Kate Hampton - Editor
Washington DC
Enthusiastic, empathetic editor with five years of experience moving an eclectic range of books from concept to launch in Africa and the US.
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Overview
A short sampling of the range of writing I've worked on:
• short stories and creative nonfiction by several Caine Prize winners
• a hallucinogenic story about a guy in a chicken suit who robs a bank
• the winner of the Kwani? Manuscript Prize, chosen from more than 250 novels from across Africa and the African diaspora
• a 3000 word prose poem in the form of tweets about electoral politics
• a professor's comparative literary analysis of Moses in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
• maps, infographics, interviews, typography, press releases, grant proposals, marketing copy
• erotica
• the translation of a colonial detention camp survivor’s autobiography
If your work fits within this range, I’d love to hear from you.
If your work falls outside of this range, if it would challenge me or expand my remit, I’d love to hear from you.
I have four years of industry experience ranging from developmental editing to proofreading to design, production, marketing, and event planning. I lived in Nairobi for 3 1/2 years working for Kwani Trust--the leading literary publisher in East and Central Africa--publishing fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, art, photography, design, and miscellanea. I'm also an editor for and founder of the pan-African writers' collective Jalada.
I'm a juror on the American Library Association's Rainbow Book List Committee, curating the year's best LGBTQ literature.
In 2015, I received a partial scholarship to complete the Yale Publishing Course for mid- and senior-level publishing leaders.
I've written news, creative nonfiction, and poetry for Publishing Perspectives, Chimurenga, the East African, Saraba, ESC zine, Poetry Pacific, and others across three continents.
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Fiction
Anthologies
Children's Picture Books
Cultural & Ethnic Themes
LGBTQ
Literature
Poetry
Short Story
Women's Fiction
Non-Fiction
Architecture
Art
Design
Health & wellbeing
LGBTQ (non fiction)
Photography
Politics & Current Affairs
Psychology
Social & Behavioral Sciences
Travel
Certifications
- Yale Publishing Course, Leadership Strategies in Book Publishing, 2015
Awards
- Partial scholarship to attend Yale Publishing Course, Leadership Strategies in Book Publishing, 2015
Work experience
Editor and Editorial Consultant
Freelance
October, 2015
–
Present
(almost 3 years)
One of my current, major projects is developing a comparative analysis of the differences in the narratives of Moses in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Written by a professor of philosophy and religion, "Moses: Sacred Scriptures, Sacred Traditions" explores Moses' stories and their meanings within literary, historical, contemporary, religious, and cultural contexts.
Freelance Copy Editor
Chicago Review Press
August, 2015
–
August, 2015
(about 1 month)
Cofounder, Editor, Associate Editor
Jalada: a Pan-African Writers' Collective
October, 2013
–
Present
(about 5 years)
• Systematized production, recruited and directed team for logo and cover designs, and oversaw developmental editing of first two anthologies of the pan-African writers' collective
• Copy editor for fourth anthology, a collaboration with Uganda's Writivism Festival
• I continue to contribute ideas regarding organizational structures and sustainability
Assistant Managing Editor, Assistant Editor
Kwani Trust
August, 2011
–
December, 2015
(over 4 years)
Turned study abroad internship into full-time employment as editorial assistant at East and Central Africa’s leading creative publisher. Quickly promoted to assistant editor, working directly for managing editor. As assistant editor I
• Read submissions, edited, researched and wrote for 500+ page literary and art journal, novels, e-platforms, grants
• Liaised with writers, editors, artists, web designers, researchers, printers, donors and institutional partners
• Provided orientation for, trained and supervised interns and new editorial assistants
MAJOR PROJECTS WITH KWANI TRUST
Kwani? Journal
• Helped conceptualize and develop "Kwani? 07" and "Kwani? 08"
• Commissioned writers and artists
• Reviewed submissions and participated in selection process
• Drafted copy and selected text breaks
• Brainstormed with and directed artists and designers
Kwani? Series (2011-Present)
• Completed first rewrite of translation of "Kizuizini," a memoir by Joseph Muthee
• Brainstormed cover designs for East African edition of "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Proofread "Kintu" by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Kwani? Manuscript Project (2012-Present)
• Organized submissions, initial overview and communications with authors of 250 novels from 19 countries
• Promoted project through social media strategy
Kwani? Litfest 2012: Conversations with Writers from the Horn
• Planned, coordinated and reported on the week long literary festival's events including book launches, panels, readings and open mics
• Hosted international writers including Nawal El Saadawi, Kojo Laing, Hadraawi, Jamal Mahjoub, Warsan Shire and Helon Habila
Alternative Media Project (2011-Present)
• Coordinated editorial components of 2011 conference bringing together East Africa’s leaders in alternative media
• Produced Beyond Mainstream book and e-platform content
10 Day Writers' Residency
• Led writing seminar sessions on elements of craft
• Helped participants develop drafts into polished pieces
Portfolio (8 selected works)
Death of a Siren: A Novel
William S. Schaill
Death of a Siren is a fast-paced mystery set in the otherworldly Galápagos Islands in 1938 during the lead-up to World War II. A fugitive New York City cop is on the run from both the law and the mafia after killing a local thug. Trying to make his escape in a boat he stole from his uncle, castaway Fred Freiman, a German American, comes ashore on the islands and stumbles upon the body of a bea... read more
Kwani? 07: Majuu
Billy Kahora (Editor)
Kwani? has always been significantly connected to the Diaspora through the individuals who founded it, and its early contributors. Its seventh issue picks up the idea of leaving and of return, something that has framed the conversations and hybrid identities of many Kwani? writers. Kwani? 07 explores diasporic imaginaries and discourses through fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, history, ar... read more
Americanah
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
As teenagers in a Lagos secondary school, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are leaving the country if they can. Ifemelu-beautiful, self-assured- departs for America to study. She suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships and friendships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Obinz... read more
Kizuizini
Joseph Muthee
'Kizuizini' is a story of endurance and the struggle for freedom written by Joseph Muthee who survived 7 detention camps during the Mau Mau struggle. Muthee is the only living survivor who went through all of Kenya's colonial detention camps. This is his story. In 2007 Kiziuzini was awarded the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature, Literature For Adult's Kiswahili Category, 2nd Prize.
Kintu
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
'This is the novel Uganda-and not just Buganda-has been waiting for. Here, history comes alive in such sensual and accurate detail. For many of us who draw a blank when seeking pre-colonial family histories, this multi-layered story makes us re-imagine, reclaim, and yes, re-live what has been lost.' Doreen Baingana, author of Tropical Fish 'An ambitious modern epic that takes in family saga an... read more
Sext Me: Poems and Stories (Jalada 01)
Kate Hampton (Editor), Anne Moraa (Editor), Tuelo Gabonewe (Editor)
Heralded by Binyavanga Wainaina as a new generation of writers producing exciting and original work, Jalada is already achieving significant critical acclaim and success. Members of the collective - Clifton Gachagua, Mehul Gohil, Linda Musita, Kioko Ndinda, Okwiri Oduor and Novuyo Rosa Tshuma - were named as 6 of the 39 most promising fiction writers from Africa under 40 as part of the Africa3... read more
Dust
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
In contemporary Nairobi, a young man named Moses Odidi Oganda bleeds to death in the streets, murdered by police. As his lifeblood-full of memories, colors, and songs-pours into the dust, the stories that tumble forth reveal the violent upheaval of Kenya's own life, reaching from the Mau Mau uprisings of the 1950s to the murky intricacies of modern-day corruption. Odidi's grief-stricken family... read more
Kwani? Uchaguzi '13 (Kwani? 08)
Billy Kahora (Editor)
The latest journal, Kwani? 08 explores the 2013 elections, the campaigns, questions around IDPs, the Constitution and how all these things could be connected to our current political reality in Kenya. We get back on the campaign and money trails, '13 elective scenarios, tall tales, spectacles and reinventions through image and text, maps and journeys, elegies, and verse. And we move from 2008,... read more
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