Lecturer wins Burt Award

Elizabeth Kabui whowon the 2014 Burt Award which came with a Sh780,000 cash prize. PHOTO | NATION

What you need to know:

  • The book, published by Longhorn, is set on a teenager who overhears a conversation between his parents, which sends him on a longwinded search for his biological father. The book is suitable for teenagers in Forms 1 and 2.
  • The Burt Award Prize, administered by the National Book Development Council of Kenya (NBDCK), recognises excellence in young adult literature.
  • Elizabeth, who currently teaches creative writing at St Paul’s University, also scooped the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature first prize in 2009 with her title The Prize. Her other books are The Dumpsite Puzzle, Bizarre Bazaar and The Turning Point.

When in Class Three a couple of years ago, a neighbour asked Elizabeth Kabui to write an essay about her pet.

She complied and gave it to him for marking. The following day, the neighbour knocked on their door and asked to see her mother.

“Who wrote this essay for Elizabeth?” she recalls the neighbour having enquired from her mother.  “Why?” her mother enquired with a broad smile on her face. “She wrote it herself.” 

“Because it’s so well written,” the neighbour answered still baffled. All this time, Elizabeth was listening to the conversation. She was glowing.

From that day, a writing seed was planted in Elizabeth’s young mind. Last Friday, she pocketed 9,000 Canadian Dollars (Sh780,000) when her book Was Nyakeeru my Father? won the first prize in the Burt Award.

The book, published by Longhorn, is set on a teenager who overhears a conversation between his parents, which sends him on a longwinded search for his biological father. The book is suitable for teenagers in Forms 1 and 2.

Anthony Mugo’s Ask the Stars, also published by Longhorn, came in second and scooped a cash prize of 7,000 Canadian Dollars (Sh610,000) while Moraa Gitaa’s The Shark Attack, published by Moran, was third with prize of 5,000 Canadian Dollars (Sh435,000).

REJECTED BY PUBLISHERS

The Burt Award Prize, administered by the National Book Development Council of Kenya (NBDCK), recognises excellence in young adult literature.

In its third year in 2014, the award organisers have changed the entry formula where the unpublished manuscripts are submitted by publishers instead of authors.

The Award seeks to address a shortage of relevant quality books for young people, while at the same time promoting a love of reading and learning at the middle and secondary school levels.

In what summarises the predicament of Kenyan authors, Elizabeth, says her manuscript had been rejected by another publisher and only withdrew it after she saw the Burt advertisement calling for manuscripts.

“I took my work to Longhorn and within days they called me back saying they loved it and would work on it,” she said. She advises young authors to always seek a second opinion when one publisher rejects their work.

Elizabeth, who currently teaches creative writing at St Paul’s University, also scooped the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature first prize in 2009 with her title The Prize. Her other books are The Dumpsite Puzzle, Bizarre Bazaar and The Turning Point.

Her publishing journey can be traced back in 2007 when a former student, who was working at a publishing firm, phoned and asked her to submit some children stories.

“He said ‘mwalimu I know you can write, please send me some stories’. I did and the rest as they say is history,” she recalls.