Otoniya J. Okot Bitek

Otoniya J. Okot Bitek (Canada/Uganda) is a writer known for her award-winning fiction and poetry. She teaches Black Creativity at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. We, the kindling is her debut novel.
At Crossing Border, she will talk about her novel.

About We, the kindling
Miriam, Helen, and Maggie—three women in their late twenties—carry the physical and emotional weight of their teenage years, when they were trained as child soldiers in Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army. In lyrical yet unflinching prose, Otoniya J. Okot Bitek weaves together their past and present: the rhythm of life before the war, the circumstances of their abduction, and the perilous journey home.

A deeply moving novel full of compassion and humanity, We, the kindling refuses to sensationalize cruelty and tragedy. Instead, it highlights strength, courage, and the unbreakable bonds between those who survive.