Harare — The British Council will present Owen Sheers, a renowned United Kingdom poet and author at the Book Cafe tonight for a literary evening.

Sheers is a poet, novelist, playwright, actor and BBC TV presenter from Wales.

He is best known in Zimbabwe for his semi-fictionalised account The Dust Diaries, recounting the life of his great-great uncle, Arthur Shearly Cripps, maverick missionary to Southern Rhodesia.

Sheers has had close links with Bulawayo and has a poem published in the amaBooks collection Short Writings from Bulawayo III, a short story in Long Time Coming: Short Writings from Zimbabwe and five poems in Intwasa Poetry.

He has also participated in the Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo held in 2006.

In a discussion to be chaired by Zimbabwean renowned children's writer, Blessing Musariri, Sheers will largely speak on why he is keen on myths and legends: their origins and how they reappear in modern-day storytelling as reflected in his publications, Dust Diaries, White Ravens, Resistance and others.

He will be joined by Joseph Tirivangana an expert on myths and legends and lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe

After presentations the audience will be invited to participate in a lively discussion.

Together with Sheers, Ethel Kabwato, Julius Chingono, Batsirai Chigama, Phillip Chidavaenzi and David Mungoshi will read or perform some of their works.

The audience will have a chance to meet the speakers as well as network.