We at PALF would like to inform you that because of difficulty securing sponsors during these very rocky financial times, PALF will be canceling its 2009 Writer’s Conference and concentrating all energies on returning to Africa in 2010 at Timbuktu, Mali.

 Moving the conference to Mali in 2010 had always been a goal of PALF’s and it is one we are excited to fulfill. Though more details will be revealed in the coming months, we can share with you that the 2010 conference will focus one Francophone literature in Africa and the African Diaspora. Special courses, lectures, and events will honor Nigerian writers during what will be the 50^th Anniversary of Nigerian independence. There will also be homages to outstanding Francophone writers, including: Camara Laye, Aime Cesaire, Ousmane Sembene, and Leopold Senghor.

 Please be sure to check out website for updates and information on our upcoming full-length manuscript contest (The PALF Book Prize) which opens March of 2009.

2008 PALF Writing Contests Results

(Note to 2009 participants, the current contest is no longer split into One World and Africana partitions)

PALF is pleased to announce the winners and finalists of it 2008 Africana and OneWorld writing contests, as well as the recipients of it 2008 Ghana Conference Scholarships.

Winners in each category received an all-expenses-paid trip to the conference and publication in a special section of A Public Space.  Finalists in each category receive a 30% discount off of the conference fee and publication in The Literary Review.

Africana Fiction - judged by Junot Diaz

Winner: Mildred Kiconco Barya
1st Runner-up: Senami Astrid Houndete
2nd Runner-up: Rion Amilcar Scott
Honorable Mention: Rosemary Nyaboke Ogugu

Africana Poetry - judged by Quincy Troupe

Winner: David Mills
1st Runner-up: Ines P. Rivera Prosdocimi
2nd Runner-up: J. Malaika Beckford
Honorable Mention: Cynthia Parker-Ohene

Africana Creative Non-Fiction - judged by Kadija Sesay

Winner: K. Coleman Foote
1st Runner-up: Ayana Mathis
2nd Runner-up: Gayle George
Honorable Mention: Kelvin Odoobo

OneWorld Fiction - judged by Arthur Flowers

Winner: Parul Sehgal
1st Runner-up: Shivani Manghnani
2nd Runner-up: Alex Wenger
Honorable Mention: Sarah Fisch

OneWorld Poetry - judged by Terese Svoboda

Winner: Caitlin Meissner
1st Runner-up: Harmony Holiday
2nd Runner-up: Suzanne Ondrus
Honorable Mention: Ramon Garcia

OneWorld Creative Non-Fiction - judged by Jeff Allen

Winner: Paula Kling
Runner-up: Derek Loosevelt

PALF 2008 Ghana Conference Scholars

In addition to the scholarships awarded in conjunction with the writing contest, PALF has awarded full or partial scholarships to the following individuals:

One World Scholars

Ramon Garcia: OneWorld Scholar in Poetry
Derek Loosevelt: OneWorld Scholar in Creative Nonfiction
Alex Wegner: OneWorld Scholar in Fiction

Africana Scholars

Sonia Adams: Christopher Okigbo Scholar in Poetry
Tonya Foster: Gwendolyn Brooks Scholar in Poetry
Muthoni Garland: Jean Toomer Scholar in Fiction
Senami Astrid Houndete: Richard Wright Scholar in Fiction
Victor Ehikhamenor: Leon Forrest Scholar in Fiction
Chelsea Fetzer: John O. Killens Scholar in Fiction
Billy Kahora: Amos Tutola Scholar in Fiction
Marlene White: Mira Boyer Scholar in Fiction
J. Malaika Beckford: June Jordan Scholar in Poetry
Pamela Fletcher: W.E.B. Du Bois Scholar in Creative Non-fiction
Rosemary Nyaboke Ogugu: Camara Laye Scholar in Fiction
Shalini Gidoomal: Wilson Harris Scholar in Fiction