Who is ... Kachi Ozumba

Kachi A. Ozumba has just been announced as the winner of the 2009 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the African Region for his work, The One-Armed Thief, "a classic illustration of the African proverb that it takes a cunning man to catch a cunning man". He is also a winner of the Arts Council England's 2006 Decibel Penguin Short Story Prize, and his story, What’s in a Name?, was published in the prizewinners’ anthology Volume 1: New Voices from A Diverse Culture.

His work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and published in many journals and anthologies. His first novel, The Shadow of A Smile, was published in the UK in September 2009, and the rights have already been sold in Germany with publication due in Spring 2010.

Kachi holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Leeds and is currently pursuing a research degree in Literature & Creative Writing at Newcastle University.

Read more to listen to the entire conversation (48 min) below: