Our Online Reading list

Never mind that we've been away for almost a week. You know now, the way companies go on some certain kinds of retreat after a year or more to re-strategise, is it not what it's called? Yes, we were in that mode for almost a week brainstorming on the different attractions to make Bookaholic Blog as sweet as ever. It's all for you our teeming readers :) :)

We were also reading while this was on...so here's a list of our favourite online reading list.

Sentinel Nigeria  Magazine is finally out. Yay! And you can read the best of Nigerian writing only with a click. You can also consider submitting for their next issue. Sentinel Magazine UK too is out here. 

Guernica Mag--fabulous magazine of contemporary or arts and politics. And yes, they featured Chimamanda's latest short story Quality Street and Simpatico from Sefi Atta. 

The New Black Magazine--contemporary arts, politics, news, a beautiful pot-pourri of some sorts. 

Helon Habila reviews Chinua Achebe's latest offering, The Education of a British-Protected Child.

Wordsbody, an arts and culture blog with a huge following (Bookaholic Blog inclusive) was away for almost a year but is back, with a bang. 

Per Contra, international journal of arts, literature and ideas is out with their latest issue. 

All ye writers looking for a publisher, well Mosuro Publisher have a blog here. 

We wish we could actually do mini-reviews of these websites but we leave you to enjoy your reading trip. Now you have enough to keep you busy till next week. No, we will be back before then :)

The Bookaholic Blog is 1

I know we are told not to blow our own trumpet...but who best to blow your tune but you?

Pararararara Pararara Pararara

Ok we'll stick to books...we are really excited about how far we have come with your support and about the journey still ahead.

So as part of our celebrations, we will be giving three books out (1 for Africa, 1 for Europe and 1 for America).

All you have to is come with the best catch phrase that sums up your bookaholic experience.

Send it along with your name and address to bookaholicblog@gmail.com.

Good Luck!

Btw feel free to let us know what you like so far, what you don't like and what you want to be seeing in the new year for us here at TBB.

Wale Okediran Reads in Abuja

Fellow Bookaholics living in Abuja should be interested in attending this reading organised by Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). 

The Book

Wale Okediran's latest offering, Tenants of the House is a fictional account of Okediran's tenure as Member of House of Representatives[2004-2007]. It's described severally a masterpiece and represents an important literary milestone in Nigeria's sociopolitical landscape. 

The Event

Date: February 9, 2010 

Venue: Auditorium of the Cyprian Ekwensi Cultural Centre [Garki, Area 10, Abuja] 

Time: 4.00pm prompt. 

There will be readings from the work by the author himself, as well as other distinguished writers, including Eugenia Abu. House Leader, Hon Tunde Akogun will also read excerpts from the work. A further highlight of the event is a short playlet depicting a scene from the work, to be coordinated by the Theatrist - Denja Abdullahi (former Secretary-General of ANA).

The Writer

Wale Okediran, physician, poet, technocrat and politician was until late 2009, President of Association of Nigerian Authors.

For more information, call: 

Dr. Seyi Adigun, Chair, ANA Abuja.: 08030794827 

Jerry Adesewo, PRO, ANA Abuja: 08052771123

Wyvern Publications Short Story Competition

Prizes: 1st £100, plus two runners-up of £25 each.

Entry fee: £3 per entry. Cheques should be made payable to Wyvern Publications.

Stories must be between 1,200 and 1,600 words in length. A separate entry form should be attached to each entry.

Address: Wyvern Publications, Holly Stacey, 29 Nash Close, Lawford, Essex CO11 2LE.

Closing Date 1st March 2010

Writers and Wars...

Okay here we go again, just stumbling on interesting issues on our website trips. We came across Mantle Thought and that's thanks to Tolu Ogunlesi's Facebook status. The objective of The Mantle is "to provide a forum for the next generation of leaders to be heard—to provide a space for opinions that are different from those found in traditional, established outlets." You may also be interested in contributing to Mantle Thought. 

The latest 'roundtable' discussion is about writers and wars. Really what's the role of a writer in conflict? Maybe as a writer you've never thought about it--things look so great and a war just isn't on your mind; or you are one of the good optimists that wave off conflict. The thing is whether we accept it or not, there are conflicts in the society, no matter how small they are. Read the thought-provoking contributions here--Tolu Ogunlesi's Art is A Debt We Owe;Vicente Garcia Groyon's We Must Bear Witness and Sehba Sarwar's For Choice. 

Remember that a huge part of Nigerian literature is dedicated to the Biafran Civil War. But that's not all the conflict we've had to deal with. And yes, war, like bad news sells! But how do you stay true to the issues at hand--who is the hero? Who is the villain? How do you portray humans during wars--as there's more to it than the guns? What's writing without 'conflict' anyway? Writers are supposed to be witnesses, aint they? Should a writer sit on the fence? Jump into the war like Christopher Okigbo or fight with words till they are jailed like Wole Soyinka? What say you--what's the role of a writer in conflict? 

Competitions and Fellowships

There are loads of competitions, residencies and calls for submissions flying around. We happenned on the Poets and Writers Submissions Calendar. It's very detailed. Check it here. 

There's also the Pulitzer Centre and YouTube Project for Reporting. It actually looks like fun--the contest invites non-professional, aspiring reporters to share their stories with the world. More info here. 

The UN-Habitat Essay Contest is also on."While the urban population in developed countries will remain unchanged in the next two decades, the urban populations in the developing world will more than double. The majority of city inhabitants in the developing world are overwhelmingly young people, and are the most affected by issues of poverty, exclusion, and unemployment, access to housing, water and sanitation." 

Deadline: February 21, 2010. More information here. 

There's also the World Bank Essay Competition. This time around, they are looking for a great piece on green entrepreneurship ideas. Check here. 

Bucknell's Emerging Writer Fellowship program offers poets who have recently completed their graduate work the chance to contribute to a thriving poetry center while providing time for the completion of a first book of poems. The Emerging Writer serves as an instructor and staff member in the Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets in June. The stipend is $20,000. Check here  to see if the cap fits your head. 

How to Write--An Excerpt

"If you want to write, you can. Fear stops most people from writing, not lack of talent, whatever it is. Who am I? What right have I to speak? Who will listen to me if I do? You are a human being with a unique story to tell, and you have every right. If you speak with passion, so many of us will listen. We need stories to live, all of us. We live by stories. Yours enlarges the circle."

Those are the opening words of 'How To Write' a book by Pulitzer winning writer, Richard Rhodes. I got it as a gift and I've been reading it carefully since then. I don't gulp it down. I sip, slowly. I let each lesson go down my throat touching every part of it before sitting in my belly. As much as I run away from 'how-to' books, this is a good one. Let's jump to another part I like:

"Your thought may not flow like Gertrude Stein's. You. May. Want. To. Write. Like. This. At. First. Feel free. Don't think about how you're writing:write. Everyone knows how to do something: describe a process. How do you untie your shoe? How do you brush your teeth?...Everyone has feelings: how do you feel about something or someone? Set a mirror before you and describe your face. Describe your hands. Are they different or the same? What do your hands have to say to each other? Describe what you taste, hear or see. What parts of you touch the world. Where does the world touch you? How does it feel? What are you thinking? Write it down. What do you think about what you were thinking? Write that down. Write until your time is up." 

You can buy a copy of the book here. It's our way of saying thank you for writing such a good book, BTW, we didn't get any permission before publishing this excerpt. Let's just hope the blog won't go down in a moment. We couldn't help but share :)