On Thursday 23 April Pamberi Trust presents another interesting literary discussion at The Book Cafe, on the topic "TRADITIONAL, ELECTRONIC AND SELF-PUBLISHING".

Traditional publishing in Zimbabwe has generally taken a blow in the last few years of economic struggle, with fewer people buying books and the publishing industry suffering as a result. Some independent authors have 'gone it alone' and published their own work, others have used (or been conned by?) 'vanity' publishers, and some have used the internet to publish their work. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these various routes to publication?

In the last decade, there has been an explosion of 'space' on the internet where publishing takes a new twist with advanced technology. While there is a dearth of printed material in Zimbabwe due to many challenges, including paper shortages for the regular print media, the internet has leap-frogged information challenges and has placed the power to 'publish' directly into the hands of the ordinary person. An amazing report from Japan reveals how stories are published through SMS on cell phones.

With millions around the world logged on to modern networking sites such as Facebook and blogspots, information travels faster and often appears much more quickly than the traditional means of newspaper and television. It is unedited, uncensored and revolutionary, but also comes with its own challenges.

The Thursday 23 April discussion will examine the current publishing environment, the pros and cons of self-publishing, and new trends with new technology. Speakers are Murray McCartney of Weaver Press, self-published writers Virginia Phiri, journalist Ish Mafundikwa and professional webmaster and ‘blogger’ Fungai James Tichawangana of ZimboJam and Zimbablog, and ensuing discussion will be chaired by Zimbabwe's renowned poet Chirikure Chirikure.

Pamberi Trust literary discussions at The Book Café have been ongoing for many years, bringing literary people together from across the city. The programme is guided by prominent publishers and writers of the country. The communications project by Pamberi Trust, which includes Literary, Artists' Voices and other civil society discussions, is supported by the W.K.Kellogg Foundation.

Literary events and discussions are free, and all are welcome.

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Literary Discussion:
'TRADITIONAL, ELECTRONIC AND SELF-PUBLISHING'
with Murray McCartney, Virginia Phiri, Fungai James Tichawangana, Ish
Mafundikwa, Chirikure Chirikure

Thursday 23 April 2009, 5.30-7pm
The Book Café, Fife Ave Mall, Harare