spotlight Campaign against Gender Based Violence.  My poem titled, “No Way, No More”, was dramatized and broadcast on ZBC, different radio stations and social media platforms like Instagram. 

In 2023, I have contributed to the Tesserae Anthology and my story “The beginning of the end” was shortlisted to be published by the Writers for Climate Justice.

I also contribute finance and economy related articles to the Zimbabwe Independent, a weekly newspaper.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

As an authentic representation of myself, where I come from and my people.  An authentic representation of our pains, joys, struggles, history, hopes and aspirations.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

Writing is my breath; I must write to live – the more they read my work, the more they give me life!

Who is your favourite poet and why?

Maya Angelou – she wrote her truth

Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche – she is just brilliant

(I know the question says just one, but I could not pick one)

What are your future writing aspirations?

I am currently working on a poetry collection that I hope will be published.

I am also working on a children’s book which I hope will morph into a series of books.  With this one, I hope to tell children the stories of our people.

I am also taking mbira lessons and I hope to fuse it with my writing one day.

What is your biggest dream?

I want to keep writing, be published, monetize my art and win awards for it, starting with NAMA (charity begins at home).

I went into the Mambo Press Bookshop in Gweru sometime ago and my heart just stopped.  I saw various Shona literature titles that I grew up reading – Kurauone, Imwe chanzi ichabvepi, Tambaoga Mwanangu, Mabvumira eNhetembo etc etc.  It is my dream to have a Shona Literature collection featuring one of each novel.