Congratulations to uHlanga poet Stephen Symons for garnering an honourable mention for the 2017 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry. His debut collection Questions for the Sea, published in 2016 by uHlanga, was lauded by judge John Keene as a “collection of finely crafted lyrical poems, offering revelatory glimpses into the lives of contemporary white, middle-class South Africans.”
The Glenna Luschei prize is one of the most important prizes for poetry from Africa:
The Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry, funded by literary philanthropist and poet Glenna Luschei and the only pan-African book prize of its kind, promotes African poetry written in English or in translation by recognizing a significant book published each year by an African poet.
The 2017 award was won by Juliane Okot Bitek, born in Kenya to Ugandan parents, for her collection 100 Days (University of Alberta Press, 2016). Timothy Ogene’s Descent & Other Poems (Deerbrook Editions, 2016) garnered the other honourable mention, alongside Symons' book.