Join us for today's program on Zoom:

Join Zoom Meeting

‍https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85459203014?pwd=Q3hpNHNrYndXU2xUL0tmKzR2cUNSUT09

‍Meeting ID: 854 5920 3014Passcode: 141390

THE AFRICAN BOOK CLUB @ MOAD

An ongoing series in partnership with Faith Adiele. February’s book selection is Fairytales for Lost Children by Diriye Osman.

How to participate: Get a copy of the book, read it in advance of the meeting, and then discuss the book with a group of people interested in reading African literature online via zoom on February 28th at 5:00 PM (PST). After you register you will receive information to join via zoom. If you don’t see an email from MoAD, check your spam or junk mail box. Fairytales for Lost Children is available for purchase online at the MoAD bookstore.

You can view a list of all the books previously read and discussed in African Book Club, and if you order through bookshop, MoAD will receive a percentage of the sale: https://bookshop.org/lists/african-book-club

Hosted by Faith Adiele, Author, Professor & Co-Founder of African Book Club

About the Book

FAIRYTALES FOR LOST CHILDREN is narrated by people constantly on the verge of self-revelation. These characters - young, gay and lesbian Somalis - must navigate the complexities of family, identity and the immigrant experience as they tumble towards freedom. Set in Kenya, Somalia and South London, these stories are imbued with pathos, passion and linguistic playfulness, marking the arrival of a singular new voice in contemporary fiction. Praise for FAIRYTALES FOR LOST CHILDREN: 'Fantastic writing. I am most highly impressed. I've read some of the stories more than once and saw in each of them plenty of talent everywhere - in every sinew and vein.' - NURUDDIN FARAH 'There is nothing more humbling than good writing except when the author is fiercely beautiful and ferociously generous of heart. That Diriye Osman should possess so much talent is only fair in light of his goodness. Read this book.' - MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO -The characters in these fairy tales are displaced in multiple, complicated ways. But Osman's storytelling creates a shelter for them; a warm place which is both real and imaginary, in which they find political, sexual, and ultimately psychic liberation.' - ALISON BECHDEL 'East Africa. South London. Queer. Displaced. Mentally Ill. My excitement over Osman and his writing comes, in part, out of delight at the impossibility of categorisation.' - ELLAH ALLFREY The Telegraph.

About the Author

Diriye Osman (Somali: Diriyeh Cismaan, Arabic: ديري عثمان‎) (born in 1983) is a Somali-British short story writer, essayist, critic and visual artist. He is the author of the short story collection Fairytales For Lost Children, which won the 2014 Polari First Book Prize. His writing has also been published in varied publications. Additionally, Osman's visual art is known for its surrealism. More at diriyeosman.com