Lupita Nyong’o debut children’s book Sulwe will be available for kids on October 1, 2019.
Lupita Nyong’o is one of the most recognisable names in the entertainment and acting worlds today. The world was made aware of her phenomenal acting talent when her first feature film 12 Years A Slave earned her the Academy Award for best-supporting actress. Since then she has bagged roles in movies like Star Wars, Black Panther, and Jordan Peele directed Us. She has also shown her stage acting skill with the Danai Gurira written Broadway production Eclipsed.
The Mexican-born Kenyan actress is set to add a new feather to her cap as she announced that a new book for kids is in production. The book called Sulwe tells the story of a young girl growing up in Kenya who has the darkest skin colour of all her family. Here is the book’s blurb;
From Academy Award–winning actress Lupita Nyong’o comes a powerful, moving picture book about colourism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within.
Sulwe has skin the colour of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything.
In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty.
Speaking about the upcoming book on social media Nyong’o said, “I wrote Sulwe to encourage children (and everyone really!) to love the skin that they are in and see the beauty that radiates from within.”
The book illustrated by Vashti Harrison is published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Loose media calls for short story submissions, doles out $1,000 to writers monthly
In a bid to empower writers from all backgrounds to express themselves in unorthodox ways, Loose Media, in partnership with the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF), is calling for 400-600 words Short Story submissions from writers.
A statement by the organisers said that stories to be submitted should centre on various themes such as, but not limited to: Sexuality, Populism, Strength, Freedom and Failure.
Tagged: ‘Everyone Has a Story’, the winners will go home with $1,000 prize.
According to the organisers, interested participants are to submit their entries to [email protected] by May 18th, 11:59 pm GMT (and no sooner than May 11th).
“Starting in March 2019, Loose Media will grant one lucky writer a $1,000 for five exceptional stories; we will grant $1,000 to one writer every month until July 2019,” the statement quoted on of the organisers as saying.
“This literary commission initiative is in partnership with the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF). The partnership with AAF will expand the reach of our initiative and help us bring these winning stories to life via offline exhibitions.
“This grant is initiated and funded by Loose Media in support of the launch of the Loose Conversations platform.”
The guidelines for submission, according to the organisers, include being 18+ of age and each story must be sent in a PDF format and must be on separate PDF files.
“Each one must discuss these topics in an unorthodox way. It must be unique.
Submission must include the following necessary information: Author’s full name, age, phone number, location (city, state, and country), and Instagram handle.
“All stories and necessary information must be sent in one email submission; applicants that submit stories in a different email thread or repeated email threads will be automatically disqualified.
“All decisions made by the judge regarding the winners are final. By clicking submit you are agreeing to the terms and conditions. However, grant rules are subject to change,” the statement added.
