Dinaane Debut Fiction Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 11 (2019) Winner
Mubanga Kalimamukwento
ムバンガ・カリマムクウェント
Mubanga Kalimamukwento
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1988-01-01 （Lusaka, Zambia）
- Nationality
- Zambia
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Lusaka, Zambia → Minnesota, USA
Career
- Occupations
- writer, poet, lawyer, human rights advocate, PhD student
- Active Years
- 2010-
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavendish University Zambia | Faculty of Law | Department of Law | LL.B | — | Zambia |
| University of Minnesota | Graduate (Law) | Law | LL.M | — | United States |
| Hamline University | Graduate School of Creative Writing | Creative Writing | MFA | — | United States |
Cavendish University Zambia
Faculty of Law
/ Department of Law
Degree:
LL.B
Country:
Zambia
Bachelor's degree in Law
University of Minnesota
Graduate (Law)
/ Law
Degree:
LL.M
Year of Graduation:
2020
Country:
United States
LL.M focusing on human rights
Hamline University
Graduate School of Creative Writing
/ Creative Writing
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
MFA in Creative Writing
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Dinaane Debut Fiction Award | The Mourning Bird | — | Dinaane (South African literary award) | winner |
| 2024 | Drue Heinz Literature Prize | Obligations to the Wounded | — | University of Pittsburgh Press | winner |
| 2025 | Minnesota Book Award (Novel & Short Story) | Obligations to the Wounded | Novel & Short Story | Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library | winner |
| 2025 | Carol Shields Prize for Fiction (Longlist) | Obligations to the Wounded | — | Carol Shields Prize for Fiction | longlisted |
| 2020 | CDI Zambia Tell Your Own Story National Book Awards (Best Fiction) | The Mourning Bird | — | CDI Zambia | winner |
Dinaane Debut Fiction Award
2019
Work:
The Mourning Bird
Organization:
Dinaane (South African literary award)
Result:
winner
Drue Heinz Literature Prize
2024
Work:
Obligations to the Wounded
Organization:
University of Pittsburgh Press
Result:
winner
Minnesota Book Award (Novel & Short Story)
2025
Work:
Obligations to the Wounded
Category:
Novel & Short Story
Organization:
Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
Result:
winner
Carol Shields Prize for Fiction (Longlist)
2025
Work:
Obligations to the Wounded
Organization:
Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
Result:
longlisted
CDI Zambia Tell Your Own Story National Book Awards (Best Fiction)
2020
Work:
The Mourning Bird
Organization:
CDI Zambia
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Drue Heinz Literature Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 44 (2024) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Mourning Bird
2019 Novel 240 pagesA novel set against Zambia's AIDS crisis, exploring loss, resilience, and the relationships between community and individual lives.
HIV/AIDSgriefcommunity vs. individualwomen's experiences
Obligations to the Wounded
2024 Short story collection (thematically linked) 192 pagesA thematically linked collection of short stories focusing on the lives of Zambian women and girls, addressing trauma, generational obligations, and healing.
traumagenerational obligationswomen's bodies and rightshealing
Another Mother Does Not Come When Yours Dies
2025 Hybrid collection of poems and essays 120 pagesA hybrid collection of poems and essays that interrogates loss, motherhood, and the lack of social support in both personal and critical registers.
motherhoodlosscommunity and care
unmarked graves
2022 Chapbook (poetry) 36 pagesA brief collection of poems dealing with mourning, memory, and fading narratives.
mourningmemoryland and legacy
Shipikisha
2026 NovelDetails not yet published (novel scheduled for 2026).
Bibliography
- unmarked graves (2022)
- The Mourning Bird (2019)
- Obligations to the Wounded (2024)
- Another Mother Does Not Come When Yours Dies (2025)
- Shipikisha (forthcoming 2026)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- realist prose interwoven with lyrical, poetic passagessocial depiction from a feminist perspectiveconcise and forceful narrative voice
- Recurring Motifs
- motherhood and familyloss and mourningwomen's bodies and rightscommunity support and absence
Legacy
Kalimamukwento has emerged as a notable voice from Zambia on the international stage, acclaimed for works that portray the AIDS crisis and women's experiences. Her multiple awards have positioned her as an important contemporary African writer.
Trivia
- In 2024 she became the first African writer to win the Drue Heinz Literature Prize.
- Obligations to the Wounded was listed in The Boston Globe's 'The 75 best books of 2024.'
- Obligations to the Wounded was longlisted for the 2025 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction.