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]
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 |
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 continued 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]
Awards
edit- 2019: Forbes Africa 30 Under 30[3]
- 2018: OkayAfrica 100 Women[8]
Bibliography
edit- soft magic (2015)
- nectar (2017)
- a fire like you (2020)
References
edit- ^ Lipenga, Ken Junior; Mtenje, Asante Lucy (2023). "Black Women and Self-Care: A Black Feminist Reading of Upile Chisala's Poetry". Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature. 42 (2): 343–360. ISSN 1936-1645.
- ^ Lipenga, Ken Junior (2022-07-04). ""Maybe We Carry Our Mothers' Traumas in Our Bones": Exploring the Paradox of Matrophobia in Upile Chisala's Poetry". Women's Studies. 51 (5): 560–574. doi:10.1080/00497878.2022.2053978. ISSN 0049-7878.
- ^ a b c d e f g "#30Under30: Creatives Category 2019". www.forbesafrica.com. 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hawksley, Rupert (2019-11-05). "How Upile Chisala became a voice for young, black women around the world". The National. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ a b c Boqo, Bella (2023-01-02). ""Let Black Girls Be": The (Insta)poetry of Upile Chisala and its resistance to coloniality of being". European Journal of English Studies. 27 (1): 81–100. doi:10.1080/13825577.2023.2200431. ISSN 1382-5577.
- ^ Strauss, Fallon Alicia (2019-10-31). Shaping worldviews: An analysis of post-secular feminist poetry of the diaspora (Thesis thesis).
- ^ a b lvernaci (2019-08-22). "Poet Upile Chisala charms U.S. fans". Andrews McMeel Universal. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ "Join Upile Chisala For Soothing Readings of Her Latest Works - Okayplayer". www.okayafrica.com. Retrieved 2024-02-02.