Chiedu Ifeozo: Bookaholic Blogger of the Month

Three adjectives that best describe you
Calm, caring, hardworking

Which talent would you most like to have?
Sometimes I do wish I could sing

Why did you write ‘Homecoming’?
Back in 2005, I was a bit worried about returning to Nigeria. I wrote 'Homecoming' because in those days in between the end of academic life and the start of real life, it’s very easy to feel lost, and not know what your next step would be. 'Homecoming' speaks about finding yourself in a place that you least expected or a place that you once dreaded. It speaks about the memory of a place that has familiar sights yet feels slightly strange. I wanted to speak only about the first moments, the arrival that somehow also symbolizes the end of one journey and the beginning of another.
What is the last thing you read that made you laugh?
Nene Ezeala’s facebook note, “Blue or Green”.
Who is your perfect audience?
Two years ago, I had no audience but God. I wrote down these words on blank pieces of paper and stored them away in a drawer. I have never had to think about my perfect audience because the truth is I am exceedingly grateful to anyone who takes some time to read my work.

What is the worth of a poem?
I would be the first to admit that having never studied literature; I cannot really give a definitive answer to this question, as I am only just learning the worth of a good poem. However, for me, poetry should be about life, it should be engaging and vivid, making it easier for the reader to relate to the words. Rhyming is good, but a good melody doesn’t trump a powerful message or a passionate tale.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
That’s a weird question, but i guess being poor, sick and alone is a very low point. Thankfully, this is not something I have experienced.
How does being a Nigerian influence your writing?
Nigeria is an intriguing and unique country, one that has bred many creative individuals. As a contemporary writer, my environment is reflected by my words, like an artist or a photographer i try to use descriptive words to paint scenes in a readers mind. Being Nigerian, I can’t help but notice the many issues affecting our society and I try to write about them.
When is the best time to write for you?
In the morning, when the house is quiet and other than the hum of my laptop, I can almost hear myself think.
What is the motive behind Poetry for Charity?
Poetry for charity is a project which aims to bring together several writers from various regions of the world using the facebook social networking website, with a common aim of donating their poems and spoken word pieces to be added to a collection. All the revenue raised from the sale of the book would be donated to 3 different charities for every edition of the collection. Through poetry for charity we have been able to encourage a new breed of writers, and support worthy causes. The charity anthology is printed using the funds raised from the sale of my first book. We have had over 60 contributors from 26 countries around the world, including writers like Jumoke Verissimo, Tolu Ogunlesi, Tosyn Bucknor and Wilson Orhiunu as well as upcoming writers like Nene Ezeala, Jeffery Jaiyeola, Seun Olaniyan, Latifa Ayoola and Ayotunde Awofusi, with their help we have been able to raise about N114,000 from the first volume. The charities supported by the first two volumes of the anthology are With love from friends (WLFF), These Genes, Against illiteracy poverty and AIDS(AIPA), Stepping Stones Nigeria, Crystal Vision, and Little saints orphanage.

Facebook and you?
Facebook has been instrumental in my drive to promote my work. I joined facebook in 2005, but i wasn’t really into it then and i only posted my first note, “The people”, on the 27th of September 2007. I would readily admit that I couldn’t do without the facebook platform, but i feel that it’s the people whom i have been able to interact with on facebook, who have made the platform a pivotal part of my day. The support network on facebook has encouraged me from the very start and i would always be grateful for their kind words, advice and criticism concerning my work which has helped me to develop as a writer.

Name your five favourite writers and why?
Jumoke Verissimo: for her powerful poems that leave you with deep thoughts
Chimamanda Adichie: for her vivid, real life stories
Tolu Ogunlesi: for his witty and outstanding wordplay and his great poems
Joy Isi Bewaji: for her ability to use descriptive words to paint scenes in your mind.
Jude Dibia- Unbridled is one of my favourite books this year

Life outside poetry...
I work as a systems engineer and when i am not at work or writing, I try to relax by listening to music, watching movies, or going for a swim.

Your house is on fire, what will you take with you?
My laptop
What is your most treasured possession?
My oldest notepad, most of the entries are typed out on my laptop anyway, but its worn out pages mean a lot to me.

Best decision in writing career
I’m relatively new to the literary scene, so the first and most important thing i had to do, was to read the work that other writers had published. The research helped me a lot when i set out to do the same.

Greatest challenge
Getting people attracted to contemporary poetry, getting them to see it as a different form of writing, when they already consider poetry to be boring, complex and un-relatable.
What would a story about your life be called?
Staring in the Eyes of Hope

What is your greatest fear?
Failure

Do Nigerians read?
Short answer, yes. Long answer, yes, but they may not want to pay for it and therefore its presentation and language is key to getting them to see the value in the words that they read. In my humble opinion, we’ve always had a culture of telling stories, creating and using proverbs, and there has always been an audience for this. Getting people to become interested in reading a book, should be done using many various platforms, Speech, Audio, Print, Graphic Novels, Photo books and Web blogs. Also, a true study of the audience is important. We shouldn’t just be asking, do Nigerians read? But also what do Nigerians like to read? And how do they traditionally interact with writers and orators. I believe we can build a better reading culture by attracting the Nigerian audience to what feels familiar to them.

What is the first piece you wrote and when?
That’s a good question, I lost many pieces when i was younger during a period when we moved house often, but I think the oldest piece i still keep is titled “The little Goldfish”. It’s a very simple poem about a goldfish who longs to venture outside its bowl, and if I remember correctly I wrote it when I was probably 12. It is actually included in my first book “Thoughts on a page” because of its distinct analogy to everyday life.

What does Taruwa mean to you?
Taruwa, means a lot to me, it is a source of encouragement, confidence and friendship. Lydia Idakula Sobogun contacted me in February 2007 and gave me an opportunity to present my work to an audience. It would become remembered as the first time I would ever read my work in public. Suddenly I had to own my words like I had never done before. We definitely need more spotlights such as Taruwa.

What is the meaning of your name?
“God helps me”

How do you overcome writer’s block?
I listen to music, relax and take each day as it comes.
Final words on your epitaph
Life is a gift, and he used his gift to help other lives

'Shut up and write': Sigauke (BBM)

Three adjectives that best describe you

Flexible, compassionate, open

What will a book about your life be called?

The Event

Which talent would you most like to have?

I always dreamt I was a soccer champion, but I have been happy with writing since turning thirteen.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Debt

What is the last thing you read that made you laugh?

Petina Gappah’s Mupandawana Dancing Champion

What is the worth of a book?

Priceless

You are Obama for a day, what would you do?

Look at the mirror and tell my image, “Let’s go out there and change the world.”

How does being a Zimbabwean influence your writing?

That’s what enables my writing. I believe that by writing I am exercising what it means to be Zimbabwean; my work anchors on my Zimbabwean identity.

When is the best time to write for you?

I have no specific time, although I stay up late at night, reading and writing.

What is your most treasured possession?

My poetry publication, 'Forever Let Me Go'; but seriously, my mind.

What is the book that changed your life?

Actually, it’s a novel called Burr, by the historical American novelist Gore Vidal. That was the first literary novel I ever read in rural Zimbabwe. It brings back fresh memories, and I remember expressions that I thought were funny then, like, “he had a mouth like a fish’s” or “He had snake eyes.” It was just funny, and I started applying similar expressions in my composition and my teachers rewarded me well.

What inspires your writing?

The complexity of human life; the beauty and ugliness of our world.

What is your advice to young writers?

Shut up and write.

Define literature in a sentence

Works of art that strive to express a deep meaning of the human condition.

How will you introduce your child to literature?

He has already been introduced: read, read, read. My twelve-year-old has already read Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, and we sometimes discuss The Sound and the Fury. He loves the Benjy perspective of the story. He also carries Things Fall Apart in his back pack.

What part of the process of writing do you enjoy most?

Revision, which is what I am doing presently. I have written so much content in the past fifteen years, but much of it is just creativity, now I am perfecting the craft and voice.

Who are your favorite writers?

All of them; I really value every voice, and I regret having focused too much on what school literary syllabi prescribed. My favorite writers: Okay, fine-- Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, D.H. Lawrence, Thomas Hardy the poet, Dambudzo Marechera, James Joyce, W.B Yeats, Arundhati Roy, Kazuo Ishiguro, lately Chekhov, Franz Kafka…why even bother? There are just too many to list.

Favourite blog post

“The Pitfalls of Self-publishing”

Why do you write?

I don’t know how not to be a writer anymore; I am stuck.

What book are you reading at the moment?

Because I am trying to discover the purest form of the short stories, I am reading a minimum of fifteen authors, such as Anton Chekhov (three of his collections), Petina Gappah, James Joyce (Dubliners), Henry James, William Faulkner, Best American Short Stories 2007, Best American Short Stories 1997, Contemporary African Short Stories, edited by Achebe, Contemporary South African Short Stories, Nadine Gordimer, Chimamanda Adichie and a whole horde of craft books. You should see me moving from one room with a pile of books. I have to read as much as I can before my summer class begins on June 22.

What is the strangest research you’ve done?

To discover the psychology of cockroaches for a short story which was published by Horizon Magazine. It portrays a frustrated teacher who sets aside a whole afternoon to fight with the roaches in his room with his bare hands.

What is your philosophy of life?

Live responsibly, seek and establish a purpose for your life. Then laugh for no reason.

Emmanuel Sigauke runs a very interesting blog here.

'Talent is Cheaper than Table Salt': Nnamdi Osondu Awaraka

Three adjectives that best describe you
Friendly, hardworking and approachable.

Your house is on fire; what will you take with you?
All my important documents – certificates, ID’s and my many scribble notebooks

What would a story about your life be called?
If it's an autobiography, it will be called Writing my own Stories.
Who are your favourite writers?
Chimamanda Adichie, Chinua Achebe, John Grisham, J.K. Rowling, Arundhati Roy, Buchi Emecheta, Sidney Sheldon, John Grisham, Stephen King and V. C Andrews are a couple of them.

How do you relax?
I listen to music, watch TV shows and movies that make me laugh. Laughter always helps me relax.

When book are you reading now?
Beloved by Toni Morrison

Why do you blog/write?
Writing comes naturally. There’s always a story I want to tell, it’s that simple.

I began blogging because I wanted to get feedback from a much larger and diverse audience. Every writer likes to get peoples reaction to his/her work. Blogging is one of the easiest ways to show the world what you can do as a writer. It’s easy to set up, all you need is money to spend in the café updating (laugh).

Biggest wish/dream
To be a successful, internationally recognized author. Is that too much to wish for?

Solution to a better reading culture in Nigeria
I’ve wondered how we can do that. I don’t have a solution but I have suggestions. I suggest we make books more available and try as much as we can to work on people's attitude. We need to build large libraries and stock them well. At least if people can’t afford to buy books, they should be able to borrow. Knowledge is power. Books provide knowledge. If we’re a nation deprived of books, we are a nation deprived of knowledge and the power it brings.

Let’s face it; reading a book is less attractive when compared to watching TV or playing video games. Even the “aje-butter” children who have huge collections of books in their houses still prefer to play video games and watch television for hours on end, rather than pick up Enid Blyton to read. Anything else but books. There has to be a way of attacking the mindset that books are for academic purposes alone, not for entertainment and people who read novels are 'un-cool.' We can’t force people to read, but we can encourage them to give it a shot.

Why do you read?
Because I enjoy it. It’s been my favourite form of entertainment. Every time you read a novel, you don’t come away from the pages the same. Usually I remember parts of the dialogues from the books I read, the good ones.

What is your most treasured possession?
For now, it’s the book I scribble in. If it gets lost a second time…

What is the book that changed your life?
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Before I read it, my stories were set outside Nigeria – not that that’s bad in itself. But after reading it, I realized there’s so much more I can do with my prose if I bring them home. I also realized that my dreams are not so far-fetched. I had been saving clippings of Nigerian authors published home and abroad before I read her book (I’ve got old newspaper pages of her and Helen Oyeyemi somewhere). She came to me as a girl next door, who did “it”. Nothing’s impossible.

Which talent would you most like to have?
I’d like to possess the ability to affect people with words. Written and spoken.

Who are your literary heroes?

JK Rowlings and Chimamanda Adichie
J.K Rowlings' book was rejected many times. She was poor and on the dole (a government program where the unemployed are given money for upkeep). She couldn’t buy toys for her daughter as a struggling single parent but she kept her protagonist alive, rejection after rejection. It was her first big book, she could have decided to abandon Harry Potter, perhaps start another novel or abandon writing entirely to focus on more conventional ways of earning a living, like people usually suggest to those who struggle to make it in the arts. She’s a hero because she did not relent. Her books have got millions of children, young adults and adults reading avidly again. Look where she is today – richer than the Queen, meeting Michelle Obama in the company of the Queen… Not everyone will be that successful, but it’s a real life Cinderella tale that can inspire those searching for encouragement.

Chimamanda left Nigeria for America and found huge success on foreign shores. What I find interesting however is the fact that she doesn’t hop into the country, publicize her book, do book signings then fly out. She divides her time between the U.S and Nigeria. Most importantly, she returns to conduct workshops, to help the fledgling writers in her country who are stuck in an uninspiring and unsupportive environment, hone their skills. Most of the time, our best and brightest leave our shores and don’t return to “give back” in any way. They don’t try to help their fatherland develop. I know it’s difficult to make a change under the conditions present, but it’s still sad when that happens. What she does is praiseworthy, more power to her elbows.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
The lowest depth is when you begin to consider taking your life. I don’t think misery can get any lower than wanting to end it all…yourself.

What book are you longing to lay your hands on?
Aravind Adiga’s White Tiger, winner of 2008’s Man Booker Prize for fiction. I’ve been longing for it for a while now. It’s on its way to me, I’m sure.

What is the last thing you read that made you laugh?
Buchi Emecheta’s Second-class Citizen. Buchi is hilarious. The hilarity in her narration comes off as effortless and unintended. Or maybe it’s my sense of humour… The Joys of Motherhood has lots of funny bits in the narrative too.

What will your next blog post be about?
It will most probably be a book review. I’m expecting two novels from the library and I have two books on my desk waiting to be touched. Three are by Indian authors.

Best blog post ever?
I like my short story, “An Uneventful Bus Ride" very much, but I like “New Neighbours” because I got the most comments ever on it.

Philosophy of life
These words of Stephen King – “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” I dwell on it a lot. It’s something everyone should bear in mind too. If you like be bustling with talent in an area of life, if you do not take the necessary steps and do the hard work needed to hone it, to show the world what you’ve got, if you do not struggle to rise up from the mass of people in your field, someone else – perhaps less talented, but a hundred times more determined to rise above the odds, will succeed.

Nnamdi Osondu Awaraka blogs here

In our bid to bring you voices of people from all over (in the arts of course), we begin the Bookaholic Blogger of the Month series; every month we will feature an interview with a blogger.