LAONE J. MANGWA

Born 18 May 1993 in Selebi Phikwe, Botswana

Short stories, personal essays, poetry

AUTHOR BIO

Laone J. Mangwa (also known as LJ Mangwa and/or Lyon-Jean Magnifique) is a Motswana creative writer, self-published author, spoken word poet, copy and line editor, and graduate in Applied Business Computing, fascinated by how life mimics art and vice versa. As a creative writer, his focus centres on finding freedom through the expression of internal experiences usually tough to express verbally. Inspired by the unfolding of everyday life, Laone seeks to bridge the gap between the so-called mundane and the extraordinary, often venturing into the otherworldly. Some of his works appear in the Kalahari Review, Petlwana and Lọúnlọún. Currently, Laone reads for The Word’s Faire Magazine.

LINKS

• https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Laone+J.+Mangwa%22;jsessionid=EECECC2F8F4F162D4CDE38967B4246A8.prodny_store02-atgap06?Ntk=Publisher&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall
• https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0F3VC1VYD?tag=books2read02-20

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Chronicles of an Unbound Traveler: A Compendium of Unorthodox Expressions, self-published, 2021.
• Chronicles of an Unbound Traveler: Navigating the Waters of Antiquity, self-published, 2022.
• Starlight Sensations in the South, self-published, 2023.
• Tellings from the Ethers, self-published, 2023.
• Chronicles of an Unbound Traveler: The Final Frontier, self-published, 2024.
• Starlight Sentiments in the South, self-published, 2024
• Emoting, self-published, 2025.
• “Melatopia,” Voices That Sing Behind The Veil: Anthology of Short Stories from Africa and the Diaspora, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, Digibooks Publishing Ghana, 2022, pg. 284.
• “Love’s Hill,” Love Made in Africa: Our Stories Redefined Anthology 2024: Flash Fiction Edition (Our Stories Redefined Anthology for African Writing Book 4), Y W Wamuyu, Mystery Books, 2024.
• “The Sick Healers,” Kalahari Review, Nov 5 2020, https://kalaharireview.com/the-sick-healers-af207bc976f9.
• “I’ll Keep Digging Till the Title Decides to Show Its Face,” Kalahari Review, Jun 21 2021, https://medium.com/the-kalahari-review/ill-keep-digging-till-the-title-decides-to-show-its-face-95d6dc7c6c4f.
• “To Sink or To Swim,” Kalahari Review, Aug 16 2022, https://medium.com/the-kalahari-review/to-sink-or-to-swim-4784e0b8dce5.
• “Mmino’s Dance,” Kalahari Review, Jul 30 2024, https://medium.com/the-kalahari-review/mminos-dance-0be523bf54f9.
• “The F Word,” Petlwana Journal of Creative Literature and the Arts, Jun 10 2024, https://petlwana.com/2024/06/10/the-f-word/.
• “Mokwadi,” Petlwana Journal of Creative Literature and the Arts, Aug 6 2025, https://petlwana.com/2025/08/06/mokwadi/.
• “A Foe’s Demise,” Lọ́unlọ́un, Jan 13 2025, https://lounloun.com/2025/01/13/a-foes-demise/.
• “To Be a Man,” Kalahari Review, Nov 20 2025, https://medium.com/the-kalahari-review/to-be-a-man-091e8c27412a.
• “The Warmth in Mama’s Room,” Numen of Story, Dec 19 2025, https://www.numenofstory.com/the-warmth-in-mamas-room.