Out of Africa. The new year heralds the publication of Doreen Baingana's first book, Tropical Fish: Stories Out of Entebbe, a collection of short fiction that has already won awards. Born in Uganda, Baingana, 38, works part-time as a writer/reporter at Voice of America; she lives in Derwood in Montgomery County. For her book, she drew from both home and adopted countries to explore identity, love, race relations, and politics through three Ugandan sisters. Says Baingana: "I learned to trust that the writing process leads you to the end of the story."
Washingtonian staff contributing to this section were Chuck Conconi, Sherri Dalphonse, Susan Davidson, Mary Clare Fleury, Cynthia Hacinli, Thomas Head, Stephanie Jones, Ann Limpert, Drew Lindsay, Chad Lorenz, Leslie Milk, William O'Sullivan, Cindy Rich, and Jeremy Stahl. Also contributing were writers Cathy Alter, Ann Cochran, and Jenny Sullivan.