Mosaic: Threads of African Prose and Poetry

The Third Annual Collection from the African Diaspora Award

The African diaspora is not a single story but a tapestry of histories, cultures, languages, and lived experiences. Mosaic: Threads of African Prose and Poetry, the third annual collection from the African Diaspora Award, brings together 24 writers whose voices span continents while remaining rooted in the enduring legacy of African identity. Through poetry, fiction, and reflective prose, this anthology explores memory, migration, belonging, resilience, faith, family, justice, and hope.

Edited by Monique Franz, founding director of Kinsman Quarterly, this collection continues the organization's mission to amplify exceptional literary voices from across the African diaspora. Each contribution serves as a distinct tessera in a larger mosaic, revealing how individual stories, when brought together, create a richer portrait of our shared humanity. Thought-provoking and beautifully crafted, Mosaic invites readers to discover the power of literature to bridge cultures, preserve heritage, and inspire meaningful dialogue.

Featuring works by Akin Jeje, Albert Christer Singletary, C. T. Chestnutt, Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa, DJ Benhaim, E Doyle-Gillespie, Elaine Joy Edaya Degale, Esinam Bediako, Femi Euba, Jacqueline Rose, Johannes Shikongo, Jonathan Chibuike Ukah, Joseph Jones, Kavon Henley, Mariam Akmal, Michael Eshetu, Mohammed Babajide Mohammed, Monique Franz, Noelle Kristina Barnes, Nwenna Kai, Shreya Mandal, Tennille Michelle Tatum, Zae Matthews, Zenobia Anderson.

Monique Franz is an American fiction writer, playwright, screenwriter, and literary nonfiction writer. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University, where she studied fiction and screenwriting and received the Beverly Hiscox and Norris Church Mailer scholarships. Franz is the founder and senior editor of Kinsman Quarterly and Kinsman Avenue Publishing, a nonprofit press dedicated to amplifying BIPOC and traditionally underrepresented voices. She is the author of Legacy of a Father and has contributed to and edited literary collections including Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora and Iridescence. Her writing and editorial work reflect an enduring interest in culture, faith, social justice, and the complexities of the human experience.

Zenobia Anderson (she/her) is a poet with Bajan roots, born in Queens, New York, and raised largely in the American South. She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her family. Anderson is the 2025 grand prize winner of Kinsman Quarterly's African Diaspora Award with her collection "Mosaics of the Mother." Her poetry explores identity, heritage, memory, and the complexities of the diasporic experience. Her work has appeared in Glossy Planet Magazine, The Rumpus, and And Still I Rise, a poetry anthology published by The Hemlock Journal and Quillkeepers Press, among other publications. Through her writing, Anderson honors the histories and voices that shape both personal and collective identity.

Zahon "Zae" Matthews is a Black American writer based in the United States. Her distinctive first name, pronounced "Zay-ahn," combines with her middle names to mean "my fortune survives," a meaning she considers an important part of her personal story and identity. Matthews holds a master's degree in Economic Crime Forensics and a bachelor's degree in Paralegal Studies. Professionally, she works as a risk operations specialist in the financial technology industry. Her writing appears in Kinsman Quarterly, where her creative work adds another dimension to a professional background rooted in investigation and analysis. A mother and emerging literary voice, Matthews brings her individuality, lived experiences, and perspective to her writing.