Creative writing is an interesting art form which has seen some players enjoying it to the fullest. Wesley Macheso, currently Head of the Department of Literary Studies at the University of Malawi (Unima) in Zomba, is one of them. Through his creative writing feats, Macheso has earned opportunities outside the country where he has rubbed shoulders with great writers. In this conversation with SAM BANDA JNR, Macheso talks creative writing in detail as well as what led him to fall in love with it.

Let’s start in this way: What motivated you to venture into creative writing?

To me, creative writing is an art that mostly emerges from talent. So, I believe I always had that talent in me only that I had to unleash it through practice. Having said that, I cannot downplay the influence of the environment I grew up in. We always had a lot of books and my parents were always reading and encouraging us to read. So, it may be those stories I read as a child that influenced me to write.

This far, what are some of your success stories?

Writing has been a blessing to me. I have travelled to several countries around the world because I am a writer. Apart from travelling and attending writing workshops and seminars, writing has also earned me international recognition. I have so far published two books and several short stories in international anthologies and online magazines. Among other things, I was a writer in residence at the University of Iowa’s prestigious International Writing Program (IWP) in United States of America. I participated in the Miles Morland Foundation (MMF) creative writing workshop, and I was three times shortlisted for the Morland scholarship for African writers. I won the Peer Gynt Literary Award for my novella, Akuzike and the Gods. I was once shortlisted for the Short Story Day Africa (SSDA) prize. I also participated in the African Writers’ Trust (AWT) editing and publishing training workshop. All these, and more, have helped improve my art to serve writing better.

From where you are coming to where we are now, where do you think we are in terms of creative writing?

I think, as a country, we are getting back on our feet in terms of writing. I am saying this because there is a noticeable gap in creative output when you compare with the 80s and 90s to the first decade of the 21st century. Maybe it was the frenzy of democracy, or something else, but the good thing is that we are seeing more new Malawian voices emerging. The Malawi Writers Union (Mawu) has also risen from the grave and the future looks very promising.

What have we done better and what do you think we are not doing right?

What we are doing better is that we are trying to write, but I think we are still failing to set the right standards for our