TAKE 5: Otieno Owino Mikwa

Otieno is an editor at Kwani Trust, a Kenyan-based literary network dedicated to developing quality creative writing and committed to the growth of the creative industry through, for example, publishing and distribution of contemporary African writing.

1 How would you describe your job, and how long have you been doing it?

I am a writer’s first reader and number one fan. I am also the reader’s advocate. While I edit, my focus is on grammar, consistency, punctuation, facts, tone, and enforcement of house style - I am interested in clarity for the sake of the reader.

I essentially seek to eliminate anything that can be jarring to a reader’s experience while making sure the writer tells the story the best way he or she can. I’ve been an editor for four years, if I add freelance experience.

2 What’s the worst book you’ve ever read?

If a book doesn’t draw me in, I don’t force it. Let me just say that there are lots of books I started and never finished.

3 Your work involves reading, do you read for leisure too?

Yes I do. My work essentially involves reading with a pencil in hand, but when reading for leisure, I put the pencil down and simply enjoy the book. I have very diverse and constantly changing interests. Presently, I’m intrigued by artificial intelligence, so I am reading many articles on it. In this profession, reading makes you better. Besides reading, I also love live music, football, and a good conversation.

4 Which is a bigger problem, that Kenyans don’t read, or that Kenyans don’t write?

I think the bigger problem is that Kenyans don’t know enough about books that are published locally. Kenyans read a lot. And they do write a lot too. But we have weak systems, such that these books don’t make their way to the readers. Publishers need to do more marketing, and newspapers need to give more space to book reviews. We also need better publishing structures that are not very textbook centric. Bloggers are doing much better when it comes to promoting books.

5 Say I have a manuscript, how do I get it to you?

Submissions to Kwani? are sent to our submissions email, which is on our website: www.kwani.org. Once a manuscript reaches us, it is reviewed in-house and a decision of whether to take it on or not is made. An editor is thereafter assigned to work with the writer. We do have windows in which submissions are open, and we communicate that on our website and social media pages. We get so many submissions that sometimes we’re unable to get back to everyone who submits to us. We however try as much as possible to get back to as many as we can.