We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tyrone Takawira a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tyrone, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.

I’d definitely be more regimented and structured pertaining to my writing. One of the biggest challenges I have faced as a writer and creative, and I am certain others would agree, is writing/creating when I ‘feel’ like it. While this is often attributed to creative ‘muses’ or inspiration, I believe I would have gotten more out of myself by having a stricter and more disciplined writing routine. Inspired or not, this would’ve given me the opportunity to create more often, and in turn, have more content that I could always refine and revise. It would’ve also given me more time in the actual application of the craft, which would exponentially enhance my comprehension and mastery.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an award-winning writer and storyteller (Zimbabwean) with a decade of writing experience. I self-published my first book when I was 22, which was a poetic chapbook on themes such as love, God and masculinity. I wrote this book in less than two weeks, with minimum edits because every page simply felt ‘perfect’. Within the same year, I would go on to be announced as the Global and Anglophone Winner of the Wole Soyinka Essay Competition – placing first from more than 2,000 writers worldwide. In many ways, winning this award elevated my self-belief and confidence as a writer/storyteller, and I haven’t stopped writing since. I possess numerous publications in global magazines – namely Brittle Paper, Eboquills, The Kalahari Review, The African Writer Magazine and Global Commons. While my work is diverse and explores numerous themes, I would describe myself as a social commentator. I explore topics that may not be commonly discussed, but are happening all around us. These range from governance and systematic prejudice to abuse and trauma. At the end of it all, I’d like my work to spark not only discussions, but solutions to pertinent issues. As a result of my writing experiences and success, I was selected as a Mandela Washington Fellow in 2023 – one of Africa’s most prestigious and well-known fellowship. Under this program, I spent six weeks within the United States, studying Civic Engagement and engaging with leaders from across the globe. I also learnt extensively about how art, of any form, can be used as a form of not only healing, but activism. I am currently working on my second book, which will be a collection of short stories. I hope to one day create timeless work; the kind of work that can be adapted into movies, shows and other creative works.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I am driven by a deep and profound appreciation for words, stories and expression. As a child, I have always had a strong fascination for letters; how letters stringed into words, and words into sentences. I watched, in absolute awe, how these words shaped not only the ebbs and flow of language, but fundamentally of society (the beliefs, narratives and behavior). Because of this fascination, I developed a reading culture early on, and soon fell in love with the art of writing. Hence, and as a writer/storyteller, I am in many ways driven by the power of words – and how they architect so many things in our lives. I am driven by the ability to shed truth through stories. I am driven by the power to wage war against silence. To speak for those who may not have the courage. Or are simply unheard. To speak on issues that matter. To represent not only observation, but solution. I am driven by the beauty of voice. The power to represent ideas, people and futures. Hence, I feel a social obligation to tell stories that in some shape or form empower, because the stories we tell often become our narratives, and these narratives become our realities.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The community. The conversations between me, the story and the reader(s). The communication between the lines. The impartation of knowledge. Of emotion. Of experience. The connection that comes from being vulnerable. The connection that comes from resonance. The connection that comes from truth. The most rewarding aspect of being a creative, for me, will always be the connection. Whether with one reader or a million. It’s a feeling that supersedes time or understanding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.clippings.me/users/tytakawira
• Instagram: @iiam.greatness
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyrone-takawira/