Upile Chisala | |
---|---|
Born | 1994 (age 29–30) Malawi |
Occupation | poet |
Education | University of Oxford, New Mexico State University |
Literary movement | instapoetry |
Notable works | soft magic, nectar, a fire like you |
Upile Chisala (born 1994) is a poet from Malawi. She prefers the term "storyteller." She is considered an Instapoet. [1] She is often considered to belong to Malawi's third generation of writers. [2] She has won numerous awards, including Forbes Africa's 30 Under 30. [3]
Chisala was born in south-east Malawi in 1994, [4] and grew up in Zomba. [3] She began writing poetry at thirteen. [4]
At seventeen, Chisala moved to the United States, where she majored in sociology with minors in Women's Studies and Law & Society at New Mexico State University. [4] [5] She began writing poetry at college to process experiences with racism. [5] She graduated in 2015, but struggled finding a steady job. Chisala contirnued to write poetry, and self-published her first book of poems, Soft Magic, which includes poems she wrote during college. [4] [5] These poems reflected on her feeling like "an oddity." [4]
Chisala then attended the University of Oxford, where she enrolled for a Master's of Science in African studies. [3] She later moved to Johannesburg, South Africa. [4] [6] [7]
In 2017, Chisala published her second collection, Nectar, exploring her experience with depression and complicated relationship with her parents. [4] [3] Following the book's success, Chisala signed a book deal with Andrews McMeel Publishing. [3] Andrews McMeel republished her first two books. [7] Her third collection is titled A Fire Like You. [4]
Chisala founded a mentorship program for writers in Johannesburg, Khala Series. [3]
Upile Chisala | |
---|---|
Born | 1994 (age 29–30) Malawi |
Occupation | poet |
Education | University of Oxford, New Mexico State University |
Literary movement | instapoetry |
Notable works | soft magic, nectar, a fire like you |
Upile Chisala (born 1994) is a poet from Malawi. She prefers the term "storyteller." She is considered an Instapoet. [1] She is often considered to belong to Malawi's third generation of writers. [2] She has won numerous awards, including Forbes Africa's 30 Under 30. [3]
Chisala was born in south-east Malawi in 1994, [4] and grew up in Zomba. [3] She began writing poetry at thirteen. [4]
At seventeen, Chisala moved to the United States, where she majored in sociology with minors in Women's Studies and Law & Society at New Mexico State University. [4] [5] She began writing poetry at college to process experiences with racism. [5] She graduated in 2015, but struggled finding a steady job. Chisala contirnued to write poetry, and self-published her first book of poems, Soft Magic, which includes poems she wrote during college. [4] [5] These poems reflected on her feeling like "an oddity." [4]
Chisala then attended the University of Oxford, where she enrolled for a Master's of Science in African studies. [3] She later moved to Johannesburg, South Africa. [4] [6] [7]
In 2017, Chisala published her second collection, Nectar, exploring her experience with depression and complicated relationship with her parents. [4] [3] Following the book's success, Chisala signed a book deal with Andrews McMeel Publishing. [3] Andrews McMeel republished her first two books. [7] Her third collection is titled A Fire Like You. [4]
Chisala founded a mentorship program for writers in Johannesburg, Khala Series. [3]