Blog

A conversation with Iska author Ayo Oyeku on writing with urgency, legacy, and the place of literature in his life, across prose, poetry, and children's literature.

A husband who relishes his wife's vegetable soup sees the dish become the centre of two confrontations: first his mother's visit, then an unexpected envelope from an unfamiliar sender.

Eight manuscripts make the 2026 Iska Book Prize shortlist. The winner receives $1,000 and publication, and shortlisted authors may also be published by Iska Press.

Ishola Abdulwasiu Ayodele won the 2026 Iska Book Prize for his manuscript A Conspiration of Guardian Demons, which will be published in fall 2027.

Eight writers from Ghana, South Africa, Comoros and Nigeria make the 2026 Iska Book Prize shortlist.

The Iska merch collection offers crewneck sweaters, tote bags, bookmarks, mugs, hats and more for readers of African literature, available on our Shopify store.

João Melo's short story collection Filhos da Pátria has been named one of 50 essential Angolan books, marking 50 years of Angolan independence.

Iska Press has joined Unified Book Distribution, bringing US and Canadian distribution through Simon & Schuster and a UK and European sales presence.

Unathi Slasha's speculative novel follows crematorium technician Mxabanisi Bulawayo in a South African township. Expected Fall 2026.

In Priscilla Okoye's picture book, siblings Mina and Bala imagine extra arms for their tired Mommy. For ages 3 to 7, expected Fall 2026.

Tanzanian author Lauwo George's Fineland follows a student who travels to Finland hoping to save his family. Expected Fall 2026.

Alieu Bundu's epistolary novel follows a girl whose childhood is shattered by the Sierra Leonean civil war. Expected Fall 2026.

South African journalist Karen Williams's novel Mourning follows a widow from Cairo to Freetown, Sierra Leone. Expected Fall 2026.

The Boy and the Lion tells the true story of Maasai guide Saitoti Ole Morijoi, protected by a lioness when lost as a boy. Expected Summer 2026.

Gbenga Jeremiah Adebayo won our first Design Prize with a cover design chosen by our editorial team and the 2025 Book Prize winner.

Meet the artists shortlisted for the Iskanchi Design Prize, who created visual responses to Unathi Slasha's The Hollow Sound of Lightweight Bodies.

Artists are invited to design the cover of Unathi Slasha's The Hollow Sound of Lightweight Bodies. Deadline October 14, 2025; the winner receives $300.

South African writer Unathi Slasha won the 2025 Iska Book Prize for his novel The Hollow Sound of Lightweight Bodies, announced at a virtual event on June 29.

Ten manuscripts from across Africa make the 2025 Iskanchi Book Prize shortlist. The winner receives $1,000 and publication in Fall 2026.

The cover of A Body in Spice, the debut chapbook by our magazine editor Roseline Mgbodichinma, part of the African Poetry Book Fund's 2025 box set.

Rodney Nayo, Delight Chinenye Ejiaka and Mark Kennedy Nsereko took first, second and third place in the inaugural Iskanchi Magazine Prize.

Nine writers from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda are shortlisted for the inaugural Iskanchi Magazine Prize, and their work will appear in Iskanchi Magazine.

Iskanchi Press acquired the Best of Isele Anthology, a collection of essays, poems and stories from Isele Magazine, for publication in November 2022.

Iskanchi Press acquired The Man with Yellow Hair by Meriel Mongie, a novel of two women's lifelong friendship, for publication in October 2023.

Iskanchi Press acquired K. M. McKenzie's The Civilization, about a teenage girl who must save a kingdom forsaken by the gods, for fall 2024.

Iskanchi Press acquired The New Eve, a short story collection by Mauritanian philosophy professor Moussa Ould Ebnou, for publication in fall 2024.

Iskanchi Press publishes books by Africans in the US and Canada, and Iskanchi Mag seeks experimental work. Here is how to submit.

Iskanchi Press, founded by Kenechi Uzor, launched with calls for book manuscripts, magazine submissions, and volunteers and interns.

Nigerian writer and journalist Kenechi Uzor founded Iskanchi Press and Magazine to publish fiction, poetry, folklore, children's books and history by Africans.

Founded by Nigerian writer Kenechi Uzor, Iskanchi Press launched to publish African books in the US and Canada, along with a literary magazine open for submissions.

A Salt Lake City report on Kenechi Uzor, a Utah student from Nigeria, who started Iskanchi Press to tell authentic stories about Africa.

Kenechi Uzor, a Nigerian student in Utah, founded Iskanchi Press to publish authentic African stories, with support from the University of Utah's Lassonde Institute.

Denver Publishing Institute graduate Kenechi Uzor on launching Iskanchi Press and Magazine to publish innovative and experimental African writing.

Kenechi Uzor on founding Iskanchi Press to publish African voices, and on growing it through the University of Utah's Master of Business Creation program.

Barzakh: The Land In-Between by Moussa Ebnou, the first book Iskanchi Press acquired, was named one of Brittle Paper's 100 Notable African Books of 2022.

The shortlist for the inaugural Iskanchi Book Prize features manuscripts by writers from across Africa. The winner receives $1,500 and publication in Fall 2025.

Aminta Dupuis's debut novel, The Child from Dindefello Falls, translated by Marybeth Timmermann, won the inaugural Iskanchi Book Prize of $1,500 and publication.

A profile of founder Kenechi Uzor and how he built Iskanchi Press and Iskanchi Magazine in Salt Lake City to widen the reach of African voices.

Iskanchi Press set up a table of its books at the AWP conference, meeting readers and industry professionals and exchanging ideas on storytelling and publishing.

Iskanchi Press showcased its books at the ALA conference in Chicago as part of the indie press Pavilion, connecting with readers and publishing professionals.

CEO Kenechi Uzor presented six Iskanchi Press books at the ABA BIPOC IGNITE Conference, a gathering of booksellers, authors and industry leaders.

Vamba Sherif begins a US tour for The Emperor's Son, supported by the Dutch Foundation for Literature, with a Minnesota event on September 6, 2025.

In one September weekend, Iskanchi Press took part in the New York Black and African Literature Festival, the Utah Afro Festival and a book tour with Vamba Sherif.

On October 25, 2025, readers gathered on Zoom to launch six new Iskanchi books by five African authors, with translator Marybeth Timmermann as keynote speaker.

Invited by Emory University's Department of Spanish and Portuguese, author João Melo presented his talk on Angolan literature, nationalism and independence.

On January 31, 2026, Vamba Sherif launched The Emperor's Son at the University of Liberia, his first book launch in his home country, with family, writers and leaders present.