Hilda Twongyeirwe Explained
Birth Name: | Hilda Twongyeirwe |
Birth Place: | Kabale, Uganda |
Occupation: | Editor, writer |
Nationality: | Ugandan |
Alma Mater: | Makerere University |
Genre: | Fiction, poetry |
Notableworks: | Fina the Dancer (2007) |
Hilda Twongyeirwe is a Ugandan writer and editor.[1] For ten years, she taught English language and literature in secondary school, before she retired to do development work in 2003. She is an editor, a published author of short stories and poetry, and a recipient of a National Medal of the government of Uganda in recognition of her contribution to women's Empowerment through Literary arts (2018). She is also a recipient of a Certificate of Recognition (2008) from the National Book Trust of Uganda for her children's book, Fina the Dancer. She is currently the coordinator of FEMRITE, an organization she participated in founding in 1995. She has edited fiction and creative nonfiction works, the most recent one being, No Time to Mourn (2020) by South Sudanese women. She has also edited others including; I Dare to Say: African Women Share Their Stories of Hope and Survival (2012) and Taboo? Voices of Women on Female Genital Mutilation (2013).[2]
Early life and education
Twongyeirwe was born in Kabale district, south-west Uganda, in Kacerere near Lake Bunyonyi. She graduated with an honours degree in social sciences and a master's degree in public administration and management from Makerere University.[3]
Femrite
She has been a member of FEMRITE since its inception, joining while still a student at Makerere University.[4] She is currently the coordinator of FEMRITE. She has edited fiction and creative nonfiction works, the most recent ones being I Dare to Say: African Women Share Their Stories of Hope and Survival (2012)[5] and Taboo? Voices of Women on Female Genital Mutilation (2013). She has taken part in a number of projects by FEMRITE over the years, to promote reading and writing, especially in secondary and primary schools.[6]
Writing career
Hilda has published a children's book, Fina the Dancer (2007), which was awarded a certificate of recognition as an outstanding piece of literature for children, and other books in Runyankole Rukiga for primary one and two. Her poetry has appeared in various journals and magazines, including "The Threshold by the Nile", in the Poster Poetry Project anthology. She has published a number of stories with FEMRITE: "Becoming a Woman" in 1998, "Headlines" in 2001, "The Pumpkin Seed" in Pumpkin Seeds, and many others.[7] She was a mentor in the 2013 Writivism workshop.[8] Her story "Baking the National Cake" was published in October 2013 as part of the Words Without Borders project of work by women writing in indigenous African languages.[9] [10] She is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.[11]
Published works
Novels
- Book: Fina, the Dancer . Sasa Sema Publications. 2007. 9789970039609.
Short stories
- "Let It Be an Angel", in Book: Summoning the Rains. Hilda Twongyeirwe . Ellen Banda-Aaku . Ellen Banda-Aaku . Femrite Publications. 2012. 9789970700257.
- "And If", in Book: World of Our Own and other stories. Hilda Twongyeirwe. Femrite Publications. 2012. 9789970700257.
- "The Intrigue", in Book: I Dare Say: African Women Share Their Stories of Hope and Survival. Hilda Twongyeirwe. Lawrence Hill Books/Chicago. 2012. 978-1-56976-842-6.
- "Till we find our voices", in Book: Never Too Late. Hilda Twongyeirwe . Aaron Mushengyezi . Femrite Publications. 2011. 9789970700233.
- "Headlines", in Book: Tales from my Motherland. Peter Wasamba . Harriet Mugambi and Jane Bwoya. The Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, Nairobi Kenya. 2010. 9789966228451.
- "This Time Tomorrow", in Book: Farming Ashes: Tales of Agony and Resilience. Violet Barungi. Violet Barungi. Hilda Twongyeirwe. Femrite Publications. 2009. 9789970700202.
- "The Intrigue", in Book: Beyond the Dance: Voices of women on female genital mutilation. Violet Barungi . Hilda Twongyeirwe. Femrite Publications. 2009. 9789970700196.
- "Making Ends Meet", in Book: Talking Tales . Violet Barungi. Femrite Publications. 2009. 9789970700219.
- "The Pumpkin Seed", in Book: Pumpkin Seeds and Other Gifts:Stories from the FEMRITE Regional Writers Residency, 2008. Helen Moffett . Violet Barungi. Femrite Publications. 2009. 9789970700226.
- "Headlines", in Book: Words from a Granary. Violet Barungi. Femrite Publications. 2001. 9789970700011.
- "Becoming a Woman", in Book: A Woman's Voice. Karooro Okurut. Femrite Publications. 1998. 9789970901036.
- "Baking the National Cake", wordswithoutborders.org, 2013
Poetry
- "In conversation", "New Tarmac", in Book: A Thousand Voices Rising: An anthology of contemporary African poetry. Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva. BN Poetry Foundation. 2014. 978-9970-9234-0-3.
- "Sometime, I hear your Voice Mama", in Book: An Anthology of New Work by African Women Poets. Anthonia C. Kalu . Juliana Makuchi Nfah-Abbenyi . Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka. Lynne Rienner Publications. 2013. 978-1-58826-868-6.
- "Mama's Garden of Beans, Papa's Hands, Who Litters?" in Book: The Butterfly Dance: Words and Sounds of Colour . Okaka Dokatum . Rose Rwakasisi. Femrite Publications. 2009 . 978-9970-700-18-9.
- "By the Nile, Threshold", in Book: Painted Voices: A collage of art and poetry, volume II . Femrite Publications. 2009 . 978-9970-700-18-9.
- "In Conversation, Breaking Order", in Post-colonial text Volume 8, No. 1 (2013).
Books edited
- Hilda Twongyeirwe, Elizabeth Ashamu, Elizabeth Ashamu Deng, eds. (2020). No Time to Mourn. ISBN 9970480170, 9789970480173
- Book: Taboo? Voices of Women on Female Genital Mutilation . Hilda Twongyeirwe. 2013.
- Book: I Dare Say. Hilda Twongyeirwe. Lawrence Hill Books/Chicago. 2012. 978-1-56976-842-6.
- Book: Summoning the Rains. Hilda Twongyeirwe . Ellen Banda-Aaku . Ellen Banda-Aaku . Femrite Publications. 2012. 9789970700257.
- Book: Word of Our Own and other stories. Hilda Twongyeirwe. Femrite Publications. 2012. 9789970700257.
- Book: Never Too Late. Hilda Twongyeirwe . Aaron Mushengyezi. Femrite Publications. 2011. 9789970700233.
- Book: Beyond the Dance: Voices of women on female genital mutilation. Violet Barungi . Hilda Twongyeirwe. Femrite Publications. 2009. 9789970700196.
- Book: Faming Ashes: Tales of Agony and Resilience. Violet Barungi. Violet Barungi. Hilda Twongyeirwe. Femrite Publications. 2009. 9789970700202.
External links
Notes and References
- http://www.africanbookscollective.com/authors-editors/hilda-twongyeirwe "Hilda Twongyeirwe "
- http://wordswithoutborders.org/contributor/hilda-twongyeirwe "Hilda Twongyeirwe"
- http://afrolit.com/beatrice-speaks-to-hilda-twongyeirwe/1045/l.aspx "Beatrice Speaks to Hilda Twongyeirwe"
- http://www.femriteug.org/?view=21 "The History Of FEMRITE"
- http://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/twongyeirwe--hilda-contributor-215321.php "Titles by Hilda Twongyeirwe"
- http://www.femriteug.org/about-us/ "About Femrite", March 6, 2009
- http://www.monitor.co.ug/artsculture/Reviews/-/691232/1002974/-/1dpphxz/-/index.html "Books they read: Hilda Twongyeirwe"
- http://caceafrica.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/writivism-mentorship-programme/ "Writivism Mentorship Programme"
- http://wordswithoutborders.org/issue/october-2013 "October 2013: African Women, Indigenous Languages"
- Carmen McCain, "Words Without Borders Draws Attention to African Women Writing in Indigenous Languages", A Tunanina…, 12 October 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- Tom Odhiambo, "'New Daughters of Africa' is a must read for aspiring young women writers", Daily Nation (Kenya), 18 January 2020.