Harare Review of Books

Congratulations to our Second Prize winner, Hebe R Manyepxa! She wins USD60, and a copy of The Process of Poetry, signed by and edited by Roseanna McGlone.

In Hebe’s words:

My name is Hebe Rumbidzai Manyepxa – The Arcanian Queen.

I am a Zimbabwean writer, conjurer of forgotten rivers and keeper of ancestral and universal echoes.
My work lives between myth and memory, identity and spirit, exploring love and the unseen realms where past, present and future collapse into one breath.

Of Miss Manyepxa’s poem, the judges said:

Tinashe Tafirenyika:

“Zvapera Mumunyu” is a beautiful piece. Truly chilling, but bursting with hope and the promise of a new dawn at the end so it presented a good balance of emotions and was a journey.

Rain is sacred to our spirituality as Africans, regardless of your specific religion, and in reading this poem I could feel it wash over me as it did over the protagonist in the poem. The verse form served the poem, and the use of language was quite masterful.

Sista Zai Zanda:

Coming in close at second place is “Zvapera MuMunyu” by Hebe R Manyepxa. Again, another stellar writer. I loved the structure of the poem. The poet took great pains with editing so that the story really shone. The first line was absolutely captivating. The poet built in suspense from the outset, hooked the reader’s attention and skilfully carried the reader all the way to the end. I was not sure how the narrative would fall – as utopia or dystopia; but there was a magnificent and very refreshing blend of both. I really want to see this poem adapted as a movie! Great work.

Here is Hebe’s poem.

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