Publisher Irene Staunton founder of Weaver Press was one of two Zimbabweans who were shortlisted in the 2009 PEN/Studzinski Literary Award which elicited an unprecedented response of 827 entries from African authors.

The other shortlisted Zimbabwean writer was NoViolet M Bulawayo who is based in the United States.

Staunton used her married name. Her husband and publishing partner at Weaver Press is Murray McCartney. The Pen website describes Irene McCartney as  ‘a publisher and editor, who is interested in Zimbabwean writers and writing.’ Her short story, Pauline’s Ghost, was highly commended by JM Coetzee and published in the winner’s anthology, New Writing From Africa 2009.

The anthology is being hyped as a contemporary African reading journey that will take you from Algeria to Zimbabwe, with stops along the way in Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Mauritius, Botswana, Mozambique, and South Africa. The writers are young and old, established and unpublished; the subject matter as diverse as Africa itself. It is an African literary journey at this juncture, and it is one to be savoured. The collection contains 34 short stories all selected by judge JM Coetzee.

Staunton has over the years edited several books including Mothers of the Revolution, Children in Our Midst, Writing Now, Writing Still, Laughing Now and Women Writing Zimbabwe.

The first prize went to Karen Jayes, a South African freelance writer and journalism lecturer at Cape Town’s City Varsity for her short story, Where He Will Leave His Shoes.

- By Tinashe Mushakavanhu (Kent, UK)

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Kim  - Staunton   |2009-06-26 07:51:06 congrats, sister Irene. I knew she would write her own story one day. A very tough little lady with a mischeivous wink. She is also shy. But I think she can also try acting.KIM Kugara Reply 1   0

Moris Bere  - Irene staunton   |2009-06-29 05:11:17 Yes, Kim. Also she mourns and whines unnecessarily about thingz in Zim sometimes, this little old woman called Staunton. That you feel like picking her up and gathering her in your arms and tell her to hush. Moris Bere Reply 0   1

Chaminuka's Sister   |2009-06-29 19:38:47 Morris, Irene is perfectly entitled to express her opinions on what is happening in Zimbabwe. I think you are deliberately being unkind when you describe this as whining and mourning. What I can't figure out is why you'd want to do this. Irene is a brilliant writer and an equally brilliant publisher who has done a lot to promote writing, literature and publishing in Zimbabwe if not in the sub-continent. For that, she deserves respect. Reply 0   0

Chamikuka's sister's boyfriend  - Irene   |2009-06-30 07:04:22 Dear Chaminuka's sister. Yes, Irene deserves lots of respect but i think Moris was only being playful and expressing an evaluative opinion. Easy up, dear Chaminuka's sister.Irene is a public figure and central to our literature. That is all. Chaminuka's sister's boyfriend. Reply 0   0

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