SHIMMER CHINODYA was born in Gweru and was educated at Goromonzi High School and the University of Zimbabwe, where he studied literature and education. He gained an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa, USA, in 1985, a year after he had attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University. Harvest of Thorns, Chinodya's fourth novel, won the prize for best novel in the Africa Section of The Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 1990. His other works include Dew in the Morning (1982), Farai's Girls (1984) and Child of War which was published under the name of B. Chirasha in 1985. Chinodya has also published several children's books in drama, folklore and poetry under the name of B. Chirasha. A serialisation of Dew in the Morning has been broadcast on radio. Can We Talk and Other Stories was shortlisted for The Caine Prize for African Writing in 2000.