How a chance encounter at the Nairobi Book Fair 2023 won Kenyan poet Scolastica Moraa coveted publishing deal
Though she is a published poet and an award-winning short story writer, Scholastica Moraa, who is based in Nairobi, had never attended the Nairobi International Book Fair (NIBF), until 2023.
The 2023 edition of the NIBF was different though. For the first time, there was a special pavilion dedicated to book rights trading. It was the brainchild of eKitabu, Kenya Publishers Association who are the organisers of NIBF, and the African Publishers Network. Unknown to Moraa, the pavilion, christened the Rights Café, held the key to bright prospects for her.
“Being my first time at the NIBF, my sights were firmly set on the discounted books,” she explains. “I was thus pleasantly surprised when I bumped into the Rights Café at the eKitabu stand.” She was hesitant, at first, seeing as the catalogue did not indicate anyone who dealt in poetry.
There was also the fact that she thought that only the ‘serious’ writers were holding talks with professional rights buyers at the speed dating tables. “I leafed through the catalogue and was instantly drawn to the profile of Valeria Paolini, one of the rights buyers from Italy. It indicated that, among others, she dealt with women’s issues,” adds Moraa.
Since women’s issues form part of her forte, she felt encouraged to sit down with Valeria. In the course of their conversation, Moraa mentioned that apart from being a short story writer, she was seriously into poetry. “The moment I mentioned poetry, Valeria’s eyes lit up and she told me how much she loved poetry,” says Moraa.
Paolini went on to tell her that she knew a publisher in Italy who would be interested in working with Kenyan poets. “Since there was a long queue of writers seeking time with the rights buyers, our conversation did not last long,” she says, adding that before leaving she exchanged contacts and gifts with Paolini.
“She gave me a pencil and I gave her one of my poetry books,” she recalls with a shy smile.
Three weeks later, Moraa reached out to Paolini on email and was surprised that the Italian remembered her. “She gave me an email address, where she asked me to send PDFs of my work, which I did,” she recounts.
In January, 2024, Paolini emailed back with good news. The publisher she had told Moraa about (Nonsolopoesie Edizioni) had loved her poems and would like to publish them, both in English and Italian. The publisher later sent her contracts for two books, Sometimes Love Lives Here, to be translated and published within one year and Beautiful Mess in two years time. Valeria will do the translations.
Looking back, Moraa was pleasantly surprised that her conversation with Paolini at the Rights Café went so well. “She was very kind,” she says of Paolini. “Once we started talking about poetry, the conversation flowed easily. To be honest, when going into the Rights Café I didn't expect it to bear any fruits.”
What is her reaction to the positive response from the Italian publishers? “Excited is an understatement,” she gushes. “It was the most unexpected good news I've ever received in my life. You know meeting her was kind of fishing in a place where no one has ever fished before and your hook catches a fish.”
When she received the contracts, Moraa, who is turning 27 in April, says she got so excited she could not sleep that night. “I kept reading the contract again and again. I kept going through my poems trying to confirm if they are indeed mine or if by any chance I sent someone else's poetry,” she says with a laugh.
Clearly, this publishing deal means a lot for her, seeing as she has self-published all her poetry books. Getting a European publisher who is interested in her poetry is a big deal. “All publishers I've tried in Kenya frown when I mention poetry. They advise me to try writing novels instead. I also feel that this is an affirmation for poets; that their work matters,” adds Moraa.
She explains that while voices that discourage local poets may be louder than those that encourage them, it is important never to give up.
On her part, Paolini is quite impressed with Moraa’s work. “Her poetry is exquisitely personal: her first collection, Beautiful Mess, reminded me of pop music a little bit, as it could have easily had me singing along as I read,” she wrote in an email response. “That’s what I love about poetry in the first place: even more than prose, it lends itself to countless interpretations.”
She added that she is currently working on the Italian translation of Moraa’s newest collection, Sometimes Love Lives Here. “I cannot wait to share her voice with my corner of the world. I’m certain Italy will fall in love with her just like Kenya did,” adds Paolini.
She describes her experience at the eKitabu Rights Café, including the hospitality of eKitabu, as amazing. “Meeting with publishers, authors, and fellow agents gave me a chance to broaden my horizons and discover stories I’d never otherwise have come into contact with,” she explains.
She adds that as an international scout, she was on the lookout for stories that could resonate with readers all over the world. “And, thanks to the eKitabu team, I was able to find them.”
“Right now, in Italy, the publisher Nonsolopoesie of Turin (founded by Massimo Pescara), is preparing to launch an imprint (Karibu – New Africa) dedicated to bringing as many of these stories as they can in translation to the shelves of Italian bookstores. Without NIBF and the eKitabu team, I can safely say that would never have been possible,” explains Paolini adding that she fell in love with Kenyan writing.
Moraa’s short story, Chained, won the 2022 edition of the Kendeka Prize for African Literature. This is the haunting tale of a 22-year-old girl, bleeding in the bathroom, staring at imminent death after having procured an abortion.
Moraa is an Actuarial Science graduate from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology with a number of poetry publications to her name.
Beautiful Mess, her first book, was published in June 2022. It was shortly followed by Dreams and Demons, co-authored alongside Anyango Nyar Aketch, Emily Millern and Winnie Madoro, and published towards the end of 2022.
Her latest book, This Heart of Mine, which she co-authored with Betty Kilonzo, came out in July last year. All these books are self-published. Self-publishing, she explains, is easier and faster. “Most publishers only accept novels, and I'm not writing those yet,” she says.
Her dogged determination to become a writer of note is influenced by many things. “Most importantly I want my daughter to look up to me and say... 'My mother didn't give up. She kept going on regardless. So I can too.' But I also want young mothers out there to know they are not limited,” says Moraa, who is currently working on her Masters in Strategic Management at Mount Kenya University.
How a chance encounter at the Nairobi Book Fair 2023 won Kenyan poet Scolastica Moraa coveted publishing deal
Though she is a published poet and an award-winning short story writer, Scholastica Moraa, who is based in Nairobi, had never attended the Nairobi International Book Fair (NIBF), until 2023.
The 2023 edition of the NIBF was different though. For the first time, there was a special pavilion dedicated to book rights trading. It was the brainchild of eKitabu, Kenya Publishers Association who are the organisers of NIBF, and the African Publishers Network. Unknown to Moraa, the pavilion, christened the Rights Café, held the key to bright prospects for her.
“Being my first time at the NIBF, my sights were firmly set on the discounted books,” she explains. “I was thus pleasantly surprised when I bumped into the Rights Café at the eKitabu stand.” She was hesitant, at first, seeing as the catalogue did not indicate anyone who dealt in poetry.
There was also the fact that she thought that only the ‘serious’ writers were holding talks with professional rights buyers at the speed dating tables. “I leafed through the catalogue and was instantly drawn to the profile of Valeria Paolini, one of the rights buyers from Italy. It indicated that, among others, she dealt with women’s issues,” adds Moraa.
Since women’s issues form part of her forte, she felt encouraged to sit down with Valeria. In the course of their conversation, Moraa mentioned that apart from being a short story writer, she was seriously into poetry. “The moment I mentioned poetry, Valeria’s eyes lit up and she told me how much she loved poetry,” says Moraa.
Paolini went on to tell her that she knew a publisher in Italy who would be interested in working with Kenyan poets. “Since there was a long queue of writers seeking time with the rights buyers, our conversation did not last long,” she says, adding that before leaving she exchanged contacts and gifts with Paolini.
“She gave me a pencil and I gave her one of my poetry books,” she recalls with a shy smile.
Three weeks later, Moraa reached out to Paolini on email and was surprised that the Italian remembered her. “She gave me an email address, where she asked me to send PDFs of my work, which I did,” she recounts.
In January, 2024, Paolini emailed back with good news. The publisher she had told Moraa about (Nonsolopoesie Edizioni) had loved her poems and would like to publish them, both in English and Italian. The publisher later sent her contracts for two books, Sometimes Love Lives Here, to be translated and published within one year and Beautiful Mess in two years time. Valeria will do the translations.
Looking back, Moraa was pleasantly surprised that her conversation with Paolini at the Rights Café went so well. “She was very kind,” she says of Paolini. “Once we started talking about poetry, the conversation flowed easily. To be honest, when going into the Rights Café I didn't expect it to bear any fruits.”
What is her reaction to the positive response from the Italian publishers? “Excited is an understatement,” she gushes. “It was the most unexpected good news I've ever received in my life. You know meeting her was kind of fishing in a place where no one has ever fished before and your hook catches a fish.”
When she received the contracts, Moraa, who is turning 27 in April, says she got so excited she could not sleep that night. “I kept reading the contract again and again. I kept going through my poems trying to confirm if they are indeed mine or if by any chance I sent someone else's poetry,” she says with a laugh.
Clearly, this publishing deal means a lot for her, seeing as she has self-published all her poetry books. Getting a European publisher who is interested in her poetry is a big deal. “All publishers I've tried in Kenya frown when I mention poetry. They advise me to try writing novels instead. I also feel that this is an affirmation for poets; that their work matters,” adds Moraa.
She explains that while voices that discourage local poets may be louder than those that encourage them, it is important never to give up.
On her part, Paolini is quite impressed with Moraa’s work. “Her poetry is exquisitely personal: her first collection, Beautiful Mess, reminded me of pop music a little bit, as it could have easily had me singing along as I read,” she wrote in an email response. “That’s what I love about poetry in the first place: even more than prose, it lends itself to countless interpretations.”
She added that she is currently working on the Italian translation of Moraa’s newest collection, Sometimes Love Lives Here. “I cannot wait to share her voice with my corner of the world. I’m certain Italy will fall in love with her just like Kenya did,” adds Paolini.
She describes her experience at the eKitabu Rights Café, including the hospitality of eKitabu, as amazing. “Meeting with publishers, authors, and fellow agents gave me a chance to broaden my horizons and discover stories I’d never otherwise have come into contact with,” she explains.
She adds that as an international scout, she was on the lookout for stories that could resonate with readers all over the world. “And, thanks to the eKitabu team, I was able to find them.”
“Right now, in Italy, the publisher Nonsolopoesie of Turin (founded by Massimo Pescara), is preparing to launch an imprint (Karibu – New Africa) dedicated to bringing as many of these stories as they can in translation to the shelves of Italian bookstores. Without NIBF and the eKitabu team, I can safely say that would never have been possible,” explains Paolini adding that she fell in love with Kenyan writing.
Moraa’s short story, Chained, won the 2022 edition of the Kendeka Prize for African Literature. This is the haunting tale of a 22-year-old girl, bleeding in the bathroom, staring at imminent death after having procured an abortion.
Moraa is an Actuarial Science graduate from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology with a number of poetry publications to her name.
Beautiful Mess, her first book, was published in June 2022. It was shortly followed by Dreams and Demons, co-authored alongside Anyango Nyar Aketch, Emily Millern and Winnie Madoro, and published towards the end of 2022.
Her latest book, This Heart of Mine, which she co-authored with Betty Kilonzo, came out in July last year. All these books are self-published. Self-publishing, she explains, is easier and faster. “Most publishers only accept novels, and I'm not writing those yet,” she says.
Her dogged determination to become a writer of note is influenced by many things. “Most importantly I want my daughter to look up to me and say... 'My mother didn't give up. She kept going on regardless. So I can too.' But I also want young mothers out there to know they are not limited,” says Moraa, who is currently working on her Masters in Strategic Management at Mount Kenya University.
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