Crossing Borders Magazine

This is a special year and 6 March 2007 is for me, as a Ghanaian, a very special day as it marks the 50th Anniversary of Ghana’s independence from colonial rule...

Download 'Introduction'

In my journey as a writer, I have seen many moons, endured the uncertainties of waiting, and witnessed many goings to come close to a painful conclusion energised by Goretti Kyomuhendo’s genuine pessimism, that if you are a writer, an African writer, and permit me to add, a woman living in Africa where it costs nothing to die, your fate is already sealed; you die poor because there isn’t an enabling environment for you to write...

Download 'Creating An Enabling Environment For Writers'

Reaction to being published in CB magazine

'The immediate result to the news that I would be published in the magazine was my postponing of the writing of an angry retort to an email from a colleague. I had just come back to the office after fetching my son from school. On my way to the office I had mentally written a response to a colleague's email. In the response, I showed him how wrong he was and how reasonable and correct I was. However before writing the retort, I decided to first open Sophie's email and read the latest on the crossing borders magazine. To my delightful surprise, my piece was going to be in the magazine. Somehow writing the email to my colleague seemed a trivial pursuit. Instead, I wrote an email to my sister in Sweden telling her to be on the look out for my story in the magazine. I then took a walk into the plant and chatted with colleagues.

I am writing this two days after Sophie's email but still have not recaptured my fighting spirit to write the email. I pray the the fighting spirit comes back quickly - for tomorrow my team is playing against Al Alhy, an Egyptian club. I want to dance, sing and shout myself hoarse at the stadium. I think I have to stop here. Last time my wife remarked that my reaction piece to being published was almost as long as the story itself!'

Download 'I Am An African, Am I?'

Reaction to being published in CB magazine

'I had become disillusioned about my chances of ever appearing in Crossing Borders magazine again! My story, The Baby Who Didn't Stop Crying appeared early on in the series in Issue Two. I was of course highly elated, only for me to have none of my subsequent submissions accepted for what seemed like an eternity after that. Every time I saw an email from Crossing Borders, it was to notify me that yet another issue had been published - without my work in it! So, that afternoon when I refreshed my email page, and saw 'Crossing Borders Magazine' in the subject line, I assumed that it was to inform me that Issue Ten was out. I was wrong. The poems you will be reading next are proof that I was wrong...'

Download 'Poetry by Tolu Ogunlesi'

Reaction to being published in CB magazine

'It would have been inappropriate to leap up and down in the internet café in which I read the news, so I did a little dance in my chair. To be accepted for publication by as prestigious an institution as the British Council feels like a stamp of recognition as a writer. Since Varying Hues of Solitude is a product of my work with the Crossing Borders mentoring scheme this acceptance also validates the hours of hard work and the incredible opportunity that was my time on the scheme.'

Download 'Varying Hues of Solitude'

Reaction to being published in CB magazine

'I was of course pleased. The main reason being that all the work I have submitted to the magazine has now been published. This has boosted my confidence and prompted me to start sending my recently finished novel to agents and publishers. I only hope the agents and editors will find my work as agreeable as the Editor of Crossing Borders Magazine has.'

Download 'The Promised Land'

Reaction to being published in CB magazine

'I recently changed my e-mail address so I did not receive the mail notifying me that my story had been selected for publishing in the Crossing Borders Magazine. So when I received a call from British Council Accra regarding the publishing agreement, it took me a while to figure out what the caller was talking about. When I did, I was delighted to have a second story published in the Crossing Borders Magazine. My experience with the Crossing Borders program from my mentor's ontribution to having my stories published in the magazine has been invaluable. I feel more confident as a writer today than I did before I become a participant on Crossing Borders. Thanks to the British Council and everyone in involved Crossing Borders!'

Download 'Munshi Ya Bed!'

Reaction to being published in CB magazine

'Making it two in a row is always delightful. I did not expect that story to make it to the Crossing Borders magazine.When I received the message from the BC office in Nairobi, my first reaction was, "But I have already been paid for the last story! Why are you paying me again?" That is when I was told that my second story had made it. My ego is bloated beyond boundaries. Adult fiction has never been my cup of tea, but I guess that as a writer you have to venture into all genres.'

Download 'First Lady, First Mistress'