Glaydah Namukasa is a Ugandan writer"Women writing in Africa. A Bibliography of Anglophone Women Writers, aflit.arts.Retrieved 7 February 2014 and midwife."Dreams Dreams and Dreams! By Glaydah Namukasa" author-me.com. Retrieved 30 November 2011. She is the author of two novels, Voice of a Dream"Voice of a dream by Glaydah Namukasa", completreview.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014."Dressed in a Nurse’s Uniform", african-writing.com. Retrieved 7 February 2014. and Deadly Ambition."The Deadly Ambition (by Glaydah Namukasa)" africabookclub.com, 9 January 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2014. She is a member of FEMRITE, the Ugandan Women Writer's Association,"History of FEMRITE, the Uganda Women Writers' Association . Retrieved 22 August 2011.Ava-Matthew, Lois: "FEMRITE and Ugandan Women Writers", Belletrista. 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2011 and was the Chairperson in 2014 for 2 terms."The 2014 Writivism Mentors", Writivism, 25 December 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2014. She is one of the 39 African writers announced as part of the Africa39 project unveiled by Rainbow, Hay Festival and Bloomsbury Publishing at the London Book Fair 2014. It is a list of 39 of Sub-Saharan Africa's most promising writers under the age of 40.Africa39 list of artists, Hay Festival, 8 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014."Africa39 list of promising writers revealed", The Bookseller, 8 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014."Chimamanda, Tope Folarin, Stanley Kenani, others make Africa 39 list" . CityVoice, 10 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014., Lesleigh Kenya, 9 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.Glaydah NAMUKASA, hayfestival.com. Retrieved 11 April 2014.Africa39 Authors Biographies , hayfestival.com. Retrieved 11 April 2014.

Early life and education Glaydah was born in Entebbe, Uganda. Bereaved of her father as a child, she grew up in Entebbe with her mother, three sisters and two brothers. She studied in Nkumba Primary School, then Entebbe Secondary School. She graduated as a midwife in June 2000 at Kabale Nursing School. Currently, she is working with Wakiso District. She joined the Uganda Women Writers Association, FEMRITE in 2002. Later she joined the British Council Crossing Borders creative writing scheme."The Deadly Ambition (Paperback) Glaydah Namukasa", abebooks.com. Retrieved 7 February 2014.

She started her writing career by telling stories to fellow students at Nkumba Primary and Entebbe Secondary School. She used to ask herself why she could not write the stories instead. She would use exercise books to record her stories and later request friends to read through the work. One of her enthusiastic friends, Andrew Byogi, who read them over and over again, recommended her to FEMRITE, where she became an activist and active writer."Ugandan Writers: Meet Glaydah Namukasa", AfroLit, 25 January 2006. Retrieved 30 November 2009.

Writing

Namukasa’s young adult novel, Voice of a Dream,"Macmillan honours writer" , newvision.co.ug. Retrieved 30 November 2009."Voice of a Dream by Glaydah Namukasa" , BookDragon. Retrieved 6 February 2014. won the 2005–2006 Macmillan Writers’ Prize for Africa (Senior Prize)."Glaydah Namukasa Ugandan writer" , Lancaster/Uganda Friends Writing Project. Retrieved 6 February 2014."Crossing Borders Writer from Uganda wins Macmillan Prize" , Lancaster University, 25 January 2006. Retrieved 30 November 2009. In 2006, she was awarded the Michael and Marylee Fairbanks International Fellowship, which enabled her to attend the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference in Ripton, Vermont, United States.

Her second novel, The Deadly Ambition, was published in 2006 as part of the Crossing Borders creative writing project. In the fall of 2008, Namukasa was awarded the title of Honorary Fellow by the International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa."Glaydah Namukasa Reading" , The Bi-College News, 23 November 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2014."Ugandan Writer Glaydah Namukasa Gave a Reading at Haverford College on November 18, 2008" , haverford.edu. Retrieved 6 February 2014."Glaydah NAMUKASA", iwp.uiowa.edu. Retrieved 6 February 2014.

She has also been a visiting writer in residence at City of Asylum Pittsburgh"City of Asylum™ Visiting International Writer Residencies" , cityofasylumpittsburgh. Retrieved 6 February 2014. and at Ledig House International Writers’ Residency in Hudson, New York, where she began drafting her second novel. As a participant in the Friends of Writing project, she worked on her novel Crossing the Bramble Field with mentor Angela Barry."Glaydah Namukasa Ugandan writer", belletrista.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014.

In 2012, her short story “My New Home”"My New Home", wordswithoutborders.org. Retrieved 6 February 2014.Carmen McCain, "Words Without Borders Draws Attention to African Women Writing in Indigenous Languages", A Tunanina…, 12 October 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2014."Glaydah Namukasa", Words Without Borders. Retrieved 6 February 2014. was part of a project highlighting African women writing in indigenous languages.

Namukasa’s short fiction has appeared in anthologies published in Uganda, South Africa, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, including in New Daughters of Africa (2019), edited by Margaret Busby.Tom Odhiambo, "'New Daughters of Africa' is a must read for aspiring young women writers", Daily Nation (Kenya), 18 January 2020. In addition to fiction for adult audiences, she has written three books for children, all published under the Pan African imprint of Macmillan.

Published works

Novels

Short stories "And Still Hope Survives", in "Then Now and Tomorrow", in "The Naked Bones", in "Ojera's Final Hope", in "The Second Twin", in "My New Home", Words Without Borders, 2013 "Dreams dreams and dreams!", authorme.com

Poems

"Yet Hope Survives", Sable Magazine, UK (shortlisted for the Ken Sarowiwa Legacy) 2004 "That Place", FEMRITE Word Write Journal, 2004, republished in Poetry Poster Project, 2008

References

External links Beatrice Lamwaka, "Ugandans flying Africa’s literary flag", Daily Monitor, 25 April 2014.