PAIR Speculative Futures Visiting Writer Series: Shingai Njeri Kagunda

Online Only

Mar 16 at 11:45 AM  - Apr 7 at 8:00 PM EDT 

{ "name":"PAIR Speculative Futures Visiting Writer Series: Shingai Njeri Kagunda", "description": "https:\/\/ticketfi.com\/event\/6855\/pair-speculative-futures-visiting-writer-series-shingai-njeri-kagunda\n\nJoin us for a series of four events , between March 16-April 7 (online, hybrid, and in-person) to engage with the visionary work of Shingai Njeri Kagunda. All events are free and open to the public. \n\nAs PAIR's inaugural speculative futures visiting writer, Kagunda will engage with the community in classroom visits, hosted conversations, and a public reading--creating opportunities for students and faculty across disciplines to engage with speculative fiction as both creative practice and critical methodology. \n\nThe Pan-African Initiative for Research (PAIR) Speculative Futures Visiting Writer Series brings visionary writers working in Afrofuturism, speculative fiction, and related genres to Waterloo to engage with students, faculty, and community around diasporic futures, worldbuilding, and resistance narratives.  \n\nOur inaugural guest is Shingai Njeri Kagunda (March\/April 2026), an award-winning Afrosurrealist\/Afrofuturist storyteller from Nairobi, Kenya with a Literary Arts MFA from Brown University. Shingai is the author of We Who Will Not Die (2025 Ignyte Award for Outstanding Novelette) and & This is How to Stay Alive (2022 Ignyte Award winner for best novella). They are co-Editor-in-Chief of Fantasy Magazine (Hugo Award finalist), former co-editor of Podcastle Magazine (Ignyte Award winner), and co-founder of Voodoonauts—an Afrofuturist writing workshop for Black writers. With work featured in Best American Sci-fi and Fantasy, Year's Best African Speculative Fiction, Lightspeed, Africa Risen, and numerous literary journals, Kagunda’s speculative storytelling explores themes of social memory, resistance, and transformation. \n\nFULL SCHEDULE \n\nMonday, March 16, 11:45am-12:45pm (virtual): Storyteling & Social Justice \n\nKagunda will visit Dr. Katy Fulfer’s Arts First course, “Inquiry and Knowledge Creation: Gender on the Edge of Time” to discuss the relationship between storytelling and social justice. Location: Online. \n\nMonday, March 16, 6:30-8pm (virtual): Storyteling & Social Justice, Continued \n\nTheorypratice Lab will host a conversation with Kagunda on storytelling and social justice, keeping the discussion going from their morning guest lecture. Location: Online.  \n\nThursday, March 19, 4-5pm (hybrid): WISH Reading Group Short Story Discussion \n\nThe WISH Waterloo Initiative of Solarpunk and Hope will convene to discuss Kagunda’s short story, “The Once-girl Made of Mycelium.” Kagunda will join virtually for an author reading and group discussion. \nLocation: University of Waterloo, Modern Languages, Room 245 + Online. Reading: https:\/\/www.waterloosolarpunks.ca\/ \n\nTuesday, April 7, 6-8pm (in-person): Public Reading + Conversation \n\nKagunda will read from recent work followed by conversation shared over food and refreshments. Location: University of Waterloo, EC5 1111 (305 Philip St). \n\nAll events are free and open to the public. \n\nCo-sponsored by the Department of Communication Arts, the Department of English Language and Literature, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada through a research grant held by Brianna Wiens, WISH: Waterloo Initiative of Solarpunk and Hope, Theorypractice Lab, and the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism. \n\nhttps:\/\/uwaterloo.ca\/pan-african-initiative-for-research\/events\/pair-speculative-futures-visiting-writer-series\n\n  \n", "startDate":"2026-03-16", "endDate":"2026-04-07", "startTime":"11:45", "endTime":"20:00", "location":"East Campus 5 - University of Waterloo - 305 Phillip St Waterloo ON N2L 5Z5 Canada", "label":"Add to Calendar", "options":[ "Apple", "Google", "iCal", "Microsoft365", "Outlook.com", "Yahoo" ], "timeZone":"US/Eastern", "trigger":"click", "inline":true, "listStyle":"modal", "iCalFileName":"invite.ics" }