iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Advance copies in 💃🏿🙏🏿 #preorder now Out on Nov 10. 2026

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What have you been reading? I take recommendations 😊

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A CENTURY OF FICTION IN THE NEW YORKER. I enjoyed lots of short stories in this anthology and was intrigued by how the genre has changed from 1925 when the magazine first published to today.

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AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones. I finally got to read this after enjoying her latest novel, KIN. So many parallels in terms of structure and narrative devices used but also just beautiful storytelling.

THE FORTUNE MEN by Nadifa Mohamed. A man executed for a crime he didn’t commit revealing the cost of injustice, otherness, and what being born on the “wrong” side can look like.

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THINGS IN NATURE MERELY GROW by Yiyun Li. A mother tries to make sense of the death of her sons, both by suicide, written with such introspective beauty (I wasn’t surprised when she got the Pulitzer for this book).

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A PARTICULAR KIND OF BLACK MAN by Tope Folarin. I don’t know how I didn’t know about this novel for so long. A beautiful story, grippingly told about making home/family away from home, belonging, mental health and being a Black African man in America.

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What I #read in March + April THE RED WE SILK by Nichole Lachat. Got blown away by this poetry book. Beautiful language, crucial stories & history in the poems. Some fav lines: “Having learned the cost of departure, I too crave return” and “My mothers, I was born into permission. Forgive me.”

Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

I had the pleasure of interviewing the poet, writer and scholar Otoniya J Okot Bitek on her debut novel, We, The Kindling. A hugely important book. Thank you #PrairieSchooner for giving our conversation a home. prairieschooner.unl.edu/digital-scho...

prairieschooner.unl.edu

We, The Kindling: Otoniya J. Okot Bitek in Conversation with Ber Anena - Prairie Schooner

For two decades, starting around 1987, the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels led by Joseph Kony waged a war against the government of Uganda under President

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Reposted by Ber Anena

Prairie Schooner @prairie-schooner.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

"There are so many stories that still have to be told as we figure out this particular time in the history of Uganda, and Acholi in particular." On the blog today: Otoniya J. Okot Bitek in Conversation with Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social prairieschooner.unl.edu/digital-scho...

prairieschooner.unl.edu

We, The Kindling: Otoniya J. Okot Bitek in Conversation with Ber Anena - Prairie Schooner

For two decades, starting around 1987, the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels led by Joseph Kony waged a war against the government of Uganda under President

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

The Weganda Review is looking for creative nonfiction for our next issue. We publish essays on any topic highlighting Ugandans and Africans all over the world. If you have a solid essay, send it to us and we’ll consider publishing it. We pay. Check our website for #guidelines & how to submit.

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Special gratitude to the women friends & sisters who have held me up when life took me to another corner of the world; the ones who make me believe that friendship, sisterhood & connection can survive anything if we want them to. I see you, I appreciate you & wish you boundless joy & fulfillment.

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Happy Women’s Day, daughters of the universe, for all you do to sustain life through every means imaginable. May the world be gentle with you, acknowledge and reward your every sweat.

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

COVER REVEAL!! I still can’t believe this memoir is almost here. Out on November 10, 2026. You can now #preorder at the link below: us.macmillan.com/books/978125... Huge gratitude to my publisher, Flatiron Books and Macmillan.

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

GOOD AND MAD by Rebecca Traister on women’s anger (in the US). I loved that the author provided historical contexts of anger, what role anger plays in securing and undoing women’s positions in politics, who gets applauded and punished for being angry, and more. A necessary read.

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

THE EDGE OF WATER by Olufunke Grace Bankole. A protagonist’s dream for America, a prophecy that spells doom if she leaves home, a deadly storm & a family bond at stake. Beautifully rendered. It made me think of the reward society bestows on abusive men & the cascading impact of violent acts.

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

What I #read in #Jan2026 #Booksky ONE DAY EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS by Omar El Akkad. Beautifully written, powerful and intelligent reflection on the war in Gaza and all the attendant issues — who gets to be human, geopolitics, what language can do & more.

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Reposted by Ber Anena

Roxane Gay @roxanegay.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

You will receive a lot of entreaties today, all of them worthy. I just want to bring your attention to Hope for Haiti, which does amazing work. My dad is on the board and one of the best things about HfH is that in the ground it is run by Haitians hopeforhaiti.com/givingtuesday/

hopeforhaiti.com

Giving Tuesday - Hope for Haiti

As one of the most trusted organizations working to reduce poverty in southern Haiti, Hope for Haiti is focused on providing support and partnership to the Haitian people every single day.

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

3. DEATH DOES NOT END AT THE SEA by Gbenga Adesina. I’m so glad this poetry collection exists. So much depth and beauty in the language, stories and craft. Such a gift!

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

2. HANDS IN CLAY by Mildred Kiconco Barya. It’s been a while since I read a poem or poetry collection that made me laugh. There’s humor here, and heartbreak too, fantastical worlds and real ones too. As a fellow Ugandan, I resonated with the country-specific poems. Exciting!

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

#Read in #October & #November 1. THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN by Marjan Kamali. A story of friendship, immigration, social class, and how women navigate cultural and political hurdles. A deeply moving novel. Thanks for recommending it, @tryphenayeboah

Prairie Schooner @prairie-schooner.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Reposted by Ber Anena

Our latest issue is now available for purchase! Featuring work by @bcar.bsky.social, @lenakt.bsky.social, @ninacpelaez.bsky.social, @pagestar.bsky.social, @preetivangani.bsky.social, @michaelimossan.bsky.social, and more. Order the issue here: prairieschooner.unl.edu/issue/fall-2...

Cover image of the Fall 2024 issue of the Schooner, featuring a photograph of a hallway lined with autumn leaves. Text above and below the cover reads "New Issue."

Volume 98
Number 3
Contributors

Brenda Cárdenas
Nina C. Peláez
Bruce Parker
Clare Rossini
Natalie Scenters-Zapico
Amy Nolan
John Kinsella
Dana Fang
Hajjar Baban
Page Hill Starzinger
iheoma uzomba
Preeti Vangani
Amber Flora Thomas
Urvi Kumbhat
Kyoko Uchida
James Scruton
Glen Vecchione
ire'ne lara silva
Sonja Livingston
Matthew Daddona
Tsahai Makeda
Laura Wetherington
Michael Loyd Gray
Michael Imossan
Emily M. Green
Rachel Neve-Midbar
Lena Khalaf Tuffaha
Daniel Millar
Kat Finch
Swati Rana
Divya Mehrish
Gabriel Houck
Katie Hartsock
Marcia Lynx Qualey
Catalina Ocampo Londoño

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

THE MOTHER OF ALL QUESTIONS by Rebecca Solnit. Always a big fun of Solnit’s mind! Totally enjoyed this one.

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

WOMB CITY by @tlotlotsamaase. I’ve never come across a novel with such brilliant, creative world building! Gosh! And she’s my friend 😉 SPEAK TO ME OF HOME by Jeanine Cummins. I struggled with this one but glad l finished it. As someone who writes about home, l appreciated that overarching theme.

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

What l #read in #July 1. THEY CAN’T KILL US UNTIL THEY KILL US by Hanif Abdurrakib. A master of words. Brilliant thinker. The poet in him shines through the prose. I love music and the way he writes about music and performance is just…breathtaking.

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Beautiful poems! I love the conceit of the kidney tree and how you connect it to your father. So brilliantly done

Arao Ameny @araoameny.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Reposted by Ber Anena

It’s July 11 — my birthday. Happy to announce that my poems are published in Lolwe Issue 11 alongside Loic Ekinga (DR Congo), Frank Njugi (Kenya), Susan Goffe (Jamaica), David Emeka (Nigeria) & Amanda Nechesa (Kenya). Many thanks to editor Nadia Bongo (Gabon) for her guidance. bit.ly/KidneyTree

bit.ly

The Kidney Tree & Other Poems - Arao Ameny | Lolwe

Three poems by Arao Ameny

Arao Ameny @araoameny.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

Reposted by Ber Anena

Brunel University of London is hosting a series of writing workshops and publishing webinars for aspiring writers. Sign up for the free online workshops here: bit.ly/4evXE6M

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

BEHOLD THE DREAMERS by lmbolo Mbue. Loved the storytelling here. Lots of relevance for this novel today. AFTERLIVES by Abdulrazak Gurnah. Loved this one for its world building, vivid characters and moving portrayal of Tanzania

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

What l #read in #May ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong. Started reading his new novel but put it aside to try this one and Gosh was l moved! I’ve never read a book with such beautiful language. “Sometimes being offered tenderness feels like the very proof that you’ve been ruined.”

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

One of the books l read as a child was by Ngugi wa Thiong’o. He was among the authors who stirred my love for writing. I’m sad to hear of his passing today. What a loss to the world and to literature. May God receive him with mercy. Photo: UCI Podcast

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Aww! It’s a sob inducer for sure

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Ber Anena @beranena.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

You’re very welcome 🥰

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6/6: GIOVANNI’s ROOM by James Baldwin. I love Baldwin’s mind, and his intellect is quite visible in this novel. He doesn’t try to impress because he doesn’t need to. Totally enjoyed this one.

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5/6: THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING by Joan Didion. She’s an expert in interiority. How she intellectualizes her storytelling, even one about the death of loved ones, elevates the nonfiction genre in a great great way.

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4/6: THE NAMESAKE by Jhumpa Lahiri. Had only read her short stories. This novel reinforces Lahiri’s great great storytelling. So much world-building. So much details! So much immersion! This is one to reread.

3/6: PHASES by Tramaine Suubi! I loved the idea of exploring various emotions and experiences while anchoring them to the phases of the moon. Brilliant poems!

2/6: EVERY THING IS FINE HERE is by Iryn Tushabe. I read this in two days. I’m a terribly slow reader so this speaks to the strength of this novel and Iryn’s impressive storytelling. A real page turner. Oh and the subtle humor was a great icing!

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What l #read in #April 1/6: CARELESS PEOPLE by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Unbelievable read. The revelations about the toxic, misogynistic workplace culture at Facebook, its role in influencing world politics, surveillance, algorithm manipulation and more, makes this a must read.