Upile Chisala

soft magic.

A fierce and lyrical collection of poetry celebrating the moments of triumph and beauty in our lives, as well as the moments of despair--recasting them as opportunities for growth. In this never-before-published collection, poet Upile Chisala grapples with themes of love, loss, and desire. Throughout this third book, she explores her identity as a black Malawian woman, offering intimate reflections on her life and experiences, imparting a stirring, universal message of empowerment and self-love.

A Fire Like You

Nectar is the second collection of poetry and prose by Malawian storyteller Upile Chisala. In this book, Upile guides through a beautiful process of blooming starting with some poems on self love then words on our roots followed by acknowledging all the fruit of these experiences. The storyteller's hope is that these poems on growth encourage the reader to sow and to make changes in the lives of others. Born in 1994 and raised in Zomba, Upile's hope is to tell stories from the margins and through her work help others and herself come to terms with pasts, celebrate presents and confidently dream beautiful futures.

Nectar

As Soft as Fire

'soft magic.' is the debut collection of prose and poetry by Malawian writer, Upile Chisala. This book explores the self, joy, blackness, gender, matters of the heart, the experience of Diaspora, spirituality and most of all, how we survive. 'soft magic.' is a shared healing journey.

Soft Magic

Uma nova poeta que, com sensibilidade, fala sobre o que é ser negra e mulher, sobre como nos tornamos quem somos e superamos a dor, a violência, o preconceito e os obstáculos Após apresentar ao leitor brasileiro a poesia de Amanda Lovelace, autora dos best-sellers A princesa salva a si mesma neste livro e A bruxa não vai para a fogueira neste livro, a LeYa Brasil lança a jovem poeta africana Upile Chisala, nascida no Malawi. Seu livro Eu destilo melanina e mel é uma coleção de poemas curtos que tratam sobre o que é ser negra e mulher, sobre como nos tornamos quem somos e superamos a dor, a violência, o preconceito e os obstáculos, sobre como a alegria e a espiritualidade estão profundamente conectadas e sobre como as palavras têm o poder de transformar a nós mesmos e ao mundo ao nosso redor.

Eu destilo melanina e mel

In nectar, Chisala guides readers through a beautiful process of growth and renewal. These poems celebrate our always complex, sometimes troubled roots while encouraging us to grow through and beyond them toward a passionate self-love. Chisala’s hope is that her words will encourage readers to sow seeds of change in their own lives and the lives of others.

nectar

Woven with Brown Thread This anthology is the result of deep heart work. Seeing Woven with Brown Thread come alive is one of my greatest dreams realized. When I started the Khala Series writing mentorship program my hope was to sit in a room with other poets and work through our work. In 2019, every other Saturday in Johannesburg for weeks Khala Series happened. We met, we laughed, we held each other, we cried, and we occasionally wrote. It was such a filling experience to be among the words and those who live to navigate them. With 2020, came the pandemic and lockdown and Khala, like other things in the world, came to a complete stop. Navigating sadness, desperation and uncertainty reminded me of how poetry is necessary. Poetry and being in community with other poets has always given me the space to breathe, consider and to simply exist. In 2021, I decided that Khala Series needed to continue if even virtually, so the 100 Poem Project was born. The Centre for the Less Good Idea was happy to support this project as it revels in work that helps to celebrate artists in all stages of their lives and practices. Through social media I issued a call to black women and nonbinary persons to submit poems dear to them. A flood of applications came from all over and I was both overwhelmed and overjoyed. I had worried that I would not receive any applications and by some great fate 500 people applied. 25 Poets were chosen to be in this anthology and from their bios you will learn how these unique previously unpublished poets come from different countries, have different professions and religions, backgrounds, and styles; They were all chosen for their magic. There was no prompt for the applicants and no themes. Poems came as they were and somehow managed to fit together neatly. The poems have been housed in five chapters. The first chapter 'Ritual' is a celebration of everyday practices and what we do to get by and get through. Facing a pandemic, practices that bring us back to the center are important now more than ever. From a poem about plantain to a poem about prayer, poems in this chapter manage to find the majesty in the mundane. The next chapter 'Inheritance' deals with navigating things of the blood. There are habits and features we may inherit and there are traditions we follow and those we break. Dealing with history, memory and heritage seems an essential part of all journeys to the self. Somehow looking backwards every so often helps us look forward more confidently and with better understanding. The Chichewa word 'khala' means 'to be' or 'to sit' or 'to exist'. In this book's third chapter, 'Being', live the poems that celebrate existence. Here are the poems around body, skin and names and life on the margins. The poets in this series grapple with what it means to exist as themselves, sometimes in love with all that is them and sometimes not. The last two chapters tackle deep hurt and deep love. Poems around loss, danger and the pain experienced at the hand of governments exist in the chapter 'Wound'. The failing of systems to protect those who live in the margins is central to this chapter. The collection's last chapter 'Tender' gathers poems that speak to joy and love as a final note to the reader that these two things are possible. 'Tender' is filled with love poems. Love poems for ourselves. Love poems for others. Love poems for nature. The tender act is opening your heart to joy. This book is filled with poems for the journey and all your new favourite poets. Through Zoom calls and Google Doc forms and all the conveniences of the internet this book came to be. This book, like the lives of those who have contributed to it, has been woven together with brown thread. May we all remember the kind thread that ties us to each other. May the poems do their work.

Upile Chisala

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