The Bookaholic Blog

Calls for Submission: Commonwealth Foundation

2012-01-27T09:12:00.000+01:00

The Commonwealth Foundation is inviting filmmakers from across the Commonwealth to submit an idea for a short film about relationships. Individual filmmakers or collectives should submit a proposal which explores the theme of love in its broadest sense, whether inter-racial, inter-generational or within and between the sexes. The theme should be relevant to the filmmaker and their community.

We’re looking for original, bold and authentic films in any genre which entertain as well as stimulate and encourage debate both locally and globally.

Deadline for receipt of applications is 31 January 2012 (5pm GMT)

Click here for more details.

Book ‘n’ Gauge 8TH EDITION: AN AFTERNOON WITH BOBO OMOTAYO

2012-01-25T10:17:00.000+01:00

The 8th edition of the monthly book reading: Book ‘n’ Gauge would be coming up on the 28th of January. The literary event organized by PulpFaction Book club is aimed at creating a platform where reading is seen as hip and cool. Making use of new media, PulpFaction Book Club brings together lovers of the literary arts, authors and publishers to engage in no-holds barred discussions, in an atmosphere of conviviality.
The monthly book reading also affords literary enthusiasts the opportunity to not only talk about books they love and have read but they also get to buy books at affordable prices at the venue of the reading which takes place at Debonairs Bookstore, 294 Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba.

Book ‘n’ Gauge is not an event of literary arts only, as the performing arts is also featured at the readings, attendees are treated to good acoustic music as well as creatively woven spoken word (poetry).

In the Past

PulpFaction Book Club has hosted authors likes of Lola Shoneyin, Jumoke Verissimo, Toni Kan, Jude Dibia, Sam Omatseye, Akachi Ezeigbo, Seye Oke, Joy Isi Bewaji and Odili Ujuobono; and performing artists like Plumbline, Efe Paul Azino (spoken word); Aduke, Ese Peters, Isibiama, DTone Martins and Ruby.

READING

The 8th edition tagged ‘An afternoon with Bobo Omotayo’, will feature this writer cum blogger reading to the audience from his book ‘London Life, Lagos Living.’ Bobo Omotayo is a bright and multi-talented specialist in communication with 9years experience; he is also known under the non de plume’ ‘The Renaissance Man’. He has also contributed as a columnist and freelance writer to several print and online
newspapers and magazines.

PERFORMANCES

Ndukwe Onuoha – Spoken Word

Performing at the first edition for the year 2012 would be Ndukwe Onuoha, a spoken word artiste who draws his inspiration from the many human stories that play themselves out daily, hence providing a unique
insight into the animal called MAN. A copywriter by day and a poet by design, Ndukwe has performed at some of Lagos’ most celebrated poetry circles like Anthill 2.0, Taruwa, and Freedom Hall whilst garnering
commendation for some of his works like, ‘puff, puff, pass, and Boom!’.

Ese Peters - Musician

Ese Peters has a knack for making beautiful music. A self-taught guitar player, He started out as a solo performer of the Alternative Rock/Soul genre after graduating from the university in 2008. A young man who sings from his heart, Ese carefully crafts his songs which come from his experiences and a wealth of influences, citing John Mayer as a major reason he decided to pursue music as a career. Ese puts an interesting spin on guitar-driven pop music.

The 8th Edition of the Book ‘n’ Gauge promises to be a mix of experience, fun and minds sparing with fellow lovers of the literary and performing arts.

DATE: Saturday, 28th January, 2012.

TIME: STRICTLY 2pm – 5pm

VENUE: Debonair Bookstore, 294, Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba.

Remember: Bring five friends and win a free book! Gifts are available for early birds too.

IN CONVERSATION with PROFESSOR KOLE OMOTOSO

2012-01-24T10:17:00.000+01:00

The January edition of the Life House "In Conversation" series features acclaimed writer and intellectual, Kole Omotoso. In a moderated discussion with Tolu Ogunlesi, we'll delve into a discussion of his non fiction works in particular, Just Before Dawn and Achebe or Soyinka: A Study in Contrasts. The Life House audience will also be treated to exclusive first readings of excerpts from his forthcoming memoir, Witness to Possibilities.
Some of Omotoso's old works include "Achebe or Soyinka: A Study of Contrasts" will also be available to buy and to immortalize with the author's signature.

Date: Friday 27th January, 2012 from 5pm

Venue: The Life House, 33 Sinari Danijo, Off Younis Bashorun Street, Off Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria

Nwokolo On Tour With 'The Ghost Of Sani Abacha'

2012-01-23T16:14:00.001+01:00

Chuma Nwokolo, author of a new collection of short stories entitled 'The Ghost Of Sani Abacha' is currently on tour in the UK as his initial Nigerian tour had to be suspended due to the recent strike action. This collection of 26 humorous short stories is set in a post-autocratic country whose indigenes suffer varying levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSDs) caused by three decades of military occupation.

Called to the bar in 1984, Nwokolo worked briefly for the Legal Aid Council and was managing partner of the C&G Chambers, Lagos. He was also writer-in-residence of The Ashmolean, Oxford, and chair of Leys Newspapers. He is a public speaker and publisher of African Writing Magazine.

His books include 'Diaries of a Dead African', 'One More Tale for the Road' and the poetry collection, 'Memories of Stone'. The first 'Diary of a Dead African', originally published by London Review of Books, was selected by La Internazionale as one of the three best stories worldwide in 2001. African Writing Limited publishes an eponymous four-year-old literary magazine. The company is also promoting a national book club dedicated to young adults with an adventure series, The Thriller Club.
Jan 25, 2012 - Liverpool
Jan 26, 2012 -Manchester
Jan 28, 2012 - Swansea

Nwokolo will also embark on a reading tour of South Africa, Ghana and Kenya.

Literary Star Search contest

2012-01-20T14:36:00.000+01:00

Seems like January is the month for literary contest writers and with mouth-watering and palm-sweating prizes up for grabs, entering a competition or two is definitely a great new year resolution for 2012!

WRITE Yourself to FAME & FORTUNE!!! in the Liteary Star Search contest for Nigeria’s star writers in the SHORT STORY category (not more than 3,500 words long).

One Million Naira Grand Prize, N300,000 and N200,000 respectively for the second and third best places.

The best 25 stories will be published in a collection and entered for competition worldwide, including the Caine & Commonwealth Short Story Prizes

To apply, write not more than a 3,500 word short story (double space typing) and enclose with Three Thousand naira (N3,000) Entry Fee in bank draft obtainable from any Zenith International Bank Plc branch nationwide, and payable (addressed) to Creative Alliance. Deliver by hand or courier service, addressed to:

Creative Alliance Nigeria Limited (Literary Star Search)
1, Oladosu Street, Off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos

OR

Creative Alliance (Literary Star Search)
PO Box 2442 Ikeja, Lagos.

For further enquiries, please call: 08057712377; 08091031390

Email: ozoro4u@yahoo.ca; literarystarsearch@gmail.com; dreampartners@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.creativeallianceng.com/; http://www.creativealliance.blogspot.com/

Call for Submissions: Book Republic Blog

2012-01-17T15:48:00.000+01:00

Book Republic is scouting for the next writing talent in Nigeria. We are presently accepting Short Essays, Poems and Short Stories from interested writers for publication on our blog http://www.progresspublishing.wordpress.com/.

Our blog is dedicated towards promoting the writing and reading culture in Nigeria and Africa in general. We strongly believe that refined African voices should be heardand celebrated in the written format.

Entry Fee: Free
CATEGORIES

POETRY- 20 - 40lines

Short Story - 850 - 3000 words

Short Essays - 1000 - 3000 words

Endeavour to attach a short bio and probably, a picture alongside your submission. All submissions should be forwarded to Bookrepublic2012@gmail.com.

Some of the published entries will be forwarded to international writing competitions on behalf of our authors. This would be after we might have sought the consent of the chosen writers.

Lantern Books: Children’s Publishing Success in Nigeria

2012-01-13T17:01:00.000+01:00

An excerpt of Dennis Abrams' piece from Publishing Perspectives...this should cheer our budding children book writers...

It has been a long journey for Olayinka Lawal-Solarin. From working in his own business as a retail pharmacist, he became proprietor and managing director of Corona Chemists Nigeria in 1969. That same year, he pioneered medical publishing in Nigeria with Medipharm, a medical index or pharmaceutical specialties, the first of its kind in Africa. This led to the incorporation of Literamed Publications Nigeria Limited in 1969, which has since gone beyond Medipharm and other medical journals into children’s books.

Why children’s books? As Olayinkia said in an interview, “As a child growing up in Nigeria and as an adult growing up in the United Kingdom, I realized that there is a great difference in child’s education between the UK and Nigeria. There was a deficiency in children’s education both at the basic level and in the provision of toys. [So] when the opportunity presented itself to do something about it I did. Building my own printing press to tackle the technicality of medical publications, I decided to expand Literamed to the publication of children’s books which I was considered was needed to give children in my country a sound basic education.”

Today, Literamed Publications Limited is Nigeria’s leading children’s book publisher, and its imprint, Lantern Books, has become a household name in Nigeria and throughout West Africa. By publishing textbooks by established authors in line with approved curriculums to story books which serve as a springboard for young readers, Lantern Books caters to West African youth from pre-school through secondary education.

Olayinka, or “Yinka” as he is known to his friends, is particularly pleased that Lantern Story Books had expanded into seven series: Adventure, Folk Tales, Fairy Tales, Health, Heroes, Bible Stories, and Literary. Each series is further divided into age groups of 4-7 years, 8-12 years, 13-16 years, and 17 years and above. Most of these titles serve double-duty, both as leisure reading and as literature texts used in Nigerian schools.

Apart from textbooks, Literamed publishes over 100 books a year, and as one of the very few publishers in Nigeria with its own press, it has a sizable advantage by giving Olayinka complete control over every aspect of the production process, from manuscript to book, ensuring both high-quality and availability all year round — something that many other West African publishers cannot promise.

Read the rest here.

Call for Submissions: Scape

2012-01-07T16:04:00.000+01:00

Scape is a fantasy, science fiction and horror e-zine with a young adult (YA) focus. We seek the best new short YA speculative stories, poetry and art. We also publish news and reviews on books, movies and trends in the speculative YA world.

Click here for writers' guidelines.
Paying Market via Paypal.

The Writer Competition

2012-01-03T08:39:00.000+01:00

The Writer is an online ‘reality’ writing competition.

The Process.

Ten writers will be shortlisted from the entry submissions. These writers will contest in an online writing competition. The competition will require all writers to send in themed write-ups/posts weekly. Posts from all writers will be put up for members of the public to read and vote for.

At the end of the voting period, a panel of judges will evaluate the posts and score them using pre-communicated criteria. The public votes and the votes from the judges will be combined and based on this; one writer will be eliminated weekly until a winner emerges.

Who is it for?

There are no age or gender restrictions for the competition. All members of the public are encouraged to send in pre-qualification entries.

How to qualify?

To stand a chance to qualify for the competition, email a 1000 word piece on the topic: “This Christmas” to thewriter@thenakedconvos.com on or before January 6th 2012. Style and direction is totally up to you. Submissions could be in form of stories, articles etc. Only shortlisted writers will be contacted.

Prizes
First – $1000
Second – $750
Third – $500

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T09:48:00.001+01:00

Here's a poem to bid farewell to 2011 and usher 2012 in. More power to your elbow and sweat to your palms (to get the writing jouciesd flowing all year long).

The Old Year
by John Clare

The Old Year's gone away

To nothingness and night:

We cannot find him all the day

Nor hear him in the night:

He left no footstep, mark or place

In either shade or sun:

The last year he'd a neighbour's face,

In this he's known by none.

All nothing everywhere:

Mists we on mornings see

Have more of substance when they're here

And more of form than he.

He was a friend by every fire,

In every cot and hall--

A guest to every heart's desire,

And now he's nought at all.

Old papers thrown away,

Old garments cast aside,

The talk of yesterday,

Are things identified;

But time once torn away

No voices can recall:

The eve of New Year's Day

Left the Old Year lost to all.

iRead

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000+01:00

When it Gets Sour by Tracy Nwanwubar

He ran his left hand through his silky brown hair like he would do when his colleagues at the office were responding too slowly on a task. She held a frozen smile. She stuffed her items into her grey hand bag, yet she knew she wanted to be in that house for five years more. With quick steps, she grabbed her panties from the silver hanger in the toilet. She remembered that night when they had dinner at the Chinese food court in Mega Plaza, how he held her hands every minute, how he asked her softly what they were going to order, how he told her to raise her head from his thighs when she was going to take a nap, because she was too tired from work and he didn’t want people to think she was giving him a blow job in public like Oyibos would make Naija girls do. She was going to miss him taking her out, as usual, for a treat; instead of making her cook dinner for them both.

Abdourahman Waberi’s “Passage of Tears” Reviewed by Anderson Tepper

The young French-Djiboutian author Abdourahman A. Waberi is one of the more inventive of a new wave of African writers, and is also unique in the range of his influences. His work manages to reference authors as diverse as Nuruddin Farah, Rimbaud, and Walter Benjamin, which also gives you a sense of how he has continued to confound expectations of both literary genres and African writing.

The Cock Thief by Parselelo Kantai

This girl whose name eluded him. She was skinny and small and probably more than a little high on the miraa bulging in her cheek. She looked very different from her voice, a rough, rousing roar of four in the morning in those dark little hovels by the roadside, the ones run by fat round women called Rhoda and Francisca who serve cheap lethal brews to broken men in oversized jackets. Now she spat suddenly into a polythene bag magically extracted from somewhere in the complicated folds of her clothes. And then she was unwrapping half of a Big G, chewing it, making rude, rhythmic clicks. She seemed to appreciate the sound more than the flavour. She stared at him the whole time, her large liquid eyes shining out of the khanga that covered her head and framed her face; the rest of it disappeared inside a fur-lined jacket, unzipped half-way down to reveal a T-shirt tucked tight into a pair of worn jeans. Limuru, he knew, got very cold. He wondered what she would do with her jacket in the heat of Kampala. But it was the boots with their steel-tipped points that convinced him this was a malaya, going west to seek new flesh markets. There was no money in Kenya. Everybody was leaving, and lying about it.

Chris Abani: Distorting Africa's History

The world is now privy to the myriad lies and exaggerations of the acclaimed writer, Professor Christopher Abani regarding his imaginary ordeal in Nigeria’s prisons (mostly Kirikiri). The lies are compelling and give Africa a black eye: The death sentence imposed on him because of his involvement in military coups as a teenager and his alleged witness to the execution of at least one 14-year old through death by nailing of his penis to a chair until he bled to death. The shocking revelations of Abani’s “419” activities are detailed here on my blog.

The Chrysalis by Hannah Parry

His mother ruffled his hair, which he hated for its darkness, hair that made him feel marked out, different. Hair as dark as if Mussolini himself had snuck over the Bavarian border into his mother’s bed, the night Otto was conceived.

He wasn’t the only brunette, of course, but as a general rule where most of the children were large, he was small; where they were clean, he was grubby, and where they were amused, he was bored. Childhood, to Otto, seemed like very hard work and he found himself wishing away the days from a comparatively young age.
The summer of 1926 was hot and to the twelve-year-old Otto’s delight, mosquitoes laid their eggs in places where it was normally too cold.

Have a great 2012 Bookaholics!

Naijastories Christmas Nostalgia Contest

2011-12-28T17:24:00.002+01:00

NaijaStories.com is pleased to announce another online writing contest titled “The Christmas Nostalgia Project”. The purpose in running this particular contest is to encourage the writing of Narrative Non-fiction and also celebrate the season. While we love the massive increase in the number of fiction pieces submitted to the site, there is just something heartwarming about reading true to life recollections.

In Nigeria, only politicians and war generals seem to write or need (auto)biographies, but this should not be the case. In order to prevent collective amnesia, a communities memory is painted in by the personal stories of the individuals that make it up. Naijastories therefore, wants to encourage memoirs, diaries, and non-fiction of the personal variety. As a start, we are keying in to the Christmas spirit, and hereby call for entries recounting experiences of Christmas past in Nigeria, either as a child or an adult.

Dates for Contest:

The contest opens December 12 and submissions end on January 5th 2012.

First round Polls – January 6th – 12th

Judging – January 6th – January 12th

Final Judging – January 13th to January 19th 2012

The winner will be announced by January 20th 2012.

Prizes :

There will be one (3) overall winners in this contest.

First Prize – 100,000 points ($100)

Second Prize – 70,000 points ($70)

Third Prize – 30,000 points ($30)

There will also be 7 consolation prizes of 1000 points each

Contest Guidelines:

1. You must be a registered member of Naijastories.com.

2. Submit your entry as a post with a title that defines your entry.

3. In the body of the post, provide the following;

a, the year and location in which the incident you’re recounting happened,

b, since we cannot determine your reality or fiction, the only rule is that the entry must be written in the first person, “I”,

c, stories should be set in or around the month of December or the 25th specifically,

d, we encourage happy or funny recollections but this is not mandatory .

4. Your entry should be between 500 and 1000 words.

5. Put the entry in the category of “Christmas Nostalgia” and press the button, “Submit for Review”.

Contest Procedure:

There will have 3 stages for determining the winner;

Stage 1. – All the entries that meet the contest rules will be put to the public poll.

Stage 2. – At the same time, the Naija Stories team will score all the accepted entries. This will be added to votes polled on NaijaStories.com to select the top 10 entries. These will proceed to the last round.

Stage 3. – Ikhide Ikheloa will select the winners. (Read about Ikhide HERE)

Judging Criteria:
- The initial site editor will make sure that entries stick to the criteria of non-fiction and the use of first person.

- Second round judges will be checking for clean use of the English language, so polish your grammar and keep typos to a minimum please! We will also be looking for creativity, so go on and give it your all.

- The final judge will be looking for great writing. Be genuine! Be unique! Be original! Use this as an opportunity to pay tribute to the best/worst/funniest Christmas of your life.

If you have any questions, please send a mail to info@naijastories.com.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T17:11:00.002+01:00

Merry Christmas Bookaholics! Enjoy!

Christmas Season

by Roger W Hancock

Church Bells ringing, carolers singing,

this the time of Christmas season.

Jesus Christ our celebration,

of His birth to a virgin, Mary.

Forest tree cutting, bows decorating,

this the time of season cheering.

Gifts of wise men start tradition,

gifts between us, friends and family.

Turkey trimming, great pie fillings,

this the time of Christmas feasting.

Christ’s last supper, our convention,

remembering Christ at Calvary.

Church Bells ringing, Carolers singing,

this the time of Baby Jesus.

Born to die for our redemption,

within our spirits, souls be merry.

(c) December 9, 2008 Roger W Hancock PoetPatiot.com

Introducing Book Republic by Emotion Press

2011-12-22T17:03:00.000+01:00

Book Republic is a Nigerian literary blog established by Emotion Press. It is basically dedicated towards promoting the reading culture in Nigeria.

In our creative way, as usual, we plan to write on both old and new books and other things that matter in the Nigerian literary scene.

Every forth night, from January 2012, we will be hosting a Guest writer. The Guest writer series will feature essays and interviews by the writer.

The Book Republic blog is http://www.progresspublishing.wordpress.com/

As Emotion Press' two releases - The Man In The Moon and The Grasshopper Race - will be out in December, the first ten followers of the blog will be given the electronic copy of those books free of charge! They will be the first ten people to read the books.

Book N Gauge VII: Poetry Party

2011-12-16T09:18:00.001+01:00

Just like yesterday, the year began; just like this morning, we started Book N Gauge. We have been here for seven months, reading books, asking questions and entering the worlds of imagination. We think this calls for celebration. We have the Saraba Mag team with us on this; they would be giving out awards for the PEN/Saraba Poetry Prize.

What are we waiting for? We have an interesting line-up of poets and activities; let’s dive in even as we hope that you RSVP the event, share the event on your blogs, Facebook profiles, invite your friends and get more people interested in reading. That’s the small request we have? And yes, the poetry party is our Christmas gift to all booklovers

Benson Eluma: Poet and Academic

Born in Abeokuta, grew up in Lagos. Eluma has a degree in Communication, Language Arts and Classics, from the University of Ibadan. A confirmed Academic and poet, his interests range from caricatures and rhetorical analysis, psephology, ethnography of conflicts, art criticism, sexualities, the politics of language and virtual society. We guess he will tell us more about these big big words on Saturday. He is currently a PhD Student at the Institute of African Studies while he works as a Research Fellow at the Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique (IFRA), Ibadan.

When Benson is not thinking of Tolulope Odebunmi, he is drinking beer with a riotous conclave of friends while doing stuff online or battling with words in the early hours of the morning or coming to terms with the absurd. Go figure!

Akeem Lasisi: Journalist, Poet and Academic

Looking for the physical definition of “son of the soil’? We present to you, Akeem Lasisi. Born in Ibadan in 1967; attended Ibadan District Council School, Solalu; Iroko Community Grammar School, Iroko; Oyo (now Osun), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife and the University of Lagos for his Masters and is at present a doctoral candidate in the English Department.

Lasisi is the Features/Arts Editor of PUNCH by day and poet by night. He is a two-time winner of the ANA/Cadbury Prize for Poetry. He has three albums of music poetry, ‘Post Mortem’, (1999), ‘Ori Agbe’ (2004), ‘Wonderland/ Eleleture’ (2011). Traditional poetic forms like Ijala, Esa Egungun, Iremoje, Ekun Iyawo, Ege Egba and Oku Pipe are a great source of inspiration to Lasisi, who is renowned for toeing the steps of Yoruba oral poets. He is also the author of works ‘Ekun Iyawo: The Bride’s Chant’, ‘Right Option English: Lexis and Structure for Secondary School Students’ and ‘Goodness and Messi: A Collection of Jokes.’

He has performed at events organised by the Ford Foundation, British Council, French Cultural Centre, the USIS, Goethe Institut, GTBank and MTN. He performed at POETRY Africa in Durban, South Africa in (2003) and Africultures, Berlin, Germany (2009).

Omale Allen Abdul-Jabbar: The Writer-as-a-Civil-Servant

Omale Allen Abdul-Jabbar has a Master’s degree in Law & Diplomacy. He has a rich working experience with the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) at the state and national levels. He writes poetry, fiction, drama and essays. His work has been published in Hints, Daily Times, Weekly Trust, Fifty Nigerian Poets, Punch, THESE! Magazine online. He was a Finalist on Poetry.com in 2002 for the poem "Love affair" and subsequently published in anthology "Letters from the Soul.” He writes with the pen name Mmaasa Masai. Married to Rahmah-Allah and blessed with a daughter, Imani, he is currently a Planning Officer at National Commission for colleges of education, Garki, Abuja. Speaking of the “writer-as-a-civil-servant.”

Ekweremadu Franklin Uchenna: Writer

Ekweremadu Franklin Uchenna resides in Kaduna State of Nigeria. Apart from poetry, he also writes short stories and drama. His works have appeared in Flashquake, Sentinel Nigeria Literary, A&U American AIDS Magazine, Wilderness House Literary, and elsewhere. He is working on his first novel.

We have special appearances of poets Niran Okewole, Jumoke Verissimo and Tade Ipadeola.

Performers

Ijofire: For the first time on Book N Gauge, we will have a dancer and choreographer; well that’s why it’s a poetry party ;) Ijofire, improved his dancing as a student of the Department of Drama, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He has thrilled many crowds with his dancing. Dancefire performed at the Nike Art Gallery, Osogbo; choreographed for Ajantala, for the 50th Anniversary and for the Osun Contingent at the Abuja Carnival last month.

Plumbline studied as a Geo-scientist, rather than digging oil pipes; he “mines” words. Influenced by poets like the late Mamman Vatsa and the late Ken Saro Wiwa, the songwriter and spoken word artist wrote poetry from his secondary school days. He performs Spoken Word Poetry at most Lagos Events like Wordslam, Anthill, Taruwa and hosts Chill and Relax. His words dash straight through the heart of the audience and leaving them with thoughts, little mementos to take home.

Aduke is a lady of the strings, with a fantastic voice to complement it. She has opened many shows. She is also an active member of Crown Troupe. Aduke is a different person on stage, in a role; different character on stage with a guitar. Watch out for her album next year.

Auction Session: There will be an auction session. What do you get? Latest books that you can only find online. Hot CDs that are yet to be on the streets (loads of them!). A CD of all Saraba Mag editions (I bet that’s a collector’ item!). The lovely purple Pulpfaction Club T-Shirt (A few people have the shirt!). And yes, the big one: a Kindle so you can take your books everywhere you go. What can we say? E fit be you o!

Open Mic: For the first time ever, we will be giving upcoming poets the stage. Do you have a favourite poem, yours, an old Saraba poem or just a classic? Then send us a short profile with the title of the poem you would love to perform: pulpfactioner@gmail.com

Also:

· A one-on-one interaction between authors, performers and readers.

· A platform for book enthusiasts to meet, interact and network. (Members of PulpFactionClub on Facebook and followers on Twitter would have a grand opportunity to meet).

· Freebies, lots of it. Let’s start with this. Invite five friends, ensure they come for the event and win a free book.

· Live performances by: Jeffrey Plumbline and Aduke

· Book signing.

DATE: 17th December, 2011

TIME: STRICTLY 2pm – 5pm

VENUE: Debonair Bookstore, 294, Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba.

Remember: Bring five friends and win a free book! Gifts are available for early birds too.

RSVP EVENT here

Introducing: Lumina Literary Agency

2011-12-12T01:36:00.000+01:00

The progress of any nation is inter-twined with the quality of the imagination of the people and Lumina Literary Agency has taken up the mandate to contribute to the sustenance of both the quality and quantity of Nigerian writers. It is this self-imposed cultural agenda that necessitated the birth of Lumina Literary Agency (one of the subsidiaries of the Lumina Foundation) in Nigeria. The new agency is poised to aggressively scout for new and undiscovered talents, edit manuscripts, and provide publishing opportunities and publicity as a means of promoting these writers.

Due to the dearth of publishing in Nigeria, thousands of gifted Nigerians eager to share their stories have limited or no outlets for their writing. Hence, Lumina Literary Agency has arrived to fill the void.

The relationship between creative enterprises and commercial enterprises may not be very obvious in a society such as ours, and in such interesting times we live and produce. What is visible is the amount of creative resources Nigeria as a country is blessed with. These resources as we can perceive need nurturing and careful mentoring. It is on this premise that Lumina Literary Agency has chosen to search, edit, and publish talents as our entry point into the business of imagination and imageries. The Agency will be working in collaboration with Oracle publishers in Lagos, Nigeria. It is interested in adult fiction, collections of short stories, children’s fiction, and Poetry. At least one of each of these genres will be published every year.

Lumina Literary Agency will also provide editing and proof-reading services at the rate of N300 (naira) per page. However, writers selected for publication will not pay for anything. In due course, more information can be obtained at: www.luminafoundationsoyinkaprize.com

To kick off its activities, Lumina Literary Agency hereby calls for short stories of not more than 2,500 words from Nigerian Writers. Other African writers living anywhere in the world can also submit their stories. Sixty of these short stories will be selected and their authors will be invited for a workshop in Lagos in July 2012. At least one Nobel Laureate will be one of the facilitators of this workshop.

Deadline for submission is January 31, 2012. After the workshop, further selections would be from the work done at the workshop and these will be published in three collections. Royalty will be paid to the authors in the published collections accordingly. Reading sessions and short tours will also be organized to give the authors and their work ample publicity.

For submissions and for further inquiries, contact the coordinators:

ogochukwupromise@yahoo.com and unomaazuah@gmail.com

Ogochukwu Promise and Unoma Azuah

Coordinators.

Book N Gauge VI: Pictures

2011-12-09T04:24:00.000+01:00

Who says Nigerians are not reading? Next Book N Gauge holds on December 17, 2011 at Debonair Bookstores, Yaba. 2pm. It is always fun with music, readings and question sessions. Where would you rather be?

IRep Film Show

2011-12-06T16:23:00.001+01:00

On Saturday, Irep would be showing Pina at Silverbird Galleria. Pina is a feature length dance movie in 3D featuring th unique and inspiring art of great German Philosopher, Phillipina "Pina" Bausch who died in the summer of 2009. the film was directed by German director, Wim Wenders.

RSVP event here

iRead

2011-12-03T01:00:00.001+01:00

"Self-Portrait as Housewife"A Poem by Austen Rosenfeld

Your dreams hold your days together.

You spend your time transforming stars into

kitchen implements that you could bake potatoes in.

Or coming up with one good reason for crying

over dirty socks or falling asleep each night with all

the lights on in the house. Waking, you can’t help

remembering the first, but not the only, time

you took off all your clothes and stood there

Chika Unigwe's "The Curse"

"She knows that the blonde does not really want to help her. She can hear her thinking, "Afrikaanse woman, with jeans that look like they come from Wibra and a shirt that is frayed and faded, what can she want in this boutique? What can she afford?"

Oge ignores her and feels a silk dress that looks like a nightie. The woman appears right beside her and without waiting for Oge to ask says, " three hundred euro, mevrouw", her voice comes out sounding like a toothpick being snapped in little pieces. Oge knows that she is making an effort to remain polite and she enjoys it. She wonders for how long she will remain polite.

Oge walks to the opposite end of the air-conditioned shop and runs her hands against a skirt. The woman's bobbed hair brushes the back of her head as she comes and positions herself behind her, offering the price in a weary voice, "three hundred and fifty." Oge wonders if she thinks she cannot read. For Pete's sake, the price is hanging on it in neat dark print.

"I will take that", Oge says, feeling heady, the way her earning power makes her feel.

The Cemetery, Extract of Tolu Ogunlesi's Untitled Novel

Baba Luku cleared his throat and spat. ‘We’re all going to join them one day,’ he answered. ‘Nothing to be scared of. But that’s not to say protection is not helpful. You have to be close to God.’ He dipped his hand into his pockets and brought out a plastic rosary with a small wooden crucifix at its end and a Gideon’s Bible. He wound the rosary around the Bible and slapped it on his left palm three times. ‘No weapon fashioned against me shall prosper,’ he said, in English. ‘Lailai.’

He waved the Bible over his head, as though swiping at flies. He switched back to Yoruba. ‘There’s nothing to fear in the daytime. It is at night that you have anything to fear.’ The Bible fell from his hand. He cursed and snatched it up, offering a sign of the cross with his head tilted upwards, as if offering a silent apology to heaven. He dusted the Bible on his sokoto and blew at it endlessly, and then carefully placed it back in his pocket. Bayo watched this ritual patiently. A lone black bird circled overhead. Then another joined it. There was silence. A cough floated in from far off.

Binyavanga Wainaina's interview in Guardian UK

"If you are to ask me what are the greatest issues in Africa, I would say it is that people love, people fuck, people kiss, people speak."

Igoni Barrett's Let Me Tell You

You heard there was another bomb blast yesterday? Not in Maiduguri this time, in a new place, Dama-something. Yes, people died. Those mallams are serious o, we can’t stop them again. I saw it coming. After the police did their mago-mago and executed Yusuf in jail, wetin you expect? Trouble, of course! Those abokis are not cows—you can’t control them by cutting off the head, by killing their leaders. I will tell you free of charge, Yusuf’s murder was a big mistake. And the army made matters worse. Too many people died, my friend, just too many. You saw the pictures? Home-made guns and cutlasses against automatic rifles and grenades; bodies scattered everywhere like firewood. But that’s what happens when you recruit stark illiterates into your police and army. Open extortion, rampant brutality, senseless shootings. See Odi, see Apo Six, see Ogoni Nine, and now Boko Haram

These are just excerpts to whet your appetite; follow the links! Have a great day!

In Drear-Nighted December by John Keats

2011-12-01T01:00:00.000+01:00

In drear-nighted December,
Too happy, happy tree,
Thy branches ne'er remember
Their green felicity:
The north cannot undo them
With a sleety whistle through them;
Nor frozen thawings glue them
From budding at the prime.

In drear-nighted December,
Too happy, happy brook,
Thy bubblings ne'er remember
Apollo's summer look;
But with a sweet forgetting,
They stay their crystal fretting,
Never, never petting
About the frozen time.

Ah! would 'twere so with many
A gentle girl and boy!
But were there ever any
Writhed not at passed joy?
The feel of not to feel it,
When there is none to heal it
Nor numbed sense to steel it,
Was never said in rhyme.

John Keats

Happy new month Bookaholics. May the new month usher you into a great 2012.

When Will The New Nigerian Thriller Come?

2011-11-29T00:45:00.000+01:00

Toni Kan writes about a reading tradition, long forgotten, he once again asks the question: when will popular fiction aka thriller, manifest as the Pacesetter Series return to Nigeria?

The Pacesetters series was launched by Macmillan. I am not sure of the year but I began noticing them as I turned ten. The stories, the cover images, the size, the language and subject matter all seemed to suggest that Macmillan was targeting a younger, more cosmopolitan audience different from the academic audience which read novels in the African Writers Series.

Read more here.

Okay, main problem is that publishing is near dead. But why does it seem that I think that everyone strives to do "literary writing"; I think there is an audience for the "Pacesetter Tradition." Will there be a time when that tradition will bounce back to existence? What do you think?

Book N Gauge VI: Many Worlds of Two Writers

2011-11-23T21:16:00.002+01:00

The sixth edition of Book n Gauge is scheduled to hold on November 26, 2011 @ Debonair Bookstore, 294, Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba. 2pm - 5pm. In the month of November, we would be hosting you to two amazing writers, three performers and it’s going to be a blast. We would go on a trip to the many worlds of these writers, the world of their books, their writing world, the human world and of course, the other worlds that they are a part, the worlds that you do not read about behind a novel.

Ayodele Arigbabu

Writer, Publisher, Architect and businessman, Ayo is always looking for ways to express his creativity. On these many lives, Ayo says “I’m always amazed to find myself to be the only one who is not confused about my ability to wear many hats. I don’t really enjoy introducing myself to people I’m meeting for the first time in public, because when they ask: “so what do you do?” and I get started, the look of consternation on their faces makes me want to talk about something else. I’ve learnt not to get worried anymore about other people being worried about me going all out, in my own little way, to live my life to the hilt. I’m more worried now that so many people out there are living such plain linear lives….sheesh! They don’t know what they’re missing!”

Ebi Akpeti

Ebi Akpeti is the author of The Perfect Church which was adapted for the big screen and television by Wale Adenuga Productions; it features Nollywood stars starring Ramsey Noah, Olu Jacobs and Funke Akindele. For her journalism, she has won awards lik the Capital Market Reporter of the year by the prestigious Nigerian Media Merit Award NMMA Award (NMMA) for her story "Trigger for Fraud."

Ebi decided she had a thing for fiction and decided to put pen to paper and see what pans out of it. She released Growing Pains in 2006 and later on, she wrote and a book titled Castrated, which was used by the inaugural class of the Masters Students of Pan African University Lagos for their Creative Writing course. This contributor to several magazines is passionate about writing. She is currently working on a new novel, For the Sake of Peremoboere and a screen play, God has a Sense of Humour.

D Tone

He’s one of the new Nigerian singers to watch out for. His new singles “Sunkun Ife” and“Ife Gbagbara” have been attracting rave reviews. He has performed on stages with Nigerian musicians like Dj Zeez, M I, Banky, 2 face, 9ice, Sunny Ade, Femi Kuti and P-Square. Eyes closed, fingers strumming the guitar, sonorous voice tantalizing the audience, D Tone is always a delight to watch.

Aramide

An addicted lover of music, she has written over 100 songs. In 2008, she was part of a show called ‘Divas Unplugged’ in the city of Jos; the show had all the leading female artistes in the Nigerian music industry. Aramide is also a Guitarist and the Saxophonist. She’s passionate about are freedom of women and love. She has worked with artistes like M.I and Jesse Jagz. For soulful Aramide, music is life.

Femi Kayode

He has a way with words. It does not matter if he is doing a poem on his name or on Nigeria, his words warm through your hearts and ruffles you in your seats. His style of delivery draws you into his world, into our world, easily; it is not a rough pull but a gentle tug at the strings of our hearts, we simply follow him. He has performed poetry on many stages in Lagos. When he is not doing poetry, he is acting or writing copy for an advert.

There promises to be:

A one-on-one interaction between authors and readers
A platform for book enthusiasts to meet, interact and network. (Facebook members of PulpFactionClub and Twitter followers would have a grand opportunity to meet).
Freebies
Live Musical performances by: guitar masters D Tone and Aramide.
Book signing

DATE: 26^th November, 2011

TIME: STRICTLY 2pm – 5pm

VENUE: Debonair Bookstore, 294, Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba.

Remember: Bring five friends and win a free book! Gifts are available for early birds too.

Writing Advice

2011-11-20T03:51:00.000+01:00

Jeffrey Small, author, The Breath of God writes in his article on Huffington Post "Tough Lessons From a Debut Novelist." We like the 4th point. You can read the remaining part of the piece. Have a great week Bookaholics!

4. Write one page at a time.

The thought of writing 400 pages of a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end that has all sorts of twists and turns is intimidating to point of being paralyzing. Novels, however, are not written in one fell swoop. Each day, I had to sit down and begin by starting with a single/page, just as twelve step programs encourage their members to take one day at a time. Rather than focus on the end product, or even the challenges that might face me in the next chapter, I set a modest goal for myself: 1000 words a day, about four or five days a week. But I always starting with that first single page. Day by day, the pages began to add up."

Call for Submission: Fingerprint Press

2011-11-14T01:46:00.000+01:00

Fingerprint is looking for unsolicited work in English language from writers all over the world, in the following genres: Fiction (romance, mystery, thrillers, humour, fantasy, young adult)General and narrative non-fiction, Autobiographies and biographies,Self-help, health and fitness and Spirituality

We do not publish poetry and children’s books.

How to go about submitting your manuscript:

1. Please e-mail your proposal to fingerprintsubmissions@gmail.com with the following attachments :

a. Detailed synopsis of your book (about 2,500 words)

b. The first three chapters of your manuscript

c. Plot summary (not more than 100 words) that should appear on the back-cover of your book.

d. Your bio-data.

e. Your recent photograph

f. Total word-count of your complete manuscript

2. We’ll take about two weeks to evaluate your work and if we’re keen to read further, we’ll contact you with a request to submit your complete manuscript as a hard-copy, via regular post/courier to the following address:

The Editorial Department,
Fingerprint Press,
c/o Prakash Books Pvt Ltd.,

Book Merchant, Kariappa Marg,

Sainik Farms,

Saket,

New Delhi - 110017

India

3. All submissions should be typed in typeface Garamond, font size 12, on plain white A-4 paper. You may use both sides of each page.

4. Remember to mention your name, age and contact information clearly on the first page of your manuscript.

5. Make sure that you preserve a copy of your manuscript with yourself. We do not return submitted manuscripts, irrespective of the outcome of the evaluation process.

6. Please give us at least a month’s time to completely evaluate your proposal and arrive at a decision. If you don’t hear from us within this time period, drop us an e-mail at fingerprintsubmissions@gmail.com.

More here

LAGOS BOOK & ART FESTIVAL, 2011

2011-11-11T01:30:00.000+01:00

Theme: I Vote To Read: The Book and The Voice Of The People.

Dates: November 18-20, 2011

Main Venue: Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos

Scheduled Programme of KEY Events

Pre-Festival Events

Monday November 14:

1. Opening of the National Reading Week

Festival Events

Thursday (November 17)

10am-5pm (GOETHE INSTITUTE, CITY HALL, LAGOS)

2. Publishers Forum: Theme: Bridging the Digital Divide. A business forum for publishers designed to add value to their business through critical feedback on processes, input on the most challenging areas they have to deal with and

useful networking. This year’s Forum will run a set of seminars on harnessing digital applications available today for the publishing industry (Subject to pre-registration. )

Thursday (November 17) 5pm-6.30pm

3. Publishers’ Interface With The Public /Pre-festival cocktail(Open event): A roundtable discussion involving some publishers and some ranking writers and journalists, will explore the publishing business from the digital perspective and key projects that the publishers have undertaken or currently have under development within that context. A cocktail will round off the discussions.

Friday (November 18), 9am-1pm (FREEDOM PARK)

My Encounter with the Book (Kiddies’ Segment– Chima Ibeneche (Petroleum Engineer and Managing

Director, NLNG)-a motivational talk to kids, kicks open the kiddies’ segment of the festival.

5. (11am-1pm, Hall 1) The Festival Colloquium(I):

Theme: Documenting The Governance Challenges: Africa In The Eyes Of The Other -I: Readings, Reviews, and discussions around (a)A Swamp Full Of Dollars- Michael Peel (b). Dinner With Mugabe-Heidi Holland; (c)A Continent For The Taking- Howard French,

Friday, (November 18),1pm-3pm(FREEDOM PARK)

5A. (1pm-3pm, Hall 1)The Festival Colloquium (II) ArrestedDevelopment: “Why Can’t ‘They’ Get It Right?:Africa In The Eyes Of The Other: Readings, Reviews, and discussions around (a)The State Of

Africa-Martin Meredith, (b)Nigeria: Dancing On The Brink-John Campbell, (c) It’s Our Turn To Eat- Michaela Wrong

Friday, (November 18),3pm-5pm(FREEDOM PARK)

6. How Familiar Is This Town? The City As A Key Character In the Fictional Narratives Of The Continent. Readings, Reviews, and discussions around (1)Good Morning Comrades(Luanda, Angola)-,

by Ondjaki, (2)The Yacoubian Building(Cairo, Egypt) by Alaa Al Aswany (3) The Secret Lives Of Baba Segi’s Wives(Ibadan, Nigeria), (4)Tropical Fish (Entebbe, Uganda)-Doreen Baigana; (5) Under The Brown Rusted Roofs(Ibadan, Nigeria)

More information on their website. Questions? Contact: 08022016495, 08036554119 or mail: cora@coraartfoundation.com or amosa1055@yahoo.co.uk.

Writing Advice: Elmore Leonard

2011-11-08T05:07:00.000+01:00

This was published in Guardian. It was so on point, we thought to share.Read more here.

1. Never open a book with weather. If it's only to create atmosphere, and not a character's reaction to the weather, you don't want to go on too long. The reader is apt to leaf ahead looking for people. There are exceptions. If you happen to be Barry Lopez, who has more ways than an Eskimo to describe ice and snow in his book Arctic Dreams, you can do all the weather reporting you want.

2 Avoid prologues: they can be annoying, especially a prologue following an introduction that comes after a foreword. But these are ordinarily found in non-fiction. A prologue in a novel is backstory, and you can drop it in anywhere you want. There is a prologue in John Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday, but it's OK because a character in the book makes the point of what my rules are all about. He says: "I like a lot of talk in a book and I don't like to have nobody tell me what the guy that's talking looks like. I want to figure out what he looks like from the way he talks."

3 Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue. The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But "said" is far less intrusive than "grumbled", "gasped", "cautioned", "lied". I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had to stop reading and go to the dictionary.

Learn some prompts that would help kick-start your story here.

1. When planning your story, choose names, which reflect your characters.
2. Write Character Profiles - know your characters inside and out.

iRead

2011-11-06T01:31:00.002+01:00

44 Bookers in 25 Words (Each )by Harold Augenbraum

In light of the October 18th announcement of the 2011 prize, the Review's editors asked Harold Augenbraum, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation, presenter of the U.S. National Book Awards, to provide a bite-sized "take" on each Booker or Man Booker recipient (its sponsorship changed in the 1990s). He responded with precisely 25 words on each and every winner.

His thoughts on Famished Road. 1991 -- The Famished Road by Ben Okri -- Raises the coming-of-age novel to the thrill of epic, candidate for the Great Nigerian Novel. Okri is a worthy successor to Achebe, predecessor to Adichie.

To Fall Twice for the Same Trick (or Déjà Vu) by A. Igoni Barrett

"As I pushed the second leg into my yellow tiger paw boxer shorts, my mobile phone rang. Startled by the shrill of a ringtone I hadn’t selected, I lost my balance and pitched forward. My head struck the edge of the new writing desk, I hit the floor, and just before my mind emptied I said to myself: so this is what it feels like to die with your pants down.When I awoke the first thing that strolled up and muttered “hello” was the pong of clinical iodine. I opened my eyes to find that my nose, too, had turned traitor: I was sprawled at the foot of the new writing desk. I reached forward to pull myself up, and grasped a leg, which, after I whipped up my head to look, became in my hand the leg of the new writing desk.The floor was cold; My head hammered; The phone rang."

Tolu Ogunlesi on the Jaipur Literary Festival and literature in India

"Jaipur stands out for the prominence it gives to literature in local languages; as many as half of the fair’s guest writers write in Indian languages. This may also account for the popularity of the festival, in a country where the number of speakers of Hindi, a local language, is 4 times the English-speaking population, and where as many as 22 local languages each have more than 1 million speakers."

The 9th Issue of ITCH Online
The 9th issue of ITCH Online features a variety of multimedia works exploring the notion of ∞ (the mathematical symbol for infinity).Poetry, prose, video artworks, graphics, drawings, photography and more dig into the corners and stretch out the sides of this sign of intertwined forever-ness.

Have a great week!

iDebate: Are We Writing in Africa?

2011-11-04T04:43:00.002+01:00

Emma Iduma asks in Mantle

"The question this piece primarily addresses is whether or not we are writing in Africa (especially writing in the English language). The answer is a simple, yet complicated yes. It is simple because, indeed, we are putting pen to paper, and fingers to keyboard. There is evidence of this on the Internet – the growing number of platforms, including online journals, Facebook groups and networking sites. Yet it is a complicated yes because intra-African literary institutions are few, and insufficient. For instance, Nigeria, with over 150 million people, has less than five standard book publishers, less than five print literary journals, no grant-giving body, and few prizes.If we are writing in Africa the necessary corollary is that we are being published in Africa, by Africans, and for Africans (I am only interested in "Africa" as a geographical space, as a physical and territorial delimitation). This is not exactly the case, in a lot of ways, with only very few exceptions.It does not cost little to write in Africa; aside the fact that obvious glamour is not guaranteed to the young writer, there is the absence of intra-African visibility. The concerns, then, I propose, must shift from singular considerations of what is being written to pluralized considerations of how what is being written will be read, understood and contextualized."

Is Africa writing what she wants to write, the way she wants to write it? If she uses Western media, does it affect anything? Does it change the sound of her voice or the slant of her words? Is there a way Africa can be written? Tell me...

For Steve Jobs, for Creatives Everywhere

2011-11-01T01:26:00.002+01:00

Steve Jobs may be dead..but his works live with us. They will continue to live with us. Read the top lessons that we think every creative person should learn from him, even as we find our paths. Live your life, not anybody's. Write your own story, not another person's...only then will the life or the story be yours. Happy new month :)

"The most enduring innovations marry art and science – Steve has always pointed out that the biggest difference between Apple and all the other computer (and post-PC) companies through history is that Apple always tried to marry art and science. Jobs pointed out the original team working on the Mac had backgrounds in anthropology, art, history, and poetry. That’s always been important in making Apple’s products stand out. It’s the difference between the iPad and every other tablet computer that came before it or since. It is the look and feel of a product. It is its soul. But it is such a difficult thing for computer scientists or engineers to see that importance, so any company must have a leader that sees that importance."

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

After the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2011

2011-10-31T16:09:00.006+01:00

The winner for 2011 was new writer Phillip Nash. So, yes you can. It does not matter if it is your first story, just keep at it. It was announced about two months ago. Beyond the stories, we loved his words. And yes, for lack of ideas on what to post at the end of the month *wink wink*

"For me, short stories are like tight-rope walks. Because every word counts, even the tiniest slip can be fatal. "

There are no Nigerian winners this time. The winner for the Africa region was Kenyan, Martha Basett Buyukah, Kenya. Where are all my Nigerian short story writers?

Learn more about the Commonwealth Writers Prize here. And yes, there is no longer a Best Book Prize. You plan to apply for the next short story contest, learn about writing short stories for radio here.

"To write an effective short story for radio, you mustconsider everything you want to do in the light of howit will sound.Be careful not to lose or confuse the listener. For example, clarify different speakers.Try to help the listener imagine your story unfolding.They will work with you to ‘see’ your characters and the action, and to feel the setting and the emotion."

iDebate

2011-10-29T01:01:00.000+01:00

The purpose of fiction is to entertain not to educate. If you want to educate, write nonfiction. This lesson was the most difficult for me to handle. An early editor who read my novel told me that I had written two books in one: a suspense novel and a non-fiction book on comparative religion. I'd always loved the thriller/suspense genre, but I wanted to write one that made people think. I grew up a Tom Clancy fan. I loved how he interwove the technical details of military strategy, espionage, and cool hardware into his thrillers. I wanted to do the same with the topic of religion. The danger with such an approach is that the non-fiction elements can take precedence over the fictional ones. The book can become preachy or, worse, boring. People read fiction to be entertained. It took me many drafts to strike the right balance: a balance that puts primacy on story and character. The educational aspects of the book had to be woven into the story and integral to the plot and the journey my characters take.

Jeffrey Small, author, The Breath of God writes . What do you think? What is the purpose of fiction? Does it have a purpose?

Book N Gauge V: Writing the Nation, Two Writers and Two Performers on their Craft

2011-10-28T01:26:00.000+01:00

Nigeria was 51 as an independent country, October 1, 2011. Nigeria’s independence is one that is pregnant with many questions. How independent is the country? This question is one that is also asked in literature today; how independent is Nigerian literature? When it comes to themes, forms and awards? Book N Gauge V will feature conversations with two writers, Sam Omatseye and Chuma Nwokolo and performers Efe Paul Azino and Jeffrey Jaiyeola aka Plumbline.

Writers & Performers

Chuma Nwokolo, lawyer, writer and the publisher of African Writing magazine. He is author of the poetry collection Memories of Stone, the serial Tales by Conversation, and many novels, including Diaries of a Dead African, the Pulpfaction Club Book of the Month for October. He was writer-in-residence at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Chuma’s writing has been termed as funny yet witty.

Sam Omatseye, poet and writer and frontline columnist with The Nation newspaper. His journey into journalism started in 1987 as reporter with Newswatch. He has won several awards, including the inaugural winner of the Gordon Fisher Fellowship for journalists in the British Commonwealth (1991). He also won the Alfred Friendly Press fellowship (1997). He won the Diamond Award for Media Excellence (2010) and Nigeria Media Merit Award for columnist of the year (2011).

His latest works ‘Crocodile Girl'; ‘Lion Wind and Other Poems' and ‘In Touch', were published in 2011.

Efe Paul Azino got a rousing ovation after he thrilled the crowd at the last edition of the Book N Gauge. Regarded as one of Nigeria’s leading Spoken Word Poets, Efe Paul has been a headline performer in many performance poetry venues, including Anthill 2.0 and Taruwa. Efe has delivered Spoken Word Poetry locally and internationally. Reflecting the suffering in African societies and the hope that keeps them going; Efe Paul’s poems cut across class, social and religious boundaries. Efe Paul is at once entertaining and thought-provoking; he leads a generation of poets in lifting poetry off the printed page, out of the shadows of academia and placing it right before the audience.

Ruby always knew she was going to sing. Her name is Ngohide Ruby Ann Gyanggyang; everyone calls her Ruby. Her father introduced her to soul music, to the world of Aretha Franklin, Miriam Makeba, Onyeka Onwenu, Marvin Gaye, Whitney Houston, Yolanda Adams and Jill Scott. In Jos, she met M.I and Jesse Jagz, who were then both starting out in music. Then Loopy Music started as a group of young people making good music. Together, they recorded and organised popular jam sessions in Jos and Abuja. Ruby's music tells stories of pain, passion, longing and love, of the mystery of life. When she is not making music with her 4-octave range voice, Ruby focuses on providing platforms for “musical expression” for female artistes such as her Diva's Unplugged.

Auction Session: There will be an auction session. What do you get? Latest books that you can only find online. Hot CDs that are yet to be on the streets. The lovely purple Pulpfaction Club T-Shirt. This month, we will support Wana Udobang’s fund raising efforts with 1k for Cancer. 10 percentage of the money off the auction goes towards giving cancer patients a better life.

There are prizes to be won for those who buy our Book of the Month Diaries of a Dead African before the event. To order, call:

Also:

A one-on-one interaction between authors, performers and readers.
A platform for book enthusiasts to meet, interact and network. (Members of PulpFactionClub on Facebook and followers on Twitter would have a grand opportunity to meet).
Freebies, lots of it. Let’s start with this. Invite five friends, ensure they come for the event and win a free book.
Live Musical performances by: Ruby, Jeffrey Plumbline and Efe Paul Azino.
Book signing.

DATE: 29th October, 2011

TIME: STRICTLY 2pm – 5pm

VENUE: Debonair Bookstore, 294, Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba.

Remember: Bring five friends and win a free book! Gifts are available for early birds too.

CIPE Essay Contest, 2011

2011-10-26T05:54:00.000+01:00

Each year, the Center for International Private Enterprise invites young people to share their ideas on how youth can help strengthen democracy and the private sector. It's that time of the year.

Rules

Students and young professionals aged 18-30.

Length and language

2,000-3,000 words. All essays must be in English.

For winners:

For each category, first, second, and third place authors will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and CIPE will publish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place essays.

Deadline: November 14, 2011

Categories

Democratic transitions: Young people and the technology they used to share knowledge and coordinate action were at the core of movements for democracy in Tunisia and Egypt earlier this year. Meanwhile outside of the Middle East, in Southern Sudan, Nepal, and other countries, young people also have opportunities to help power new democracies.

How can youth play a significant role in newly-formed or emerging democracies? Do existing broad-based civil society groups or parties provide youth with opportunities to participate? How might youth in your country form their own groups and voice their concerns and needs as future leaders?

Economically-sustainable development: One of the challenges facing democratic and economic development is making progress economically self-sustaining. Policies and practices that address the sources, not the symptoms, of underdevelopment ensure that momentum builds over time. For development programs to be sustainable on their own, they must have financial and political commitment from local stakeholders.

How can youth take ownership of the most pressing development issues and solutions in your country? What can the next generation do to build democratic and economic development that is self-sustainable for the long run? What can be done to make sure progress is locally-driven, effective, and not dependent on foreign aid?

Corruption: Corruption undermines a fair and open business environment that can provide jobs, opportunities, and tax revenues for a healthy democracy. Often corruption occurs at multiple levels of society, thus making it difficult for businesses and policymakers to curtail it. Without reforming practices and incentives at the root of this problem, corruption hurts business and weakens confidence in political leaders.

How does corruption influence the way business is done in your country? How do nepotism, cronyism, and/or bribery make doing business difficult or more costly? What are some innovative, new initiatives that the next generation should take to address corruption (e.g.: are there ways to change the incentive structure to discourage such behavior)?

Find out more here

iRead

2011-10-22T01:06:00.001+01:00

Teju Cole on Tomas Transtromer, winner, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2011

"There’s a kind of helplessness in many of the poems, the sense of being pulled along by something irresistible and invisible. There are moments of tart social commentary, a sense of justice wounded (“the slum must be inside you”—for many years, Tranströmer worked as a psychologist at an institution for juvenile offenders). There is also in the poems a kind of motionlessness that is indistinguishable from terrific speed, in the same way Arvo Pärt’s music can sound fast and slow at the same time. It’s a good thing I’m unembarrassable about influence, because I realize now how many of Tranströmer’s concepts I have hidden away in my own work...The satisfaction, the pleasure, the comfort one takes in these poems comes from the way they seem to have pre-existed us. Or perhaps, to put it another way, the magic lies in their ability to present aspects of our selves long buried under manners, culture, and language. The poems remember us and, if we are perfectly still, give us a chance to catch sight of ourselves."

Joseph Omotayo on Roses and Bullets

"Literature is good for one thing: it gives equal honour to people to tell their stories. In narrating a story, they are different sides each sub-story presents various individuals. Roses and Bullets shouldn't be condemned for being reflective of the stitches of wounds that scar the bodies of many. My fray though is on the stickiness of a region'sliterature to one side of a war that has been so written to wear and tear. There are other issues people are not talking about. Out of the large heart of the proponent of the war are streaks of the selfishness to rule his people at the cost of guns and gore. There were scores of fragile lots who would never be the same again after the war. There were lots too who sacrificed everything for the war they least know about."

Everything was fine except the fact that he kept on calling Ginika, the main character, Ganika

Introducing Zazugist, the first full pidgin news site in Nigeria.

"Anyway na so I open door for Zazu. If you see wetin this my old hungry friend deck put for body and the scent wey follow am, you go understand say government money na Sosorobia. Kai, I begin weep for inside my belle. This na parrot wey I dey grind groundnut for, na im dey talk of dollars and pounds for my face.Anyway, im say im get one kain runs for me and im and some other ogbonge people, from London to America to Jungle City. Say im don serve both dead and living presidos and since im wan begin work for im Six-year term agenda, say im want position imself for internet well well. I come tell am say, well if you want make we do anything for you, our hands suppose clean o and we nor suppose get skeleton for wardrobe. Na so Zazu para for me, kinikan kinikan, me I think say im na murderer abi im na willywilly wey go get skeleton. Anyway sha I come cool am down say wetin im want. Im say im wan begin give naija people, African people and the whole world gist for pidgin. And im want website wey every-every na pidgin. My brothers and sisters and congregation, na so we see ourselves for this place wey im name Zazugist o. So I don move comot from my old neigbourhood to join Zazu my friend build we country with pidgin o. Make una pray for us o."

Scholarly Research and Social Networking in Publishing Perspectives

Social media has the potential to change the overall perception of the inputs and outputs of scholarly research. True?

Robert Coover's "Vampire" in the latest Online Edition of Granta

"He sets off one day on an arduous journey to a remote kingdom, wondering, as the weeks pass, about the wisdom of it. Even the purpose. When he launched forth, he was sure he had a purpose, but by the time he reaches the primitive mountain village at the edge of the wilderness, he can no longer remember it. In fact, he is not certain this was his original destination. Wasn’t he going to the barber shop? It was summertime when he left, but now it is winter and the dead of night and he is alone and dressed only in his golf shirt and orange-and-green checked Bermuda shorts. He is met by villagers, huddled in heavy furs, who stare at him with expressions of dread and horror. He’s a friendly guy, even among strangers, always ready to buy the first round, and he puts his hand out and flashes them his best smile, but they shriek and shrink back, crossing themselves theatrically."

Man Booker Prize 2011: Julian Barnes Wins

2011-10-19T11:28:00.000+01:00

Julian Barnes has been declared winner of the Man Booker Prize 2011 with his novel The Sense of an Ending (Jonathan Cape - Random House).

Barnes has claimed that the Man Booker process "usually produces some psychosomatic malady - a throbbing boil, a burning wire of neuralgia, the prod of gout" in the writer. Abeg get me one big dictionary ;) This should encourage one to keep going! This is the fourth time Barnes work would appear on the long list.

Here are some quotes from his works and interviews:

“It’s easy to read the book innocently, trusting the narrator, believing his account of things, and letting yourself be carried along as by an unthreatening breeze. Maupassant is often called ‘a natural storyteller’: that’s to say, a professional, practised, unnatural storyteller.” (On We Sail in the London Review of Books)

"And sometimes the nature of the writer's oeuvre creates a problem of choice ... Should you choose one of those previously unopened? Or go for one you suspect you misread, or undervalued, at the time? Or one, like Couples, which you might have read for somewhat non-literary reasons?" (The Guardian)

“Books say: She did this because. Life says: She did this. Books are where things are explained to you; life is where things aren't. I'm not surprised some people prefer books. Books make sense of life. The only problem is that the lives they make sense of are other people's lives, never your own.” (Flaubert’s Parrot)

“He talked about the myth of the writer and how it was not just the reader who became trapped in the myth but sometimes the writer as well – in which case we should feel pity rather than blame. He thought about what hating a writer might mean. How fast and how long do we punish thought-crime? He quoted Auden on time pardoning Kipling for his views – “And will pardon Paul Claudel / Pardon him for writing well.” (Homage to Hemingway, New Yorker)

“It's easy, after all, not to be a writer. Most people aren't writers, and very little harm comes to them.” (Flaubert’s Parrot)

“How often do we tell our own life story? How often do we adjust, embellish, make sly cuts? And the longer life goes on, the fewer are those around to challenge our account, to remind us that our life is not our life, merely the story we have told about our life. Told to others, but - mainly - to ourselves.” (The Sense of an Ending)

Saraba Mag: Call for Submissions

2011-10-18T09:20:00.000+01:00

Saraba Magazine invites writers of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, to contribute to the forthcoming Music Issue. Given that we are exploring a theme that moves, thrills and touches, we expect submissions that are the writer's personal experiences and definitions of Music. We also expect insightful and relevant submissions. We have tiny space for works that touch on other themes.

The Music Issue is our last for the year. The deadline is October 20. Please send submissions via the website

Shakara: Felabration at Lifehouse

2011-10-10T07:52:00.003+01:00

The Felabration week will feature a vast array of art and cultural elements and activities including a weeklong art exhibition, theatre performances, numerous live musical performances, poetry recitals, book readings, open-mic sessions, a fashion,food and lifestyle fair, film screenings and discussions and loads more.

Everyday during Felabration at The Life House, expect to be inspired, motivated and moved by the works, conversations and people you will meet at The Life House.

Artists scheduled to perform at The Life House include: Yinka Davies, BEZ, Ayetoro, Sense Lounge, J'odie, Chica Chukwu, Ade Bantu, Sha, Lala Akindoju, Inna Erizia, Biodun and Batik, Salvador Sango, Tope Sadiq, Wana Udobang, Wura Samba and loads more.

SHAKARA: FELABRATION AT THE LIFE HOUSE 2011 takes place at The Life House, 33 Sinari Daranijo Street, Off Younis Bashorun, Off Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos from 11th – 16th October 2011.
Info- 0703 403 0683

SHAKARA: FELABRATION AT THE LIFE HOUSE 2011 is proudly sponsored by IRS AIRLINES and SPINLET with support from Bella Naija, Smooth 98.1FM, Ynaija, Lost in Lagos, Tocatina Music, Persnickety Media, Freedom Studios, Zazugist.com, One Nigerian Boy

Lights, Camera, Africa!!!

2011-09-30T18:25:00.000+01:00

Reel Life, the LifeHouse's film club presents, in conjunction with the Africa Film Festival, New York, its first Film Festival.
The film festival will hold from the 30th of September to the 2nd of October at the LifeHouse on 33, Sinari Daranijo Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The festival will showcase original pieces of African cinema from within the continent and the diaspora.
Attendance is free!

Write For E-zee Writer

2011-09-30T08:59:00.000+01:00

One of our fave newsletters E-zee Writer is accepting articles... do you have an idea to make the job of a writer easier? Why not give it a try... Also a good excuse to read through past editions of the newsletter and get inspired...happy weekend

E-zee Writer will only accept articles. We do NOT accept fiction or poetry.

Articles should give advice to the beginning and established freelance writer. We are particularly interested in articles which give advice on writing for specific markets and selling work: writing for the Internet, how to write scripts for radio, TV or the stage, market research, information research, how to write fillers and articles etc.

Length should be around 700 words.

Payment is £35 per thousand words on publication for electronic rights.

For past issues of E-zee Writer Click Here.

Call for submissions: Melrose Publishing Limited

2011-09-28T00:00:00.001+01:00

Melrose Books and Publishing was conceptualized in February 2010 and began operation in January 2011. It was founded on the basic principle of introducing new ways of publishing through innovative and modern methods of creating content that would make learning easier, interactive and interesting to the reader or user.

In addition to our educational books, we have interest in promoting and exploring the creative minds of Africans home and abroad through literary works. One of our goals is to create a reading culture among Nigerians, whilst sustaining it.

We are presently working on prose fictional works for pupils in Primaries four to six (4-6) and students in Junior Secondary School one to three (JSS1-3). People who are interested in writing for these categories should send their manuscripts to melrosebooks@yahoo.com and copy amaka.ukwuegbu@melroseng.com.

Call for Submissions: The African Muse

2011-09-26T08:48:00.000+01:00

Seeking writing and photography contributors to cover the African arts scene--film, literature, dance, music, culture--for The African Muse. The African Muse features the best original thought on African culture, art, and artists for international patrons and creative practitioners. Supporting the work of fine artists and entrepreneurs, TAM incites a cross-cultural dialogue that challenges conventional notions of African art and creativity.

To become a contributor, you must:

1. Live in a major international city and have a strong interest in Africa/Africans, fine arts and culture.

2. Visit The African Muse to see if the style and subject matter appeal to you.

3. E-mail a short (200 words or less) description of yourself and your interests, your online experience, what you'd like to cover, and a link to your blog/portfolio or other writing/photography samples online (at least three) to theafricanmuse [at] gmail [dot] com.

The African Muse is a labor of love. There's no pay, but we're hoping to grow the site and be able to revise that statement in the future. E-mail theafricanmuse [at] gmail [dot] com for more info.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: theafricanmuse@gmail.com

For submissions: theafricanmuse@gmail.com

Website: http://theafricanmuse.blogspot.com/

Giveaways, this Season!!!

2011-09-25T01:09:00.001+01:00

READ THE SUNDAY SUN REVUE FOR 3 WEEKS WIN N10,000.
Sunday Sun Revue, the Arts pages of Sunday Sun is giving. Yes. Beginning this Sunday, September 24, 2011 they will publish excerpts from the 3 books on the NLNG prize short list.

The rules to win are simple. But a copy of the paper. Read the excerpts. Vote for the book you think will win. The first 3 correct votes get N10,000 each plus a copy of the book courtesy Radi8 Ltd.

So start booking your Sunday Sun now. Voting ends 6pm, Monday October 9, 2011.

Lagosmums Giveaway
Lagosmums, the fastest growing online community for Mums in Lagos is giving away...magazines, books. Now, that's where it is our business. There are few rules.

Invite 20 friends: Win a six month magazine subscription to Exceed Magazine, a magazine that focuses on career and work life balance (courtesy of Exceed Omni Media)
Invite 10 friends: Win a gift pack with books, (courtesy of Debonair Bookstores and Wordsmithy Media) and a set of jewellery (courtesy of Toritshe H7).
Invite 5 friends: Win a free make-up session with Makeup Kolonie and a free movie ticket.

Slum Diary by Nwilo Bura-Bari Vincent

2011-09-24T01:40:00.001+01:00

SLUM DIARY

Nwilo Bura-Bari Vincent

Click!It comes twice. The first click may have a flash. But the second click does. The flash light comes blinding. But that isn’t my problem. I like it, especially when I’m placed on serious smiles with crisp notes. Halima, that woman I love likes it when I smile. Other children envy me. I can’t tell why that is, but my curly hair, my skin colour and my stature are mainly my speculations.

The white men that visit Bori always find us fascinating. They enjoy all we do. From clicking at children diving into streams, to sweating teenagers cleaning the windscreen of cars for money, they love all we do. A lot of them wouldn’t buy what we sell. But they never minded any pictures. They clicked at cats crossing the road. They would click at quarreling market women and struggling bus conductors. They also clicked at monuments. You see them in armed protected vehicles. Someone said taking pictures of us was a good thing. He said the pictures travel to the white lands and is put on large billboards and computers. And it makes us famous. Others have said the pictures generate funds for these people. When I heard that I intensified my charge for every picture snapped.

When I grow up I want to have many children, maybe ten or fifteen of them. And I would position them around the country with large bowls like I have now. I would take some to Port Harcourt; I heard the people there are rich. Someone said there is oil money everywhere, even in the air, especially in Bonny, an Island close to the Garden City, where women go for good luck, and hustlers like us beg for mercies. I would take a half of my children there and make them bug all the white and black people so one day; we would pool resources and build ourselves an empire. I am sure the dream would be achieved. I would send a couple of them to Lagos. The governor stopped us from hawking and street trading. He stopped our business. He stopped everything because he knows nothing and cares little. That is bad business. He wants to kill my dreams.

I would have made so much money today if I had been discovered by another white tourist. But I didn’t. I missed my luck. I was at the National Stadium where the President’s daughter celebrated her eighteenth birthday. The nation gathered. And I found enough food to last me the day.

Tomorrow is another day. Maybe I would find my dearest, Halima, and tell her of my dreams of ten or fifteen children and the strategic idea I thought up. I like Halima a lot. I have not told her, because I think I am not ready yet. I would be fifteen in a month. Maybe I would have added some more height. Someone said I wouldn’t grow any taller. I know it’s a lie. I know I would grow taller and marry Halima and have so much money and maybe have a family snap shot from the click of the tourists’ cameras.

Judges comments: Our second prize story ‘Slum Diary’ by Nwilo Bura-Bari Vincent takes us on a trip into the psyche of a young boy and his strategy for thriving in the slums. The reader while enjoying the story is compelled to feel great empathy for this juvenile whose experience is simply a microcosm of the experiences of his kind all over the world. Only a child can truly see something to look forward to in the life that the main character in the story leads. We all can identify with his hopes, dreams and aspirations, maybe not in the way that he does but in a similar way, we draw strength to live one more day and try one more time to overcome the challenges that are inevitable in our individual journeys through life. Nwilo has succeeded in creating a credible work of literature. Well done!

Book N Gauge IV: Musing en Male...

2011-09-23T11:45:00.002+01:00

In the month of September, PulpFaction Book Club would be hosting you to four emerging voices on the Nigerian literary scene. There will also be two soul artistes and a spoken word poet and you don’t want to miss this. It’s an afternoon of readings, live performances and YOU. Be our guest! And yes, bring four friends and win a free book!

Time: 2pm

DATE: Saturday 24^th September, 2011

Venue: Debonair Bookstores, 294, Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba.

Chimeka Garricks: Author of PulpFaction Book Club’s September Book of the Month, is a lawyer by day, a writer at night and a football fanatic at weekends. Tomorrow Died Yesterday is his first published novel. He has read the book at different literary gatherings including Rainbow Book Club and Infusion. His debut novel was featured at the 2011 Garden City Literary Festival. Chimeka Garricks lives with his wife, Biyai, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Eghosa Imaseun: Born on the 19th of May in Ibadan, 1976, Eghosa is an alumnus of the inaugural Adichie-Wainaina-Fidelity-Bank Creative Writing Workshop that held in Ikoyi in 2007. He grew up in the oil city of Warri. His first novel, To Saint Patrick, an Alternate History look at Nigeria from the Civil War onwards, was published to critical acclaim by the Farafina Imprint of Kachifo Ltd, Lagos, in 2008. His second novel, Fine Boys, a look at Nigeria's post-Biafra generation through the prism of the IMF conditionalities of the 1990s, is expected from Farafina in late November 2011. He lives in Benin City with his wife and twin sons. He is also a medical doctor.

Samuel Kolawole: His fiction has appeared in Jungle Jim, Eastownfiction, Translitmag, Superstition review, Sentinel literary Quarterly, amongst others. His stories are forthcoming in ISFN anthology, an American-based imprint where his writing life will also be showcased. A recipient of the Reading Bridges fellowship, Samuel lives in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria, where he has begun work on his novel Olivia of Hustle House. He blogs regularly at Samuelkolawole.wordpress.com.

Charles Ayo Dada: A poet, playwright, prose writer and publisher, Charles Ayo Dada was born in Brussels Belgium, in 1971. He had an opportunity of an early exposure to the culture of the Arabs, the Europeans and the Americans.His collection of poem, the Ghost of Zina was nominated for The Pat Utomi Literary Award. Excerpts of the work have been published in several international journals and can be found online at numerous websites. He has been invited to several universities (where his book is studied) to speak on his work and has had The Ghost of Zina performed at the department of English, faculty of Arts, at The University of Lagos. ‘The King’s Clarion Call’ is his first stage play..

Performances
ESE PETERS: Ese has a knack for making beautiful music. A self-taught guitar player, He started out as a solo performer after graduating from the university in 2008 the Alternative Rock/Soul genre. A young man who sings from his heart, Ese carefully crafts his songs which come from his experiences and a wealth of influences, citing John Mayer as a major reason why he decided to pursue music as a career, Ese puts an interesting spin on guitar-driven pop music.

.
ISEBIAMA: A product of the MUSON Diploma School of Music, ISEBIAMA is a sensational singer, songwriter, guitarist whose love and passion for music has taken him through phases most focused and accomplished musicians pass through. From the basic music foundation, to sight reading & writing his music, to understanding the connection that should exist between different instruments and performers in small ensembles, group performances and chamber groups. Isebiama is indeed a musician of purpose; his genre of music is deeply rooted with originality and cultural credibility in Soul and World Music. Though born and bred in Lagos, Isebiama hails from Okrika in Rivers State. His songs which are written & delivered in English, Yoruba, Okrika and Pidgin English, are an expression of his experiences and the stuff that goes on in his heart. His dynamic play of the guitar with speed, passion, mental strength, balance and panache, and his remarkable vocal intonation through his mid to high notes registration are assets to be reckoned with. ISEBIAMA is the new sound of music.

EFE PAUL: Widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s leading Spoken Word Poets, Efe Paul has been a headline performer in many of the nation’s premier performance poetry venues, including Anthill 2.0 and Taruwa. For over a decade, Efe has continued to deliver Spoken Word Poetry locally and internationally, gracing platforms at seminars, workshops, conferences, tertiary institutions, community development fora, as well as churches. He is the voice of a generation, a seeker and speaker of truth, an entertaining poet and performer.

There promises to be:

* A one-on-one interaction between authors and readers

* A platform for book enthusiasts to meet, interact and network. (Members of PulpFactionClub on Facebook and followers on Twitter would have a grand opportunity to meet).

* Freebies, lots of it. Let’s start with this. Invite four of your friends, ensure they come for the event and win a free book.

* Live Musical performances by: guitar masters Ese Peters, Isebiama, and

Spoken word performance by One of Nigeria’s best, Efe Paul.

* Book signing and Book Bazaar.

Remember: Bring four friends and win a free book! Gifts are available for early birds too

www.nodsms.com

www.wordsmithymedia.com

www.pulpfaction.org.ng

http://www.debonairbookstore.com

Saraba 9: The Food Issue

2011-09-19T02:05:00.002+01:00

Saraba Mag has been churning out interesting issues, issue after issue. The latest is about food. Read the publishers note, start salivating. Download free here

"There is a certain way of perpetuating the discourse of food: relishing a meal while predetermining the next. This might be the subliminal rationale behind the Prequel Issue to the Food Issue, the culinary delight of hors d’oeuvre. This philosophy might as well promote gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins, but Temitayo Olofinlua’s piece pointedly asserts this behaviour as popular during the ghastly military era that beleaguered Nigeria a republic ago. And that our Food Issue is timely in re-ushering Muslim faithfuls from their stint with abstinence, the milieu is primed to receive Saraba’s muse on food as a literary meal.

There is another of way of looking at food; that which was deployed by Emmanuel Iduma in his conversation with Dr. Chima Anyadike. Food inimitably intersects with literature severally, and Anyadike’s measured responses to Iduma’s intellectual bravado pays off, it lends perspective to the literature of food.

Chika Unigwe and previous contributors to Saraba also put forward their short experiences and thoughts about food. What we have is another collagist of sort, a chart of monologues on one of the most unifying experiences.

Enjoy.

Caveat: We prescribe that the issue should be engaged with a full stomach for maximum enjoyment!"

Have a great week!

Creative Wings Writing Competition: Winners

2011-09-17T01:15:00.000+01:00

Sometime ago, we partnered with Creative Wings on a writing competition. The winners have been announced and as promised we are pleased to present you their works. And for those wondering what judges always see in winning stories, we left their comments. The winning stories are Waiting by Fego Martins Ahia and Slum Diary by Nwilo Bura-Bari Vincent. Enjoy Fego's work below.

W is for Waiting

By Fego Martins Ahia

A little silence hung between both of us. But the air still smelt of February; the wind still slammed against the windows, as if it were going to rain.

I wilted a little more, though the bamboo bed creaked under me. The half-moon resembled my limpid eyes – faint and watery – though flashing in the half-darkness.

The silence had vanished after a moment more. The front door soon swung open.

“Atanda,” someone whispered, though not too far away.

“Yes, Mama.” It was my voice this time, so soft I barely heard it myself. “D-Did you find him?”

She pulled the door shut, inching towards the candle-light. Lara remained warm and silent beside me.

Mama breathed slowly. “I wasn’t searching for your father, was I?” She plunked down in the sofa, inches away. “I wouldn’t go after a drunk that doesn’t remember he has a family.”

“Maa-ma?” Lara’s voice came at once.

“Will you shut up?” she said, rubbing her hand across her pimply face. “All his money ends in the beer parlor. Is that one a husband? After all, he married me on credit. He couldn’t pay up my bride price before my Papa passed on. He brought me to this one-room apartment in the city – Ajegunle for that matter. His peers are sending their children to private schools. Yet, he prefers to squander his tiny salary on alcohol and nothing else.” She wiped her eyes.

I wiped mine too, but there was no wetness in them.

“But Mama, things are hard, you know,” I managed to say. “Is that why you refused to prepare amala for his dinner?”

“Keep shut, my friend,” she growled at me. “Did he give me money to prepare it? How dare you talk to me that way? My mates are stocking their stalls, yet my shop remains dry like baked potato. Those moneybags keep coming after me, but I tell them I have a “husband”. Husband my foot!”

“Alright, I’m sorry, Mama,” I said, finally. “I-I know how it feels.”

“No, you don’t, Atanda,” she said without looking my way. “What do you know? When I was your age, those barrel-chested men used come to my Papa, asking for my hand in marriage. They used to offer us hectares of land, but I wanted to ripen. I didn’t know I was waiting to marry a flat-chested man who now goes about, proudly calling himself my husband.”

“May God give us better husbands, O!” Lara said.

“Amen,” I replied at once.

Mama paused, her brows furrowed a little. I didn’t wait a twinkling before I shot to my feet. I neared the front door while Lara followed. Mama jumped up. Her face changed color. She chased after us, but we were laughing all the way.

“It was just a prayer, Mama,” Lara said, the moment our mother had locked us outside. “It is for our future.” We were laughing convulsively.

“Then follow your Papa. Three of you should sleep outside in the rain,”

Mama said. “Don’t you dare wake me up, you little things. But of course, a trial will convince you.” She hissed sibilantly.

We thought she was joking. Papa didn’t return that night. We were helpless in the cold of our tiny verandah, waiting for the morning to come. When it finally would, the first thing would be the gleaming, golden sun, climbing over the horizon a distance away. We would be shivering by then, still waiting until laughter disappeared from our faces.

Judges comments: Our first prize story ‘W is for Waiting’ by Fego Martins Ahia is a beautiful story that portrays the relationship between the girls and their parents. The author depicts the oedipal complex where girls love their daddies intensely, see them as their heroes and will believe no wrong about them. We can see the girls pushing their mother’s buttons as a lot of girls will secretly admit they deliberately do. This is cleverly shown by the author as well. The resolution is touching and so true to life as most girls grow up to find that their invincible, hero-like dads whom they immortalized, revered and idolized are mere mortals with flaws like everyone else. Good job Fego. I enjoyed reading this!

What do you think?

Writing Tips and Publishing Opportunity with Emotion Press

2011-09-15T19:33:00.000+01:00

Since the inception of our publishing arm at Emotion Press, several writers have submitted manuscripts.I have been given the opportunity to evaluate some of them.
In this session, I would like to ruminate on one of the major problem literally fighting most writers.Just like Nolly wood where scripting cliches are the order of the day, most writers want to write as Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie and Wole Soyinka.

Thinking out of the box is quite essential as a 21st century writer.

Most stories you would be carving has been written before. The difference you would make will be your ability to write your own story your own way. Chimamanda Adichie and Chinua Achebe don't think the same way because they do not come from the same background nor had the same experiences; you and I don't think the same way. We are two original and creatively blessed entities.

I am challenging you today to think out of the box. As you put pen on pen, think out of the box. Avoid cliches. Be like yourself. Be original.Create new things.

Emotion Press wants to publish a quarterly literary magazine, you are invited to submit your entries. Visit Omojojolobooks.wordpress.com/omojojolomagazine. You may have a unique story for publication? We want to publish you - omojojolobooks.wordpress.com/submitmanuscript..

iRead

2011-09-14T01:42:00.001+01:00

It's midweek already! How is the week going? We bring you our fun reading list...just a click away.

9/11 stories: The Second Death of Martin Lango by Helon Habila

A phone call from an old friend sets Charles thinking of his former life in Nigeria, but the connection between Lagos and Washington DC is difficult to establish in this new story from Helon Habila, the latest in Guardian series of short fiction to mark the anniversary of 9/11.

"I won the visa lottery and moved to America six years before. Like everyone else, I wanted a piece of the American dream, little realising how long it takes to get it. My master's degree in business management had only got me a job as security in the local Giant superstore. But it was okay. When Martin called I only had two years to wait before I'd get my American passport. I was thirty five, and single."

A Novel of Pirates, Zealots and the Somalia Crisis, A review of Nuruddin Farah's Crossbones

"Farah demonstrates how war profiteers make lucrative careers out of chaos. The bloody Ethiopian invasion, which received significant backing from the United States, not only foments anti-American sentiment, but also makes the most secular Somalis sympathize with the religionists. Young Taxliil’s radicalization, too, is a function of both his association with militant clerics and America’s misguided “war on terror.” The only political element Farah is markedly restrained about is America’s fickle and damaging cold war involvement in the region."

Sentinel Nigeria's Issue 7

Sentinel never disappoints. This issue features short stories by prolific authors such as Chuma Nwokolo, Esien Ekpe-Ita, Conquer Tukokumo Igali, and Chiemerie Nnamani Okenwa. There are poems by Obemata, Ibrahim Sambo, Giwa Abdulazeez, Anietie James Okuku, Osayi Osar-Emokpae, and Enuka Chimezie. In The Sentinel Nigeria interview, EC Osondu, Caine Prize winner and author of Voice of America speaks with Eghosa Imasuen, author of soon-to-be-released novel Fineboys. Interesting article by Ahmed Maiwada on the intertextuality between Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Colleen McCullough’s novel The Thorn Birds and Adichie's Purple Hibiscus here.

"It is safe to assume at this point that the proponents of Adichie’s debts to Achebe have rested their cases, having realised how they have fallen prey to Adichie’s perfectly sold first-sentence dummy. It is left to address the group that champion Adichie’s “originality”, probably led by Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo. This group is urged to re-evaluate its position in view of the extra-ordinary closeness that characterise the structures, characters, language and plots of these two novels – The Thorn Birds and Purple Hibiscus— which go beyond the intertextual, beyond the acceptable limits within which one piece of literature may relate to another."

An excerpt from Jude Dibia's Blackbird in Next Newspapers. A review by Ikhide Ikheloa here too.

"Salem Avenue had originally been lined with brick houses built in the 1930s when the British colonialists were still very much around. They had an old British country feel and look, from the way the roofs were laid-in triangular cascades-to the little gardens that lined the drives. With the gradual transfer from white colonial settlers to black local inhabitants, most of these houses had changed in appearance and were now colour washed in faded greys and off-whites. Others had been rebuilt or renovated by new owners and developers. These stood out jarringly like large, dead cockroaches in a bowl of milk, with their bright colours and awkward architectural designs. Now they harboured typewriters and computers instead of television sets; stiff chairs and formal desks instead of armchairs and cushions and metal cabinets in place of wooden cupboards.

There used to be a small park at the end of the street for Sunday picnics and solitary strolls for those who loved watching the sunset. But the park had been the first landmark to disappear and in its place, a motel was erected. The residents of Salem Avenue wrote protest letters to try to stop the builders, only to learn later that the owner of the motel was the council boss's cousin. It was soon after the construction of the motel, that some property owners on Salem Avenue sold their homes which were then renovated and converted to business outfits by the new owners, right under the nose of the local government. Slowly, the residential area morphed into a pseudo-commercial neighbourhood. The remaining residents simply lived with it and soon they, too, no longer thought about the tranquillity of the past."

Hope this keeps you busy between work, at lunch...hope it helps you sail through the week, with ease!

Emotion Press: Call For Entry

2011-09-13T19:40:00.001+01:00

Omojojolo magazine is a quarterly literary magazine. The first edition of the magazine is planned to be released on the 13th of December,2011. Premised upon this, we are calling for entries from the general writing public.

Category of Entries

Poetry - Not more than 40 lines
Short story - Not more than 2,500 words.
Play - Not more than 5000 words
Creative Non-fiction - Not more than 2,500 words.
Submission Deadline: September 29,2011
Entry Fee: N750[Naira]
Visit www.omojojolobooks.wordpress.com for further details.

Literature in the Garden City

2011-09-12T01:34:00.000+01:00

The 4th Garden City Literary Festival begins in Port Harcourt on Monday, September 12th till Saturday, September 17th. The event will feature International Literary Conference, book readings, theatre productions, interactive sessions with writers, publishers, academics and other literary professionals and a Book Fair.

Some of this year’s featured speakers are Chinua Achebe, Reverend Jesse Jackson from the USA and Ghanaian feminist writer Ama Atta Aidoo. Other speakers include authors Ilyas Tunc, Lisa Combrinck, Ken Wiwa, Chimeka Garricks , Michael Peel and Eghosa Imasuen.

This is an opportunity to meet writers and participate in the writing workshop. All roads indeed lead to PH this week!

September 11, a Poem

2011-09-11T14:20:00.001+01:00

KTravula wrote this poem in memory of victims, first responders, firemen and all other casualties of the 9/11 attacks and the war therefrom.

Raining debris of a thousand dreams over Manhattan

And tears of pain, a gaping hole in the eye of summer.

The world morphed suddenly into dust and heat

and a flag-draped beginning of a new, frigtening day.

There we were, going our separate ways, waking.

Working, living, arguing – a usual rite of passage,

And there they were, willing acolytes of a sad resolve,

boarding jetliners with armoury of a cultivated god.

Here we are, a decade away, still a bewildered folk.

Just a little step from the true vanity of all our pain.

So we hope, and dream, and watch, accordingly,

and live with the same wondering resolve: any lessons?

The world remains what it is – a weird blubbering ball

hanging in the daunting mystery of its core, warts and all.

Introducing 5B

2011-09-11T13:15:00.000+01:00

5B is to serve as a network for young writers, under 35 and of African descent, currently working on a novel. The goal of the Network is to assist the 5 members of the network in completing a novel - by way of critiques, editorial suggestions and publishing hints. However, the objective is open-ended. The first project of the network will begin in October 2011.

Interested members should take note of the following:

The novel should be in progress at the time of application to participate
The number is kept at 5 so that the members can develop friendship while working on their books
Only writers of literary fiction will be admitted as members
The first project of the network aims at ensuring that all the five members, at the end of a year, have completed manuscripts ready for representation and/or publishing
The project shall last between October 2011 and August 2012
Each member will be required to make weekly contributions of a part of the novel in progress. Please note that a high level of cooperation is demanded - The work will be tasking!
The contributions of each member shall not exceed 25 installments. As such, members will have the discretion of dividing their work into a maximum of 25 parts. This is subject to review
The members will decide on a platform to share their writing, and an avenue for virtual meetings and discussions. Discussions will also be held once a week.
Other details will be finalized as soon as members are selected.

If interested, please contact Emmanuel by email (emma.iduma@gmail.com). Send a summary of your plot, the proposed word range, a brief publishing history, a short (or long) introduction about yourself, and any other detail you feel is important for the purpose of the project. The selection process is simple and quick; applications will be treated in the order they are received. Send in your email before September 20. If before then selection is complete, subsequent applicants will be duly informed. As this is not a competition, the decision of who is to become a member is entirely based on the interests of the Initiator.

Have a great week everyone!

GUERILLA BASEMENT SHORT FICTION

2011-09-05T08:55:00.000+01:00

Guerilla Basement is calling for short fiction entries. This particular call for entries is in commemoration of “Cancer Awareness” month in October.

The aim is to explore the use of certain themes in both creative and experimental ways in literary fiction.

Submissions should be based on the theme of “Cancer”. The four stories selected will be published on the Guerilla Basement website through the month of October.

Deadline for submission is SEPTEMBER 18, 2011

Submission Guidelines
Stories must be previously unpublished and must be the exclusive work of the entrant.

Stories must be between 600 and 750 words.

Entry is free.

Only one submission per entrant is permitted.

Only online submissions are acceptable.

Entries should be emailed to wana@guerillabasement.com .

Paste story in the body of the e-mail. Use ‘Guerilla Basement Fiction’ in the subject line. Entries with attachments will be disqualified.

The email must contain the entrant’s name, the title of story, and the entrant’s physical address and contact phone number.

Simultaneous submissions are NOT acceptable.

Entries must be in English.
Judging the entries will be award winning writer Chika Unigwe. Unigwe has been shortlisted for the Caine Prize, she has won the Commonwealth Short Story competition, written two children’s books and her short stories have appeared in several journals, anthologies and magazines. She is the author of The Phoenix and the critically acclaimed On Black Sisters Street.

Guerilla Basement is a literary, art and culture website. Visit www.guerillabasement.com or follow gbasement on twitter

The BornTroWay Project

2011-08-28T13:15:00.000+01:00

PROMOTING YOUTH EMPOWERMENT THROUGH THE ARTS: THE “BORNTROWAY” PROJECT HOLDS IN PORT HARCOURT FROM 5^thto 10^th of SEPTEMBER, 2011

The BornTroWay Project (http://borntroway.tumblr.com/), a creative arts training initiative which is aimed at promoting individual self-confidence, self-expression, teamwork and integration among 45 youths (aged 17-25) in disadvantaged areas of Nigeria’s main cities, will hold in Port Harcourt from September 5-10, 2011.

Interested candidates and aspiring artists can register free of charge from 20^th to 30^th of August at the Deli Spices Fast Food, Choba and at Ritola Integrated Services on 21 Potts Johnson Street, Port Harcourt.

Auditions - for registered candidates only!!!

Auditions will hold on September 2 at the Rumueme Senior Secondary School, Port Harcourt. Workshop dates are September 5-9, 2011 at a location in the city to be communicated to the shortlisted candidates.

The Workshop which uses spoken word, music, dance and acting, focuses on the issue of “waste”; physical (our relation with the environment) and human (our undiscovered, untapped or unutilized talent). The training culminates in a mini show open to the public, which will display a performance created by the youth over the intensive one-week workshop. The show will also be attended by popular music artists from Port Harcourt in solidarity towards the aspiring talents.

The Project – born from the inspiration of Music Matters (www.musicmattersafrica.org); a music movement promoting emerging and unknown Nigerian talents and Bantu (http://bantu.tumblr.com/) - BornTroWay was piloted in Ajegunle, Lagos from May 16-21, 2011 with extraordinary results which are being collated in a short documentary. After Port Harcourt, BornTroWay aims to travel to other Nigerian cities (Jos and Kano), following which the best acts and artists are to be selected to take part in the production of a musical show that will tour Nigeria promoting peace and unity and showcasing the talent of our youth living in marginal areas.

The Team

Creative Directors: Petra Kron and Ade Bantu

Local Coordinator: Tony Peterson (Choba) and Biebele Wokoma (Bundu)

Instructors: Ade Bantu (music), Dagga Tolar (spoken word), Ropo Ewenla (drama),Segun Adefila (dance)

Producer: Ilaria Chessa (Music Matters)

Information and media relations: Remi Adegbite 07084287828 and imageheritage@aol.com

Book N Gauge III: Words, Not Gender

2011-08-26T10:54:00.000+01:00

In the month of August, PulpFaction Book Club would be hosting you to five amazing female writers from different generations, with different writing styles. There will also be three female performers and it’s going to be a blast. The women are bringing the groove back to literature. It’s an afternoon of readings, live performances and YOU. Be our guest! And yes, bring five friends and win a free book!

Time: 2pm DATE: Tomorrow!

Venue: Debonair Bookstores, Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba

Lola Shoneyin: Author of Pulpfaction Book Club’s August Book of the month (The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives). She has written three volumes of poems: So All the Time I was Sitting on an Egg (1998); Song of a Riverbird (2002) and For the Love of Flight (2010). The Iowa International Writer’s Fellow works at an international school in Abuja. In her own words “I spend exactly 7.673% of my life day-dreaming. You see, the older I get, the more I discover how different my life has been to everyone else’s – and I don’t necessarily mean that in a good way! Nevertheless, I abhor self-pity and encourage people to take control of their lives.”

Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo: A lecturer, writer, novelist, critic, essayist and administrator. She has written over twenty books. Her latest work Roses and Bullets, published by Jalaa Writers’ Collective is about the Nigerian Civil War. The former winner of the NLNG Prize for Literature, the biggest prize for literature in Nigeria, heads the Prize’s panel of judges this year.

Simidele Dosekun: Former COO and Managing Editor of Kachifo Limited, publisher of Farafina Books. She is the author of Beem Explores Africa and co-author of two children’s textbooks, all published by Farafina. She will talk about her experience at Farafina, editing and managing, and on her writing.

Joy Bewaji: Writer and mother. Her first work Eko Dialogue was well accepted. She’s working on her next novella. During the day, she works as an Editor, at night, she scribbles.

Seye Oke: Author of Love’s Lie and Debbie’s Diary. Her creative works are usually based on biblical principles told in a contemporary African style. She enjoys quiet moments with family and friends.

Performances

Mo'Cheddah: passionate about her craft, this young female musician has kept Nigerians humming to her tunes and dancing to her songs.

Aramide is an addicted lover of music, she has written over 100 songs. In 2008, she was part of a show called ‘Divas Unplugged’ in the city of Jos; the show had all the leading female artistes in the Nigerian music industry. Aramide is also a Guitarist and the Saxophonist. She’s passionate about are freedom of women and love. She has worked with artistes like M.I and Jesse Jagz. For soulful Aramide, music is life.

Aduke is a lady of the strings, with a fantastic voice to complement it. She has opened many shows. She is also an active member of Crown Troupe. Aduke is a different person on stage, in a role; different character on stage with a guitar. Watch out for her.

Also

A one-on-one interaction between authors and readers.
A platform for book enthusiasts to meet, interact and network. (Members of PulpFactionClub on Facebook and followers on Twitter would have a grand opportunity to meet).
Freebies, lots of it. Let’s start with this. Invite five of your friends, ensure they come for the event and win a free book.
Live Musical performances by: guitar masters Aramide and Aduke.
Book signing.

DATE: 27th August, 2011
TIME: STRICTLY 2pm – 5pm (Pls emphasis that the time is now 2pm, not 3pm)
VENUE: Debonair Bookstore, 294, Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba.

Remember: Bring five friends and win a free book! Gifts are available for early birds too.

United Nations International Year of Youths Essay Contest

2011-08-23T09:36:00.000+01:00

In honour of the United Nations International Year of Youths, Ugreen Foundation, a youth organisation promoting a constructive citizenship participation in democracy and governance in Nigeria hosted a project titled 'Change Your World+Nigerian Youths, Be Energized, Be Engaged.' The project is divided into three segments.

1. An interactive session with Nigerian youth leaders: the interactive session featured paper presentations on leadership, governance and democracy, group works and panel disscusions.

2. A Change Your World Rural Area Project: the participant in the interactive session to form a youth forum and elect their leaders and is charged with the task of brainstorming on a program they can do in support for democracy in any rural area.

3. Change Your World Essay Contest: This essay contest is to ensure youth participation in governance and democracy. The topic of the essay is: 'As Nigeria is faced with the challenges of terrorism and post electoral violence, what can young people do to help consolidate our young democracy?' The 10 best essays will be published in a booklet to be given free to young people. The best three essays will be published in World Youth Movement for Democracy Website, Youngstars Development Foundation Website, Ugreen Foundation website and in four blogs. The overall winner gets a chance to attend a one year democracy training of Youngstars Development Foundation (Desplay Africa Season 7).

It is our belief that young people will reshape the world and United Nations is given us the platform to do that by announcing August 2010 - August 2011 as the International Year of Youths.

Submit your essay to: ugreen07@yahoo.com

Rules:

a. Any Nigerian resident in Ebonyi state

b. Must be between 18 and 35 years old.

c. Not more than 1500 words.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: ugreen07@yahoo.com

For submissions: ugreen07@yahoo.com

Website: http://www.ugreenfoundation.org/

A Writer about his Work...

2011-08-15T01:03:00.000+01:00

Uche Ezeh-Al, author of Jungle Drumbeats; writes about the novel.

It is the late 1960s. The British economy is on a free fall. Doomed are the desperate efforts to starve-off the devaluation of the pound. Unemployment is skyrocketing. Deficit is soaring, creating significant problems for the external balance of trade. And whilst a general election looms, the so-called political wind of change in several British colonies and territories around the world, await swift decisions.

Meanwhile, another huge economic and political headache is escalating for Britain in Africa, of all places. Nigeria, Britain’s former colony in West Africa, is locked in a bloody civil war with Biafran secessionists in the east. The desperate Biafrans have promptly annexed the hundreds of millions of pounds worth of oil fields explored by the BP in the deep south and are already threatening to drive out the BP workers and hand over the exploration of the rich oil fields to French and Russian companies.

Britain is in a quagmire. It must not be seen to be interfering militarily in the internal affairs of a Commonwealth member state. If it does, it risks being accused of complicity in Nigeria’s heavy-handed campaign against Biafrans, which is already resulting in one of the worst cases of secret genocide since World War II. Yet, it would be inconceivable for Britain to stand idly by and watch the secessionists appropriate BP’s huge investment for themselves…

What would you do if it’s the late 1960s and you are Prime Minister Harold Wilson of the Labour Party? What would you do if you are Ian Whitehead, a nosy reporter for the Sunday Mirror in London who is chiefly motivated by a mixture of mischief and the search for truth? What would you do if you are Captain Udo Ukpanam, a reluctant combatant who must first confront an internal battle between his sacred duty to his country and his love of life?

Jungle Drumbeats sets up a speedy unraveling of these intriguing scenarios. It is a truly revealing fiction which springs mostly from real lives and set in mainly three real locations: London, Nigeria and

the defunct Republic of Biafra (present day South Eastern Nigeria). The entire story is 96,595 words long and has a mystical bent to it.

By all accounts, Jungle Drumbeats is a story of a man’s conflicting loyalty to self and country. It is the story of a man’s personal quest for meaning, love and reason in the midst of adversity. It also describes the daring spirit of an English reporter who is caught up in an entanglement of Africa’s intriguing mysteries, colonial biases, his own personal biases and prejudices. It captures quite vividly the failures and triumphs of a besieged people who are merely holding on by the skin of their teeth while attempting to navigate a chocking cloud of ethnic hatred and gun powder. The story celebrates the people’s fears, hopes, faith, contradictions, and above all, their love lives in far more dramatic detail and poignant elevation than any other work I have seen on the same subject.

The story is told simply and loaded with scintillating twists, brazen accounts of moral debauchery and personal sell-outs. It also exposes the stupidity of hopelessness and the sometimes-deceptive nature of so-called friendly circumstances, which in this case turned a manageable conflict within a little-known African bush into a hard-hitting modern war.

SYNOPSIS

Several leaked cabinet memos appear to suggest that Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his Labour cabinet in Britain may be criminally involved in the systematic massacre of Biafran secessionists far in

the oil-rich jungles of Eastern Nigeria. A cynical investigative reporting begins and quickly develops into a dangerous obsession for Ian Whitehead, a nosy reporter for the Sunday Mirror in London. Ian’s relentless probing soon puts him on a steep collision course with his editors on the one hand, and Whitehall on the other, and eventually sends him flying headlong into the treacherous and depressing sacredness of the Biafran jungle, where a horrible trajectory of bloodbath, witchcraft, starvation, cannibalism, and the impertinence of a young Biafran army captain, patiently lie in wait Meanwhile, one man holds the last remaining piece of jigsaw puzzle – one sickening sorcerer in a Biafran enclave with a very dark reputation…

THE FACT ABOUT THE FICTION

Of course, trying to understand an issue as intimidating as the Biafran phenomenon, especially through a work of fiction, might seem like a retrogressive journey indeed; a fruitless ghost-hunt or a false escape into an unpleasant past, which many do not see as having the potential to lead them to an inward perception of truth. Here, I have taken a great deal of poetic license to tell a simple story set during that most unfortunate period of our national history. Hence, Jungle Drumbeats is not a delibrate Biafran story per se, but one which has aspects of the Biafran conflict at its core.

For ease of reading, I have reordered aspects of that conflict in this novel somewhat and twisted the basic structure of the true Biafran events to suit my own narrative. Dates as well as names of some important individuals and places were also changed, not necessarily to protect their privacy, but to achieve a better harmony with my plot. However, the reader is welcome to take Jungle Drumbeats as fact or fiction. What matters most, I guess, is what you experience as you read the novel: what resonates within you, where that takes you, and that you come to your own conclusions, and your own awakening.

We can each go on a quest for meaning and invite the hero/heroine within us to embark on a life-changing journey. Our lives are shifted by the events we experience or by the stories we are told about them. On this journey we can discover the power of truth via our active search. Indeed, life itself is an active search; a perpetual search for truth and meaning. Jungle Drumbeats is a reflection of my own search for truth. I invite the readers to embark upon theirs.

iRead

2011-08-13T01:02:00.000+01:00

An excerpt of Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo's Roses and Bullets in Next Newspapers

"Eloka did not want to discuss this subject with his father. He was surprised at the way he was talking this evening. If it had happened in Port Harcourt, he would have thought he was drunk. But Ama-Oyi was not Port Harcourt, so his father couldn't be drunk. He shrugged and said, "I'm off to my room. Thanks for the food, Mama." He was on his feet when his father asked him to sit down. He wished his father would not go on raising the issue of his taking a wife. He was sure that was where their jokes were leading to. The last time his father brought up the subject, he had even asked if Eloka would like him to assist him to find a girl from a suitable home who would make him an excellent wife. His mother had added salt and pepper by mentioning the name of a girl from their in-law's lineage - a relation of Adaeze's husband. She had added that Adaeze was sure the girl was wife material - those were her words, wife material, as if the girl were an object up for sale."

Never take paper and pencil for granted. Professor Abdilatif Abdalla in conversation with Kimani wa Wanjiru.

"Being in possession of these two very important and valuable materials—paper and pencil, I was now ready to start my poetical exploration within the solitary confines of the four walls of my cell at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison. I wrote my very first poem in prison, titled “Nshishiyelo ni Lilo!” (roughly translated it means, “I Hold Fast to What I Believe In”) in September 1969. This particular poem was a sort of a letter to my elder brother, Sheikh Abdilahi Nassir, although at that time I did not have any possibility of sending it to him, because I was not allowed neither to receive nor send letters, even to my immediate family. This brother of mine was the main person who was responsible of my politicization during my teens, and I had promised him that I will never surrender even when I find myself in trouble with the Government."

The Most Challenging Part of Writing, Pius Adesanmi Interview in Sahara Reporters

"Finding a satisfactory first paragraph has always been a major problem for me. Inspiration comes to me, often in the middle of the night, in very powerful bursts. I wake up powerless in her grip and rush to my computer. There the agony begins. The idea is there, impatiently struggling to burst out but I’m unable to come up with a photographic image of the first paragraph in my head. I never write unless I first have a photographic image of the text about to be born, paragraph by paragraph, in my head. That is why I sometimes suffer the pain of parturition when writing!"

Why Writing Is Like Life: Toni Morrison to a graduating class at Rutgers.

“Although you will never fully know or successfully manipulate all the characters who surface, or disrupt your plot, you can respect the ones you can’t avoid by paying them close attention and doing them justice. The plot you choose may change or even elude you, but being your own story means you can control the theme.”

How to Write about Pakistan in Granta

1. Must have mangoes.

2. Must have maids who serve mangoes.

3. Maids must have affairs with man servants who should occasionally steal mangoes.

4. Masters must lecture on history of mangoes and forgive the thieving servant.

5. Calls to prayer must be rendered to capture the mood of a nation disappointed by the failing crop of mangoes.

6. The mango flavour must linger for a few paragraphs.

7. And turn into a flashback to Partition.

8. Characters originating in rural areas must fight to prove that their mango is bigger than yours.

9. Fundamentalist mangoes must have more texture; secular mangoes should have artificial flavouring.

10. Mangoes that ripen in creative writing workshops must be rushed to the market before they go bad.

5 Writers, One Evening: Jalaa Writers Reading

2011-08-12T08:17:00.000+01:00

You've read their interviews; you've read their book excerpts; you've read the book reviews; you've joined the Jalaa Facebook Page. Now, is the time for a book reading with the Jalaa Writers Collective as they read from their works; address questions about publishing in Nigeria and what a Writers' Collective may offer, what Jalaa Writers Collective offers. So, here's your chance to meet 5Jalaa Writers in one place at the same time, real life not online. The event is FREE!

Date: Saturday August 13, 2011

Time: 3pm

Venue: Freedom Park, Broad Street, Opposite General Hospital, Lagos (just a bike from TBS or CMS)

Readings by:

A. Igoni Barrett, one-time editor of Farafina Magazine is the recipient of a Chinua Achebe Center Fellowship, a Norman Mailer Center Fellowship and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency. His first book, the story collection From Caves of Rotten Teeth, was published in 2005 in Nigeria. His second story collection is forthcoming from Graywolf Press in 2013.

Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo is a lecturer, writer, novelist, critic, essayist, journalist, and administrator. She has written over twenty books. Her latest work Roses and Bullets, published by Jalaa Writers’ Collective is about the Nigerian Civil War. The former winner of the NLNG Prize for Literature, the biggest prize for literature in Nigeria, heads the Prize’s panel of judges this year.

Jude Dibia is the author of Walking With Shadows, Unbridled (winner of the 2007 NDDC/ANA sponsored Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize for Prose and finalist in the 2007 NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature) and the newest, Blackbird.

Odili Ujubuonu is the award winning author of Pregnancy of the Gods (Winner, 2006 ANA/Jacaranda Prize for Prose), Treasure in the Winds (winner, 2008 ANA/Chevron Prize on Environmental Issues) and the newest, Pride of the Spider Clan.

Uche Peter Umez is one of the 24 winners of the 2006 and 2008 Commonwealth Short Story Competition. No, he is not the actor. He is the winner of the 2006 ANA/Funtime Prize for Children Literature for his unpublished novel," Sam and the Wallet, and 2008 ANA/Funtime Prize for Children Literature . He is the author of Dark through the Delta (poems), Tears in Her Eyes" (short stories) and "Aridity of Feelings" (poems). His latest work "The Runaway Hero" is on the NLNG Prize shortlist for 2011.

Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa (Fourth Edition)

2011-08-10T23:04:00.003+01:00

The Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa was established in 2005 as a biennial award to the best literary work produced by an African. It assesses works by African authors published within the two years preceding the award year.

The prize is awarded with a monetary value of US $20,000 (twenty thousand dollars), and the winner is decided by a panel of judges made up of eminent scholars, including Professor Olu Obafemi.

Entries will close on October 1, 2011. On June 1, 2012, the longlist will be announced, to be followed up on June 25 with the announcement of the shortlist. The winner of the prize will be made public at an award night in Lagos on July 6. Interested writers wishing to participate in the prize are advised to visit the Lumina Foundation website for details.

The winner of the fourth edition of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa will be known by Friday, July 6, 2012.

How to Write About Africa

2011-08-08T01:56:00.001+01:00

Binyavanga Wainaina's "How to Write About Africa", always new, always. Enjoy, again. If you are just discovering it. Enjoy all the same! His latest work One Day I Will Write About This Place, memoir was published by Graywolf Press (US). Read an excerpt in Granta here.

http://www.granta.com/Online-Only/One-Day-I-Will-Write-About-This-Place

Always use the word ‘Africa’ or ‘Darkness’ or ‘Safari’ in your title. Subtitles may include the words ‘Zanzibar’, ‘Masai’, ‘Zulu’, ‘Zambezi’, ‘Congo’, ‘Nile’, ‘Big’, ‘Sky’, ‘Shadow’, ‘Drum’, ‘Sun’ or ‘Bygone’. Also useful are words such as ‘Guerrillas’, ‘Timeless’, ‘Primordial’ and ‘Tribal’. Note that ‘People’ means Africans who are not black, while ‘The People’ means black Africans.

Never have a picture of a well-adjusted African on the cover of your book, or in it, unless that African has won the Nobel Prize. An AK-47, prominent ribs, naked breasts: use these. If you must include an African, make sure you get one in Masai or Zulu or Dogon dress.

In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving. Or it is hot and steamy with very short people who eat primates. Don’t get bogged down with precise descriptions. Africa is big: fifty-four countries, 900 million people who are too busy starving and dying and warring and emigrating to read your book. The continent is full of deserts, jungles, highlands, savannahs and many other things, but your reader doesn’t care about all that, so keep your descriptions romantic and evocative and unparticular.

Make sure you show how Africans have music and rhythm deep in their souls, and eat things no other humans eat. Do not mention rice and beef and wheat; monkey-brain is an African's cuisine of choice, along with goat, snake, worms and grubs and all manner of game meat. Make sure you show that you are able to eat such food without flinching, and describe how you learn to enjoy it—because you care.

Taboo subjects: ordinary domestic scenes, love between Africans (unless a death is involved), references to African writers or intellectuals, mention of school-going children who are not suffering from yaws or Ebola fever or female genital mutilation.

Throughout the book, adopt a sotto voice, in conspiracy with the reader, and a sad I-expected-so-much tone. Establish early on that your liberalism is impeccable, and mention near the beginning how much you love Africa, how you fell in love with the place and can’t live without her. Africa is the only continent you can love—take advantage of this. If you are a man, thrust yourself into her warm virgin forests. If you are a woman, treat Africa as a man who wears a bush jacket and disappears off into the sunset. Africa is to be pitied, worshipped or dominated. Whichever angle you take, be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed.

Your African characters may include naked warriors, loyal servants, diviners and seers, ancient wise men living in hermitic splendour. Or corrupt politicians, inept polygamous travel-guides, and prostitutes you have slept with. The Loyal Servant always behaves like a seven-year-old and needs a firm hand; he is scared of snakes, good with children, and always involving you in his complex domestic dramas. The Ancient Wise Man always comes from a noble tribe (not the money-grubbing tribes like the Gikuyu, the Igbo or the Shona). He has rheumy eyes and is close to the Earth. The Modern African is a fat man who steals and works in the visa office, refusing to give work permits to qualified Westerners who really care about Africa. He is an enemy of development, always using his government job to make it difficult for pragmatic and good-hearted expats to set up NGOs or Legal Conservation Areas. Or he is an Oxford-educated intellectual turned serial-killing politician in a Savile Row suit. He is a cannibal who likes Cristal champagne, and his mother is a rich witch-doctor who really runs the country.

Among your characters you must always include The Starving African, who wanders the refugee camp nearly naked, and waits for the benevolence of the West. Her children have flies on their eyelids and pot bellies, and her breasts are flat and empty. She must look utterly helpless. She can have no past, no history; such diversions ruin the dramatic moment. Moans are good. She must never say anything about herself in the dialogue except to speak of her (unspeakable) suffering. Also be sure to include a warm and motherly woman who has a rolling laugh and who is concerned for your well-being. Just call her Mama. Her children are all delinquent. These characters should buzz around your main hero, making him look good. Your hero can teach them, bathe them, feed them; he carries lots of babies and has seen Death. Your hero is you (if reportage), or a beautiful, tragic international celebrity/aristocrat who now cares for animals (if fiction).

Bad Western characters may include children of Tory cabinet ministers, Afrikaners, employees of the World Bank. When talking about exploitation by foreigners mention the Chinese and Indian traders. Blame the West for Africa's situation. But do not be too specific.

Broad brushstrokes throughout are good. Avoid having the African characters laugh, or struggle to educate their kids, or just make do in mundane circumstances. Have them illuminate something about Europe or America in Africa. African characters should be colourful, exotic, larger than life—but empty inside, with no dialogue, no conflicts or resolutions in their stories, no depth or quirks to confuse the cause.

Describe, in detail, naked breasts (young, old, conservative, recently raped, big, small) or mutilated genitals, or enhanced genitals. Or any kind of genitals. And dead bodies. Or, better, naked dead bodies. And especially rotting naked dead bodies. Remember, any work you submit in which people look filthy and miserable will be referred to as the ‘real Africa’, and you want that on your dust jacket. Do not feel queasy about this: you are trying to help them to get aid from the West. The biggest taboo in writing about Africa is to describe or show dead or suffering white people.

Animals, on the other hand, must be treated as well rounded, complex characters. They speak (or grunt while tossing their manes proudly) and have names, ambitions and desires. They also have family values: see how lions teach their children? Elephants are caring, and are good feminists or dignified patriarchs. So are gorillas. Never, ever say anything negative about an elephant or a gorilla. Elephants may attack people’s property, destroy their crops, and even kill them. Always take the side of the elephant. Big cats have public-school accents. Hyenas are fair game and have vaguely Middle Eastern accents. Any short Africans who live in the jungle or desert may be portrayed with good humour (unless they are in conflict with an elephant or chimpanzee or gorilla, in which case they are pure evil).

After celebrity activists and aid workers, conservationists are Africa’s most important people. Do not offend them. You need them to invite you to their 30,000-acre game ranch or ‘conservation area’, and this is the only way you will get to interview the celebrity activist. Often a book cover with a heroic-looking conservationist on it works magic for sales. Anybody white, tanned and wearing khaki who once had a pet antelope or a farm is a conservationist, one who is preserving Africa’s rich heritage. When interviewing him or her, do not ask how much funding they have; do not ask how much money they make off their game. Never ask how much they pay their employees.

Readers will be put off if you don’t mention the light in Africa. And sunsets, the African sunset is a must. It is always big and red. There is always a big sky. Wide empty spaces and game are critical—Africa is the Land of Wide Empty Spaces. When writing about the plight of flora and fauna, make sure you mention that Africa is overpopulated. When your main character is in a desert or jungle living with indigenous peoples (anybody short) it is okay to mention that Africa has been severely depopulated by Aids and War (use caps).

You’ll also need a nightclub called Tropicana, where mercenaries, evil nouveau riche Africans and prostitutes and guerrillas and expats hang out.

Always end your book with Nelson Mandela saying something about rainbows or renaissances. Because you care.

Career at KTravula

2011-08-05T01:54:00.001+01:00

You've been seeking an outlet for those articles, here's an opportunity. Our friend at KTravula seeks writers.

A popular travel blog seeks freelance writers to write or seek at least one travel or travel-related post (of about 400 words, with pictures) every week. The blog focuses on bringing the nuances of the world to the attention of the reading public. “Nuances” here include destinations, fascinating things, art people, events, literature, and activities. The focus is usually on the ordinary and the surprising things of the world. But let us hear what you have. We would like to see new ways of looking at the world. (Take a look around on the blog to have an idea).

KTravula.com has been nominated 12 times for the Nigerian Blog Awards including nomination for Best Travel Blog in 2010 and 2011. Started as an account of one man’s journey across the world between Nigeria and the United States, it is now evolving to include views and observations from all around the world, especially the little, undiscovered or overlooked places. If you enjoy observing things and writing about it, this is for you.

Payment is negotiable. Send application with a sample of writing to freelance@ktravula.com

Book Launch: A Time to Heal by Seye Oke

2011-08-03T22:52:00.000+01:00

Everyone is invited to the Book Release event of Seye Oke's latest book titled “A Time to Heal”. This creative work takes readers through a journey of uncertainties and excitement as it narrows in on the triumphs and failure experienced by Toriola and Chidi in the face of a civil war.

In A Time to Heal, Chidi finds the very essence of his existence tested when he is called on to fulfill a family obligation that exists beyond his nuclear family. He finds himself on a journey of self-discovery as his close companions, Dozie, Azuka and Jude, lure him to fight for a course he has no faith in. Chidi’s decision excludes Tori from his plans and ultimately from his life. In search for consolation, companionship and support, Tori rekindle her soured relationship with her parents, and clutches to the warmth offered by a stranger. The individual paths chosen by this young couple widens as time pass by, as each struggle to understand and uphold their new found ‘self’.

It will be a pleasure to have your honorable presence at this event.

Date: Saturday 13th August 2011

Time: 5pm prompt

Venue: Lagos Resource Center, 9, Anifowoshe Street, Off Adeola Odeku and Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Dark August by Derek Walcott

2011-08-01T01:13:00.000+01:00

Hello Everyone, so August is here, with everything it brings. We are closer to the end of 2011, than we were to the beginning. We found this poem, "Dark August" by Derek Walcott online, interesting read. Have a good August, with its rush and breaks.

So much rain, so much life like the swollen sky
of this black August. My sister, the sun,
broods in her yellow room and won't come out.

Everything goes to hell; the mountains fume
like a kettle, rivers overrun; still,
she will not rise and turn off the rain.

She is in her room, fondling old things,
my poems, turning her album. Even if thunder falls
like a crash of plates from the sky,

she does not come out.
Don't you know I love you but am hopeless
at fixing the rain ? But I am learning slowly

to love the dark days, the steaming hills,
the air with gossiping mosquitoes,
and to sip the medicine of bitterness,

so that when you emerge, my sister,
parting the beads of the rain,
with your forehead of flowers and eyes of forgiveness,

all with not be as it was, but it will be true
(you see they will not let me love
as I want), because, my sister, then

I would have learnt to love black days like bright ones,
The black rain, the white hills, when once
I loved only my happiness and you.

Mark Your Calendars

2011-07-28T14:11:00.000+01:00

Book ‘n’ Gauge II: 4 Writers, 3 Performers, 1 Afternoon + YOU

The second edition of Book n Gauge is scheduled to hold on 30th July, 2011 @ Debonair Bookstore, 294, Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba. 3pm - 6pm. In the month of July, we would be hosting you to four amazing writers, three performers and it’s going to be a blast. It’s an afternoon of readings, live performances and you. Be our guest at this free event!

Readings:

Toni Kan is popularly known as one-time editor of Hints. The award winning poet, essayist and short story writer is the author of the acclaimed poetry collection When a Dream Lingers Too Long and the novella Ballad of Rage. His latest work Nights of the Creaking Bed is full of colourful characters involved in affecting dramas: a girl rejected in love because she has three brothers to look after; a middle-aged housewife who finds love again but has an impossible decision to make; a young man who can't get the image of his naked, beautiful mother out of his mind. With years of experience in the corporate sector, loads of laughter, the witty award-winning Toni Kan is always a delight.

Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo is a lecturer, writer, novelist, critic, essayist, journalist, and administrator. She has written over twenty books. Her latest work Roses and Bullets, published by Jalaa Writers’ Collective is about the Nigerian Civil War. The former winner of the NLNG Prize for Literature, the biggest prize for literature in Nigeria, heads the Prize’s panel of judges this year.

Jumoke Verissimo is a confirmed wordsmith; she has worked as a journalist, copywriter, sub-editor and editor. Her award-winning collection of poems, I am Memory explores the idea of memory. She has been a guest poet at the 48th Struga Poetry Evenings, Macedonia and 15th Norwegian Literature Festival in Lillehammer, Norway. Her work has won many awards which include First Prize, Carlos Idize Ahmad Prize for a first book of Poetry 2009; Second Prize, Anthony Agbo Prize for Poetry 2009 and Honourable Mention Association of Nigeria (Poetry) 2009. She electrifies the stage with her poetry performances.

Uche Ezeh -Al is known as a copywriter in the corporate communications sector. His works has won many awards in brands communication. Jungle Drumbeats is his first published novel.

Performances

Kafayat Quadri

Kafayat Quadri started playing guitar at the age of 13, thanks to her music loving Dad who introduced her to the world of music and mouth organs. He played tunes from Rex Lawson, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Haruna Ishola on the guitar and mouth organ sometimes accompanied with the talking drum. Her first guitar performance was at her secondary school, since then, she’s been stuck. If you ever visit Theatre@Terra, the young lady who opens the plays with music; that’s Kafayat!

Aramide

D Tone

There promises to be:

A one-on-one interaction between authors and readers
A platform for book enthusiasts to meet, interact and network. (Members of PulpFactionClub on Facebook and followers on Twitter would have a grand opportunity to meet).
Freebies
Live Musical performances by: guitar masters D Tone and Kafayat Quadri; and a surprise performance by Aramide.
Book signing

RSVP the event here.

Celebrity Read

Read2Rise Initiative, Terra Kulture, Speedmeals Mobile Kitchen and CITY 105.1 FM Presents: 11th CelebrityRead Africa - Writers’ Edition!

Date: 30th (Saturday) July 2011

Venue: Terra Kulture, Tiamiyu Savage Str., VI - Lagos.

Time: 3pm prompt.

Reading:

E.C. Osondu (Author of 'Voice of America')

Linda Ikeji (Popular Blogger/Journalist)

Geraldine Iheme (Author of ‘Disfigured Emotions’)

Ugo Chime (Popular Blogger on DailyTimes Online)

Bola Essien-Nelson (Author of ‘The Diary of a Desperate Naija Woman')

Nwabundo Onyeabo (Author of ‘Out of Curiosity')

Jennifer Ehidiamen (Author of ‘Preserve my Saltiness')

Uzor Maxim Uzoato (Author of 'God of Poetry')

Debola Omololu (CEO, Debonair Bookstores)

Special Appearances:

Djinee (Singer/Songwriter/TV Presenter)

Nathaniel 'Flo' Akinremi (Producer/Songwriter)

Guest Publishers/Book Dealers:

JALAA

Cassava Republic

Magic Wand

DADA Books

Debonair Bookstores

Hoofbeat Publishers

There'd be food (courtesy Speedmeals Mobile Kitchen). Also, Simplicity Craft Academy (a vocational training center) would be giving away 10 discount vouchers on upcoming courses.

Live Musical performances by: Strings, Eleri and Johanel. Loads of exciting poetry performances

An Evening with Bez at The Life House.

Celebrating the Super Sun album launch with live performances by the man of the moment, BEZ. Featuring Keyboardist and singer, Kaline Akinkugbe and guitarist Stan Iyke. Event is by Invitation Only. Please call or sms 0703 403 0683 TO RSVP and get on the guest list! Loads of surprises and goodies in store for guests on this special evening. Bez is profiled in Next Newspapers.

Venue: The Life House,

33 Sinari Daranijo Street,

Off Younis Bashorun Street, Off Ajose Adeogun Street, VI (opp. Suzy Q CLUB)

Lagos, Nigeria

Time: 7pm.

Date: July 29

Blackbird...an Excerpt

2011-07-24T01:41:00.001+01:00

Blackbird is Jude Dibia's third book. Since it's release in May, it's been one rave review after another. We give you an excerpt to brighten your week. Read reviews here, here and here.

Black men dressed in spotless white kaftans balanced glasses of champagne and canapés on trays, while weaving their way round the separate groups of people chatting by the poolside or close to the stage, where a live band had just started up. Nduesoh was more absorbed by the brilliantly flashing white teeth of the waiters — teeth as white as their kaftans — than the prospect of making her way to join one of the groups of women and men.

Edward had led her to where the wives of an Australian delegate and a Lebanese-American property developer were standing, and then excused himself when he spotted the senior delegate from the South African embassy. The American woman, Bridget Jaafar, who seemed constantly fascinated by everything African and who could not keep her mouth shut for more than a minute, riled Nduesoh. This was not their first meeting, having being introduced at the country club months before.

“Aren’t these just dee-vine?” Bridget chirped in a thick Boston accent, referring to her own coral earrings and matching necklace. “Ahmad got them for me from Badagry.”

“Oh, they are beautiful,” the Australian woman said. She lifted the necklace to stare at the polished red stones.

“It’s marvellous what these Africans can do,” Bridget continued. “Ahmad and I visited the...”

“Excuse me, please,” Nduesoh said and, with a smile, walked away.

She was not prepared to listen to a recounting of a visit to some Oba’s palace. Nor was she ready to hear about some shanty town full of hungry looking children dying of malaria or whatever disease was making the rounds, or of scoundrels threatening to dispossess terrified whites of their belongings. And yet, this was what these women felt at ease discussing. After years of being subjected to wining and dining with their sort, Nduesoh found nothing amusing about white people who came to ‘Africa’ and insisted on being taken away from anything that vaguely reminded them of their urban comforts, wanting instead to be taken to what they believe was a truer reflection of Africa, the rural slums. Then they come back with pocket full of pictures of malnourished natives and plenty anecdotes. The first time, Nduesoh had smiled ruefully at these stories, amazed at how undisturbed her own people were about the way they were being depicted as backward and uncivilised. The second time, she stopped smiling entirely when she noticed the way some of the other women looked at her almost with pity, almost as if they sensed that she too had come from such a place. Nduesoh had experienced Bridget before, and knew she was the type that would nudge you, with her witty tales, to concede that your people and ways were oh so primitive, but cute in a native kind of way! Nduesoh was not prepared to be one of those locals who put up with the degrading comments made about Nigerians and Nigeria. They got on by pretending to be totally dislocated from the people and situations being discussed, helping to paint a darker, more cynical picture than the average white man was willing to paint on his own, unassisted. These stories often ended up being recounted in one form or another, around pubs in London or coffee bars in New York or even on CNN and the BBC. She knew them well, the so-called enlightened Nigerians who indulged the fancy of white foreigners.

She stood in a quiet corner, soaking up the ambience of the venue. It was not the first time she’d been to the Deputy High Commissioner’s home, but it had indeed been a long time since any party had been hosted in its grounds. Around the pool, immaculate white tents had been erected to accommodate beautifully-arranged dining tables with gleaming cutlery and polished glasses.

As she quietly took in the scene, thankful that she’d been left on her own, Nduesoh heard a female voice begin to sing a strangely haunting song:

“Wandering shoes/you have no place to sleep

Footpaths of lost dreams/your tired sole weeps

Vagrant soul/like a blackbird/soaring through life searching

For that place called home/a place called hope...”

Nduesoh swivelled round to search out the source of those words, the singer whose voice was like nothing she had heard before, deep, earthy, rich and yet sublime and almost dreamlike. A fusion of Ella Fitzgerald and Anita Baker—old mixed with the new. On stage, was a stunning black beauty, in her late twenties, in a long dress made out of a cheap looking orange and brown batik material of the type Nduesoh would have worn before she became Mrs. Wood.

“Little blackbird

Left all alone

On a dry broken twig

Soar high into the night sky

Vagrant soul...”

The singer’s only accompaniment was the equally soothing sound of a trumpet being played by a slightly overweight, bald-headed man in dark sunglasses, picking out parts of the tune and echoing them behind her.

“There you are!” Edward was by her side and holding her waist. “I was wondering where you’d wandered off to.”

“I was just enjoying the music,” Nduesoh confessed.

“Yes, beautiful,” he agreed. He turned to look at the singer and his eyes lingered there just a fraction of a second too long before glancing back to Nduesoh and saying, “I think we should be joining our table now before Her Ladyship gets too agitated.”

Edward took her by the elbow and led her to their table, and to Nduesoh’s dismay, Bridget was seated at the same one. She was engaged in an animated conversation with the other people sitting around the table, who included her husband, Ahmad, Wale Johnson and his American wife, Monica, and Chief Badmus Arebi and his wife Ireti. The Arebi family was Lagos royalty and owned prime land on Lagos Island and Mainland.

Nduesoh felt the chills of a long, dreadful night ahead of her as Edward pulled out a seat for her.

“Darling,” Bridget addressed her, “I keep forgetting you are married to Edward. Isn’t this just a delightful table? So cosmopolitan... so United Nations. Before you came, we were just talking about the awful situation in Eldorado.”

“It is interesting that you have a growing population of—let’s just say the wrong kind of people—living at such close proximity to people like us,” Ahmad Jaafar said to the table at large.

Nduesoh noticed from the corner of her eyes that Wale Johnson was bobbing his head up and down in agreement. The only couple who remained non committal were the Arebis.

“I wouldn’t so much call these people the wrong kind,” Edward said, carefully choosing his words. “We can’t escape the fact that Sambo—this is where you're talking about, isn't it?—is bursting at the seams with the influx of people coming in every day. The government has to address the issue of urbanisation—but it doesn’t seem to know how.”

“The problem is quite easy to resolve really,” Ahmad interjected. “Just move the damn people to an area more suited to their kind and everyone will be happy.”

“I agree with you on that, darling,” Bridget said, placing a cigarette between her lips and turning her head so that Ahmad could light it for her.

“So do I.” Wale jumped into the conversation. “Call it elitist or whatever, but people should know their place in society.”

“And what would you propose we do, Mr. Johnson?” Chief Arebi asked. “Get rid of them just like rodents?”

The table went quiet. Everyone was looking at Wale, whose eyes seemed to grow bigger under his spectacles.

“No one is suggesting such a thing.” Ahmad came to Wale’s rescue. “My firm has come up with an elaborate plan to develop the slums of Sambo and we can assist the government in the resettlement of the... people who live in those parts.”

“It’s only fair that we feel safe in our neighbourhood,” Bridget added. “I’m sure you’ve all heard about the murder of Katherine Cole last month.”

“Oh, that was just dreadful,” Monica sighed, “I was playing bridge with Kath at the club only a couple of weeks before. They say she was raped as well. It was in the autopsy reports.”

“A very unfortunate incident,” Chief Arebi said. “But a lot of us believe that there was something not quite right about her death. Katherine was a very... em... generous woman and...”

Nduesoh noticed how Ireti stiffened as soon as the Chief mentioned Katherine’s generosity. Yes, everyone was well aware of Katherine’s generosity, except maybe her husband. The Chief’s sudden defensiveness and Ireti’s reaction made Nduesoh wonder whether the good Chief himself had been a beneficiary of her generosity. It was clear to her that men had no issues with infidelity. How different, she believed, it was for women. It was not possible for women to treat unfaithfulness with the same detachment as men. Men just objectified the female form to a point where it all boiled down to legs, breasts, buttocks and vagina. There were no emotions. It was just physical. Not so for her. Emotions would always play a role in her life—love, hate, revenge, spite...

“Nonsense,” Bridget said, cutting the Chief short. “The house was burgled. It was the work of common thieves.

What do they call them again, darling?”

“Area boys,” Ahmad volunteered.

“Yes, that's it,” Bridget said, smugly. “Area boys.”

The table went quiet again. All but the Jaafars seemed to be aware that it was disrespectful to silence a Chief when he was speaking and, even more so, to openly disagree with him. Nduesoh stole a quick glance at Wale and noticed relief on his face. She guessed he was glad he had not caused the unease at the table this time.

Just then, there was a clinking of spoon against glass and everyone’s attention was drawn to Lilia Macarthur, the Deputy High Commissioner’s wife, who was standing on the stage with the singer and band.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Lilia sang gaily into the microphone. “I would like to thank you all for coming here this evening to help us celebrate Paul’s birthday.”

There was an approving murmur from the crowd and someone at the back shouted, “Hear, hear!”

“Dinner will be served in just a moment,” Lilia continued. “But before that, let's all join together in wishing Paul a happy birthday.”

Even ‘Happy Birthday to You’ sounded good as the female singer began to sing it, but her voice was soon drowned out by everyone else’s voice as they joined in.

Then a line of waiters appeared from nowhere, placing the first course on the tables. Everything seemed well planned and meticulously executed. Bridget laughed aloud in delight as a fresh bottle of champagne was placed on their table.

“Lilia does know how to throw a party,” she shrieked.

Nduesoh was not listening. Her eyes discreetly followed Edward’s until they finally rested on what had captured his attention—the beautiful black female singer as she walked off the stage.

So what do you think? You want to read more; buy on Amazon or join the Jalaa Group on Facebook for a list of bookshops to buy the book in Nigeria.

Creative Wings Writing Competition

2011-07-22T01:20:00.002+01:00

...Here's an opportunity to fly on the wings of creativity. This competition is sponsored by Guerrilla Basement, Beautiful Wings blog, and Obinna Udenwe, author of The Dancing Bird. And yes, Bookaholic Blog is a sponsor as well. Well, we would give a copy of Stephen Kings "On Writing" to one of the winning writers. Just our way of putting our books where our mouths are :)

Creative Wings is launching its first ever short story competition, with the aim of encouraging budding African writers. The inaugural contest is now open. Deadline for submission is AUGUST 15, 2011.

Rules

Stories must be previously unpublished and must be the exclusive work of the entrant.
Stories must be 600 words or less.
Entry is free.
Only one submission per entrant is permitted.
Only online submissions are acceptable.
Entries should be emailed to creativewingscontest2011@gmail.com. Paste story in the body of the e-mail. Use 'CreativeWings Contest' in the subject line. Entries with attachments will be disqualified.
The email must contain the entrant's name, the title of story, and the entrant's physical address and contact phone number.
Simultaneous submissions are NOT acceptable.
Writers are not restricted to any theme.
Entries must be in English.

Prizes

The judge will select two winners who will be given two books each. one prize winner will get a copy of Stephen King's On Writing, an autographed copy of Helon Habila’s award winning book and The Dancing Bird by Obinna Udenwe. Another Prize Winner will get an autographed copy of Diana Evans’ award winning book 26a and Obinna Udenwe’s debut novel, The Dancing Bird.
The winning stories will also be published on Guerilla Basement, YNaija and the Bookaholic Blog.
The competition will be judged by Ose Ndebbio who teaches literature and language arts. She is also a member of the freelance writers association, Manchester.

Start writing!

EC Osondu is in Town...

2011-07-20T13:19:00.000+01:00

Sometime in 2009, we interviewed EC Osondu, after the interview, he went on to win the Caine Prize for that year. Not to mean that the interview made him win of course, it was just our way of saying go for it! And sure, he went for it!

Here we are in 2011, his collection of short stories, Voice of America has been published by Farafina. He would be reading in various parts of the country in July. Here's a breakdown of events. Catch him around town and say you are a Bookaholic Blog fan ;)

Lagos

Abule-Book Club V.I on the 22nd; Patabah bookstore Shoprite mall, Surulere on the 23rd and Terrakulture V.I on the 30th.

Port-Harcourt

Rainbow book club, Le Meridian hotel. on Sunday 24th.

And yes, there would be free Farafina books for grabs. Go listen to some voices out of America in Nigeria!

Roses and Bullets (Excerpt) by Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo

2011-07-15T06:00:00.002+01:00

Roses and Bullets by Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo

Ginika watched the man drive off in the pickup truck and disappear round the corner of the dirt road. She surveyed the brown envelope he had just delivered to her and felt a slight tremor in her heart. A folded scrap of brown paper, no doubt, but intuitively she felt it possessed the power to pulverize her peace. The threat was not the letter but the one who produced it, she thought. In the distance, some children played in the grass. They looked so charmingly happy; free as birds released from a cage and allowed to take wing.

Children would be happy anywhere, she thought, as long as their parents were around, as long as they had other children romping around them. Ginika lifted her eyes as if she was searching the sky. The sun was shining; the weather was fine. The July sun, she mused, was always sweet to the skin, its heat moderated by the ever-present rain clouds. Certainly, a time to be happy, but many things had gone far wrong in the land and war had just broken out...

Ginika turned and entered the house. It was the biggest of the many bungalows tucked away down a street of mango and cashew trees on the outskirts of town. These were the staff quarters of St Augustine’s College. She was the sole occupant of one of the five rooms in the house. She slipped unobtrusively into it to read her letter. Gingerly, she opened the envelope as if it was a letter bomb waiting to go off.

“Ginikanwa, I want you to come home immediately. I want my family to stay close together. Your brother has returned from university. I wonder what you are doing in Enugu and why you did not come straight to Mbano when schools closed. I wish you were here without waiting for my letter. Sometimes I think you act wilfully just to annoy me or get me in a temper. Don’t I deserve to be treated with filial affection and respect? You are my only daughter and I care for you more than you realize. I doubt if what I say sits comfortably with you. Anyway, get your things ready; I will come over to pick you up as soon as I can get away for a few days. Kindly show this letter to your aunt and her husband. I am sending it through Doctor Ufo Ndefo, a friend who is returning to Enugu...”

Ginika stopped short; there was little else to read, anyway. Just his name written in full, rather than signing himself ‘Papa’ or ‘Dad’ as she thought other fathers would probably have done.

Ginika was about to change into her nightdress when her mother-in-law called her to her room. A few minutes earlier, she had tidied the table where they had dinner, which was served later than usual because her father-in-law had returned late from where he had gone. She had wondered if he still saw Nwoyibo, for he often came home late since the refugee woman had moved away from Ama-Oyi with her children. If she was indeed in Ogboji – as people said in the camp – then she was not far away, as Ogboji was close to Ama-Oyi. Her father-in-law could go there to see her if he wished.

“Sit down,” her mother-in-law said. She was sitting on the armchair in front of her dressing table and chewing a stick.

Ginika sat on a sofa which was pushed against the wall opposite the door and waited. Her mother-in-law scrubbed her teeth with the long chewing-stick and intermittently opened her mouth wide to gaze at her teeth in the mirror. She grimaced. “This war is terrible; one can’t find a tube of toothpaste anywhere to buy. I’m tired of it all.”

Ginika shook her head to show her empathy, but did not speak.

“Did you and Ozioma tidy the kitchen?” her mother-in-law asked, looking at her for the first time since she came in.

“We did, though Michael is still there doing the dishes.”

“It is now three months since Eloka returned to his battalion, is it not?”

“Yes, it is.” Ginika wondered what she was getting at.

“I’m sure you know why I called you?” Her mother-in-law glanced at her before putting her chewing-stick on a saucer placed on the dressing table.

“No. I have no idea why you sent for me.”

Her mother-in-law gave a mirthless laugh. “I asked you this question before and I want to ask you again because of Eloka’s visit home. Are you pregnant? Did you do what I advised you to do when I talked to you on this matter?”

“I’m not pregnant.” Ginika felt anger rising inside her but she didn’t want to give it room to grow. “Mama, I thought you and Eloka discussed this matter when he was here? Why do you bring it up again?”

“You are asking me why I bring it up, eh? My daughter-in-law asks me why I want to know if she is pregnant. Aru, abomination! Why do you think we married you – to come here and stare at us in the face?”

“Mama, I’m going to bed. Good night.” She got up to leave.

“Sit down. I have not finished with you. You have not tried to see things from my point of view, have you? You listen to Eloka and allow him to have his way in this matter. He is a man: what does a man know in a matter like this? I’m amazed at your lack of common sense – a woman who is not anxious to have a child for a husband who is a soldier! Do you know tomorrow? Do you know what can happen even in the next minute? And you allow Eloka to go away again without at least attempting to get you pregnant.”

Ginika was very angry and knew she would lose her temper if she did not leave the room immediately. Without another word, she walked out.

“You have no sense,” her mother-in-law’s angry voice pursued her. “You want to make me childless. I will show you, anu ohia, bush animal. You will see something in this house.”

Ginika paused long enough at the door to hear her shout, “I said it when I first saw you that your beauty is skin-deep, ocha ka omaka. If only Eloka had agreed to marry the girl Adaeze found for him, I would not have been put in this condition.” Her mother-in-law began to sob.

Ginika ran to her room, sat on the bed, thinking. What was she going to do? She felt like running away from the house, but where would she run to? Her father and stepmother would not receive her. He would blame her for disregarding his advice against getting married. Going to Eloka was not an option, as he had expressly said she should stay with his parents. She couldn’t go to her aunt who was weighed down by her own worries and found it difficult to feed her family. Ginika would be another mouth to feed. How would she be able to continue to live with her mother-in-law who now regarded her as an enemy?

No one told Udo that they were close to the war front. They had been driving for about an hour, it could be longer – he did not have a watch to check time. But he noticed the lorry was moving slowly and without light. There was darkness everywhere. Udo felt something like smouldering fire ravish his stomach and he pressed his belly with both hands. Then involuntarily, he stretched one hand and felt about until he found Ubochi’s hand and held it. Ubochi also responded by pressing Udo’s hand. They sat motionless until they were asked to get off. Communication was now in whispers. The corporal’s garrulous voice had turned into a whisper.

When eventually they had been deployed to their positions and told what to do, Udo clutched the gun he was given and lay on the clammy soil of a shallow trench, alongside three other soldiers. Was it a Mark IV or a Madison they gave him? He was not sure. He did not know how long he lay there – whether a day or two days. The sound of small arms and shells which had been muffled before now became more distinct, louder. As each shell landed and exploded, Udo shut his eyes and prayed, remembering he had not prayed regularly since the war started. “God, I didn’t forget you, please don’t forget me,” he prayed. “Save me.” He tried to prevent his mind from focusing on the present terror by thinking of his mother, his sisters and Sister Ginika. Would he see them again?

Then bedlam erupted, as shells began to rain down into the trenches, as if the machines and guns were guided by an unseen power. Each shell that exploded took lives with it. Cries of men rose and commingled with the sound of explosion. As Udo lay trembling and calling on his mother, a solid but wet object fell on his back and rolled down beside him. With the gentlest of movements, he stretched his hand and touched it. He gave a stifled cry – it was a human head severed at the neck which still nestled in the steel helmet that it had worn when it belonged to a body that was intact. His hand and body were covered with blood. Udo discovered himself shivering and no matter how he tried, he could not stop his body from shivering. Then he lost consciousness.

He came round at dawn, opened his eyes and heard nothing. Everywhere was quiet. Where were the men in the trench with him? They had abandoned him when they retreated, thinking he was dead. He lay still for a while, afraid to get up in case there were vandals lurking in the surrounding bushes. Cautiously, he raised his head and saw the mess around him – the head in the steel helmet, pieces of human flesh and shrapnel littering the trench and the surrounding. He felt his body and saw that though he was covered in blood, he was not hurt. He picked up his gun and was sure it was a Madison. Gradually, he sat up, came out of the trench and looked around. It was a terrible sight to see dead bodies lying about and holes dug by exploding shells, but there was no movement anywhere. Gingerly he stepped forward and began to walk away, cautiously, at first and then swiftly. He didn’t know where he was going, but he kept moving in the forest, keeping away from roads and hugging the anonymity and the eternal silence of the jungle. Even animals seemed to have fled, for he saw none in his way, except a few bush rats and squirrels.

They assembled at an agreed location in the market. Ginika placed her bag on the ground in front of her and stood close to Eunice and Nkeonyelu. She was pleased with all she had bought – salt, rice, beans and tinned fish. She had even bought a packet of sugar and tea which she was sure her aunt’s children would love. They would drink tea with the dry milk Janet had given her the previous week. It was the evening of the second day and they were ready to set out for the return journey.

“Carry your loads,” Achara instructed.

Ginika tried to lift her bag but it was so heavy she needed help. One of the guides came to her rescue. Soon everyone carried his or her load. By the time they entered the forest, darkness had descended. They walked in a single file in total silence. Ginika felt the weight of her bag, as it pressed down on her, but she didn’t mind. She trotted behind the person in front of her in absolute concentration, as she didn’t want to stumble and fall.

They had walked for about an hour when shooting erupted from the right. Kakakakaka! Kakakakaka! Ginika was too shocked to think and stood trembling, not sure of what to do.

“It is an ambush,” she heard someone cry, but was not sure whether it was Achara or one of the two guides. “Run for your life.”

“Let us meet where the fallen tree is.” She recognised Achara’s voice and it seemed to yank her out of her confusion and inertia.

There was a stampede followed by cries of pain. Ginika knew some of the traders had been hit by bullets. She started running to the left, following the sound of feet making rustling noises as they crushed the dry leaves littering the forest. The bag was impeding her movement and she threw it down and belted away like a comet. She stretched her hands in front of her, so that she would touch any obstacle in her way before she crashed into it. Steadily she followed the sound of pounding feet. She fell when her feet touched very soft ground and suspected she was in a marshy area. She got up immediately and pursued the fleeing feet. She heard the sound turning right and swerved to the right. After an hour or more – she was not sure – the feet stopped abruptly. Ginika stopped, trembling.

“Who is following me?” she heard a strange voice ask.

With her body shaking like a leaf, she whimpered, “It’s me, one of the attack traders.”

Her terror increased when they entered the army camp. They took her past the hall where she had rehearsed Mammy Wota with Eloka and the other actors. The sergeant opened a door with a key and they pushed her in. She found herself in a room with a dusty floor and a window which was permanently shut because a block of wood had been nailed across it. There was no furniture in the room. She shook from fright, wondering why they had brought her there.

“You go dey for guard room till you tire for here or you can die if you like,” he spat. “If you make noise, I shoot.”

“Sergeant, sir, I beg you, release me,” she pleaded, her face flooded with tears.

“Believe me, I never asked Sergeant Sule to get himself circumcised. Why should I do that? I have my own husband.” Her voice tripped over the word ‘husband’. Could she really say she had a husband now?

“You be bloody liar, rebel woman,” he snarled.

“I’m not lying,” she protested, one of her hands pressing the floor on which she sat. “Sergeant Sule and I were not even friends...”

“Shut your dirty mouth,” he bellowed. Turning to the two soldiers, he said, “Wait outside.”

She saw his face break into an unpleasant smile, as he approached her. His eyes were cloudy with lust. Her eyes widened with horror and she was about to scream when he said, “If you cry out, I go kick you to death.”

“Don’t touch me,” she said, “or I will report you to the commander of this camp.”

He laughed derisively. He lunged forward to grab her but she shrank away towards the wall. The room was not bright but there was enough light for her to see every move he made. He began to unbutton his trousers as he inched forward steadily. Horrified, she shrank away further to another part of the room. He followed her like an animal preparing to pounce on its prey. What would she do? No one would help her. No one knew where she was. The sergeant could easily overpower her and have his way, but she intended to put up a fight this time.

When he was ready, he leaped forward, grabbed her around the waist and pressed her body hard against his. She was repelled by his dark ashen skin and his thick wet lips. Remembering the self-defence tactics Captain Ofodile had taught her and other special constables, she kicked the sergeant’s groin and heard him cry out. He abandoned her and staggered backwards. His eyes were full of hate. He turned to the door but it opened before he reached it and the two soldiers came in, their eyes questioning.

“Hold the witch,” he barked. And as they pounced on her, and held her hands, he picked up his gun, which rested against a wall, and aimed it at her head. “I go kill you now,” he roared. She cried out in terror. He changed his mind, swung it before her and then hit her ankle with the butt. The pain caused her to cry out again. After he had returned the gun to its former position, he reached for her body and tore off her blouse, exposing her breasts. Her skirt suffered a similar fate and soon lay at her feet.

She struggled to free herself but they held her and pushed her to the ground. She screamed and one of them clamped a rough hand on her mouth. Divesting himself of his clothes, the sergeant grabbed her legs and prised them open. He entered her with force and as her naked body heaved under his, he stretched his hands and squeezed her breasts until they were sore. As he strove to reach his climax, his thrusts became frenzied and he taunted her. “I go fuck you, ashawo. You kill Sule. He be better man pass all your rebel brothers. Dat thing you no give Sule, I go take am today. Ashawo!”

She whimpered and groaned, unable to cry out because of the strong hand covering her mouth. Her eyes popped out like those of a rat gripped by a cat. At last, she felt his body shudder and then he rolled off her. She felt bruised all over from the pressure of his lean hardy body. Her body sweated profusely.

He glared at her and grinned cruelly. “Make you do your own,” he said, pointing to one of the soldiers. Ginika sobbed, as she watched helplessly. It was the soldier who had not said a word since the cruel drama began.

The man shook his head and said, “No, sir.” He turned his face away.

“If you no do, I go deal with you.” The sergeant’s nostrils flared in anger. “I go come back to you.” He turned to the other soldier – the one that had identified her in her aunt’s house. “Make you do your own.”

The soldier leered at her and, as he pulled at the button on his trousers, Ginika gave a throaty cry and lost consciousness.

Roses and Bullets written by Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo was published by Jalaa Writers' Collective, April 2011

Also on Storytime . Have a great weekend!

Play Reading Party 6 - Wole Soyinka at 77: Living Legend of Literature

2011-07-11T22:39:00.002+01:00

On Wednesday 13th July 2011, Nigeria's only and one of Africa's Nobel Prize Winnera for Literature, dramatist, poet, novelist and social crusader, Professor Oluwole Soyinka will be 77.

In view of these, we have dedicated the July edition of Arojah Royal Theatre's monthly PLAY READING PARTY for the celebration of Kongi's 77th birthday.

The celebration, organised in collaboration with the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), Abuja Chapter will feature readings from Soyinka's plays and poems, theme talks, and a 'My Favourite Wole Soyinka Book.

A brief talk on Wole Soyinka: 'The Man, His Writings and the Society' will be delivered by a seasoned theatre practitioner.

Come, lets celebrate a Living Legend! For enquiries, participation or support for this event, call: 0803 453 0786 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0803 453 0786 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Location: Korean Cultural Centre, 2nd Floor, Rivers House, Ralph Sodeinde Street, Central Business District (Opposite Ministry of Finance), Abuja, Nigeria

Contact Information:

For inquiries: call 0803 453 0786 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0803 453 0786 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Website: http://arojahconcepts.wordpress.com/