New Release on 24 March 2005 : Book of Voices edited by Mike Butscher (Sierra Leone PEN) 29/01/05
Book launch on 24th March 2005 at Royal Festival Hall, London : "Book of Voices" (see http://www.rfh.org.uk/main/events/124429.html).
At a time when Sierra Leone is a country close to collapse, both socially and economically, it is not just aid that is required – but also support for writers.
Sierra Leonean writers must create a voice and identity within the country. They must encourage education, documentation and dialogue: a discussion of the past, present and future. A writer’s role within society is a dynamic one and this must not be ignored or forgotten.
Today, writers in Sierra Leone, like writers in most developing countries, work under less than ideal conditions; they lack private space in which to work uninterrupted, they seldom meet with other writers who can encourage and guide them through difficult periods.
They also find it hard to get access to information about contracts and copyright issues, publishing opportunities, using computers and
internet facilities and other ways to make their work known to a wider readership.
Mike Butscher is a Sierra Leone national who returned to Freetown in December 1995, having been refused political asylum in Britain after
six years working as a journalist in London. Since his return, Mike has been working tirelessly to reestablish the PEN office in Freetown. This project aims to bring both attention to this work and financial support through sales of the book.
Book of Voices
Independent publisher Flame Books has teamed up with Mike and a group of international authors to bring the conscientious reader the Book of Voices. The stories in the Book of Voices collection are all linked by the common themes underpinning the work of International PEN, and the problems faced by the Sierra Leonean office of PEN.
The anthology is not bound by style or genre and ranges from the historical literary style of Gregory Norminton (Arts Council England Fiction Writer Award winner, whose short stories have recently appeared in Granta and Zembla magazine) to the speculative fiction of Whitbread Novel Prize winner Patrick Neate, to the magical realism of bestselling, multiaward winning author Tanith Lee, and the incisive fantasy of Jeffrey Ford, who has claimed no less than three World Fantasy Awards, and a Nebula.
Flame Books released five books over the 2003/2004 period, including two short story collections, earning them a reputation on the US and UK independent scenes as producers of high quality, finely produced books for intelligent and investigative readers. Their verve and commitment to the advancement of human rights through book publishing made them the perfect partner for Mike’s Book of Voices team. With the Book of Voices they hope to carry their style and substance approach into the mainstream.
Link: Book of Voices Website
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