Dr Kate Wallis

My research examines contemporary African literature (emphasis on Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somaliland, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda), Africa-based publishers and festivals, material cultures of the book and global literary networks.

I am also an editor and literary producer with 20-years experience of working in the publishing industry. I was previously Head of Humanities at Palgrave Macmillan, responsible for paperback publishing across history, literature, theatre and language. I worked for four years as an Editor and Producer at Kenya’s leading literary publisher Kwani Trust and am currently a Director for Kigali-based publishing company Huza Press.

I co-founded www.africainwords.com and regularly curate workshops and festivals including producing Africa Writes in 2015 (the UK’s largest festival of African literature at the British Library) and founding and co-producing Africa Writes–Bristol and Africa Writes–Exeter. I am also part of the Patnership Network for Exeter City of Literature and .Co-Director of University of Exeter's MA Publishing programme.

Research Supervision

I welcome applications from prospective PhD students and am happy to supervise students in the fields of World and/or Postcolonial Literatures and Publishing Studies, and in particular those with an interest in the following areas:

• Contemporary African literature
• Eastern African literary and publishing histories
• Africa-based publishers
• Black British writing and publishing
• Global literary networks and circuits of value
• Literary festivals and events
• Independent publishing and literary activism
• African print and digital cultures (including literary magazines)
• Literary development initiatives, literary prizes and creative writing workshops

Past Research Students

Zamda Ramadhani Geuza, ‘Feminist Publishing Practices in Tanzania (1980s to 2020s): Creating Reading Publics and Inclusive Knowledge Bases’ (2021-2024)

Clément Laurelli, ‘Lyannaj in Simone Schwarz-Bart, Michelle Cliff, Buchi Emecheta and Assia Djebar: Towards Relational Approaches to World Literature’ (2020-2024)

Zakiya McKenzie ‘A Literary and Social History of Black British Journalism: Caribbean Writers in Britain’ (2020-2023)

Idris Hamza Yana, ‘Women and the Gendering of Space in Narratives of Kenya: A Reading of Grace Ogot, Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o’s and Rebeka Njau’ (2019-2022)