The Future of Creative Writing and Literature in Sierra Leone: A Conversation with Arthur Onipede Hollist

Arthur Pede Hollist is an award-winning Sierra Leonean writer and Professor of English at the University of Tampa. He teaches courses in African literature and creative writing. His publications include So the Path Does Not Die, which was named the 2014 African Literature Association Creative Book of the Year; “Foreign Aid,” which was shortlisted for the 2013 Caine Prize and published in A Memory This Size and Other Stories; and “The Tale of the Three Water Carriers,” which was longlisted for the 2015 Short Story Day competition and anthologized in Water: New Short Fiction From Africa. His research interests and scholarly publications encompass African trauma fiction, Afrodiasporic literatures, and Sierra Leonean literature. He was a 2017 Fulbright scholar and received the Louise Loy Hunter Award in 2014-2015.This episode features an interview with Professor Hollist, focusing on his writing inspirations, teaching philosophy, and perspectives on the future of the Sierra Leonean literary scene, informed by his extensive experience as both a writer and professor.