Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor (born 1968) is a Kenyan writer, who was named “Woman of the Year” by Eve Magazine in Kenya in 2004 for her contribution to the country’s literature and arts. She won the 2003 Caine Prize for African Writing for her story “Weight of Whispers”, which considers an aristocratic Rwandan refugee in Kenya. The story was originally published in Kwani?, the Kenyan literary magazine set up by Binyavanga Wainaina after he won the Caine Prize the previous year.
Born in Nairobi, Owuor studied English at Jomo Kenyatta University, before taking an MA in TV/Video development at Reading University. She has worked as a screenwriter and was the Executive Director of the Zanzibar International Film Festival from 2003 to 2005. Her short story “Weight of Whispers” was the 2003 winner of the Caine Prize. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications worldwide including Kwani? and McSweeney’s, and her story “The Knife Grinder’s Tale” was made into a short film in 2005.
In 2010, along with Binyavanga Wainaina, she participated in the Chinua Achebe Center’s “Pilgrimages” project and travelled to Kinshasa, and intends to produce a book about her experiences.
In 2014, her novel “Dust” received widespread critical recommendations as a vivid and often poetic portrayal of the violent history of Kenya in the second half of the 20th century.’
