Theatre at Terra: Oh! How dearly I detest thee!!!

Oh! How dearly I detest thee!!! A Stage play starring Kenneth Uphopho, Eyiyemi Rogbinyin,Paul Alumona, Jennifer Osammor and Abiodun Kassim.

Venue: TerraKulture

Plot 1376,Tiamiyu Savage Street,Victoria Island

Date: Every Sunday in April

Time: 3pm & 6pm

Tickets:N2500
Written by Jeanne Ngo Libondo

Directed by Kenneth Uphopho

Produced by the Performing Arts Workshop & Studios (PAWS)

Tickets Promo** buy 2 get 1 free.(Promo ends March 31st)

For Sponsorship & Tickets

Call 08037177106 Or 08034448812

Abuja Writers' Forum: March Guest Writer Session Featuring Theresa Oyibo Ameh and K K Iloduba

The tempo of the 2012 series of the Guest Writer Session will rise higher by several pulses on March 31 with Theresa Oyibo Ameh and K K Iloduba as the featured authors. An initiative of the Abuja Writers’ Forun (AWF) which started in June 2008 and has become the template for similar programmes nationwide, the Guest Writer Session holds by 4pm at the Pen and Pages Bookstore, Wuse 2, Abuja.

Teresa Ameh hails from Igalamela/ Odolu LGA of Kogi State and holds an NCE from the College of Education Katsina Ala and a BA in Library Sc/English from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Ms Ameh taught for seven years, possibly where she found the inspiration to write for children, before switching to a civil service career. A mother and philanthropist, she has five titles to her credit namely The Twins Visits, The Stepmother and other stories , Funmi the Polite Girl and other stories, Lessons from Aunty Talatu, and her most recent publication, The Only Son.

Kenechukwu K. Iloduba hails from Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State and holds a BSc Applied Mictobiology, Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism, Masters in Public Administration, and Masters of Science in Finance.

A passionate poet, Iloduba’s poems have been appeared in several local and foreign publications, and he has won prizes within and outside Nigeria. His debut poetry collection, In The Arms of Misery was voted by The Sun as one of the Top 30 books of 2007, while the book caught the attention of several reviewers. In an article on the collection, Professor Mabel Evierhoma of the University of Abuja observes that though K K Iloduba is not an indigene of the Niger Delta, he shows through the poems how creativity can be used to mitigate the sundry challenges faced by humanity.

K K Iloduba resides in Abuja, is married to Sandra Onyebuchi Ibili and his second collection, Immortal Whispers is due off the press later in the year.

The 2012 series of the monthly Guest Writer Session took off on February 25th with the duo of Uche Ezechukwu and Steve Okecha in a highly entertaining and enlightening event that witnessed a large turnout.

Since its inception four years ago, the Guest Writer Session has been a consistent feature of the nation’s literary scene. The March 31, 2012 edition will include the usual side attractions of poetry performance, mini art exhibition, and a raffle-draw as well as live music. The Abuja Writer’s Forum meets three Sundays each month and hosts a reading on every last Saturday at the International Institute of Journalism and Pen and Pages respectively.


CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: abujawriters@fastermail.com

Website: http://www.abujawritersforum.com/

The NaijaStories Anthology now on Sale

Naijastories.com is today, the leading community for Nigerian writers and book lovers, combining elements of a writing critique website and a social networking site. Of Tears and Kisses, Heroes and Villains is Volume 1 of the 'Best of NaijaStories' series. The 30 stories featured in this anthology were all originally published on this website between March 2010 and March 2011.


Read on NAIJASTORIES.COM - 200 NSpoints per story

Buy Paperback from the NaijaStories Createspace Store

Buy as Kindle and Print from Amazon.com

Buy the NOOK version from Barnes&Noble online

Buy the eBook from Smashwords.com

**If you live in Nigeria and want the book delivered in PDF to your inbox, please contact admin@naijastories.com for payment details (via Zenith Bank and GTBank).


REVIEWS
These are stories about us or about our neighbours or something we’ve encountered in the news. They are what our friends tell us, their pain and joy, their passion and rage, their yearning and their cry against injustice. I enjoyed lots of the stories not just because of their simplicity and brevity but also for freshness they bring to storytelling and public discourse.

- Sylva Nze Ifedigbo. (Author, The Funeral Did Not End)

Here we are, with our abortions, our bereavement, our lust, our petty showdowns, our pederasts, our In-Law wahala, our problems chatting up girls in the diaspora, our memories of childhood, our fights, our incest, our love, our examination stress, our metafictional accounts, our encounters with university campus cults, our broken families, our… well, you get the idea. We rob banks, but we also eat salty beans to show our children we love them.

- Tade Thompson (Introduction)

These short stories are not constrained by the need to attain fame. They all are, first of all, good works written with sharp perspectives that are related to various societal issues. There is a unique allure in every story. They have not been sifted through a Western colander. Support this anthology and show that there is a worthiness of effort in putting it together. This anthology is indeed the birth of writers that have newly been empowered. Go get a copy for yourself.

- Joseph Omotayo (Book Critic)

Emotion Book Club Monthly Reading: Iyeyinka Omigbodun's Reads from the Country I Love

The Emotion Book club hereby invites the general public to our reading for March featuring Iyeyinka Omigbodun's The Country I Love, published by Evans Publishers Limited.
Side Attractions: Poetry recitation, Ewi, Buy books at affordable prices. Membership forms of The Emotion Book club would be available.

Freebie: Bring 5 Friends and get a book and jotters for free!

Date: March 24th, 2012
Venue: Room 32, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan
Time: 4.30pm

Calls for submission: ANA 2012 Literary Prizes

Following the conclusion of the review of ANA Prizes, the national executive council hereby announces the call for entries for the 2012 edition of the literary competition. After a thorough study of the report submitted by the ANA Prizes Review Committee, it was found necessary to suspend some prizes as a result of lack of redemption of cash by the sponsors, expiration of the existing engagement without renewal, or voluntary termination of sponsorship by the endowers. The suspension which is for a year will enable the association meet with the affected sponsors to discuss the possibility of renewal and upgrade. The period will also allow the association to redeem the backlog of cash prizes owed winners over the years without piling up additional liabilities.


2012 CALL FOR ENTRIES
Nigerian writers, home and abroad, who have and are willing to enter their new works for the Annual Literary Prizes, may now do so. Interested creative writers should send six copies (6) of their entries, (specifying the category being entered for) alongside a covering letter to:

The General Secretary,
Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA),
c/o Suite 63,
National Theatre Complex,
Iganmu, Lagos

The covering letter should contain complete contact details of the writer or/and publisher of the work, including email and surface mail addresses with telephone numbers.

ANA will not take responsibility for entries sent by post nor will it claim registered parcels in cases where it has to pay for such claims.

The entries, which can be for any or several (where applicable) of the following categories, must not have been entered for the same prize prior to the present entry and must have been published between 2011 and 2012:

ANA/Chevron Prose Prize on Environmental Issues (Prose) $2,000.00(published works only).

ANA/Esiaba Irobi Prize for Playwrighting. N50, 000.00 (published & unpublished works).

ANA/Lantern Books Prize for Children’s Fiction N100, 000.00 (unpublished works only, Ages 8 – 15). Winning entry to be published by Lantern Books.

ANA Prize for Poetry (published) – N100, 000

ANA Prize for Prose Fiction (Published) – N100, 000

ANA Prize for Drama (Published) – N100, 000

ANA Prize for Literary Journalism – N100, 000 (Deadline: September 30, 2012)

ANA/NECO Teen Author Prize (prose) N100, 000.00 (published & unpublished works).

ANA/Mazariyya Teen Author Prize (poetry) N50, 000.00 (published & unpublished works).

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES for Teen Authors Prize (published and unpublished works).

1. Entrants must be students in any secondary school in Nigeria.

2. Entries must be a collection or a single story of between 35 – 40 pages for prose or poetry.

3. Illustration (optional).

4. Accompanying documents are:

(i) Letter of identification from school principal on letterhead and signed by the principal.

(ii) Two passport photographs, name, and birth certificate of the entrant.

(iii) Entrant's school admission letter (photocopy).

(iv) Current cumulative record of entrant’s academic performance (junior or

secondary school).

(v) Letter of consent from parents.

(vi) Entrant’s email, and surface mail address with phone number.

5. Unpublished entries (in four copies) should be properly bound.

Deadline for the receipt of ALL entries for the 2012 ANA Literary Prizes is May 15, 2012. A shortlist will be announced in early October, 2012.

Winners of the prizes will be announced by the judges at the Awards Dinner in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State at the 31st International Annual Convention of ANA in October, 2012.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
For submissions: The General Secretary,
Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), c/o Suite 63,
National Theatre Complex, Iganmu, Lagos

Calls for Submission: MySpur Essay Competition

Do you consider yourself a great writer? Here is a golden opportunity for you to express yourself. Spur magazine is glad to announce the commencement of an Essay Competition. This will be the first of the series of My Spur Essay Competitions. This series is geared towards discussing issues that affect the Nigerian learning community and leadership.

Title: Stemming the tide of massive Examination Failure in Nigeria: How?

Guildlines:

• The essay competition is open to all.
• All entry should be between 1,200 – 1,500 words.
• The deadline for the submission of the entries is March 21, 2012.
• All entries should be sent electronically to info@spurmag.com
• All entries should be in Microsoft word format (PDF format are not allowed)
• All entries should contain the following information: Full Name, Phone Number, Email Address, Current Status (Student or Worker), How you heard about the essay competition?

NB: The information should be below your entry in one document.

The final winner will be announced in first week of April.

• The prize for the winner is a Nokia Phone
• Prize for the first runner up is N3,000 worth of airtime
• Prize for the second runner up is N1,500 worth of airtime.

The winning Essay will also been published in the April Edition of Spur magazine.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: info@spurmag.com

For submissions: info@spurmag.com

Website: http://spurmag.com

Invitation to Join the Society of Young Nigerian Writers

Society of Young Nigerian Writers is using this opportunity to call on Young Nigerian Writers at home and abroad between the ages of 15-35 to submit the following information:

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Schools attended with dates:
Qualification(s):
Title of Work(s):
Publisher(s):
ISBN Number(s) of works:
E-mail Address:
Award(s) or Prize(s) won:
Membership of Literary Organization(s):

To societyofyoungnigerianwriters@gmail.com

Aims and Objectives

To design a computerized/web friendly database which will contain information about Young Nigerian Writers living in Nigeria and abroad. To make the works of Young Nigerian Writers available to wanted buyers/researchers.

To make works/information of Young Writers accessible to the general public/researchers.

To encourage/promote Young Nigerian Writers.

About the association:

SOCIETY OF YOUNG NIGERIAN WRITERS is a literary organization based in Oyo State, Nigeria. It was established to promote literary and creative writings among youths in the country.

SOCIETY OF YOUNG NIGERIAN WRITERS is an international and local affiliates of Winning Writers Association, Association for the Study of Poets, Playwrights and Novelists lives and works and World of Poets and Literary Society.

Our thematic areas are creative writing, poetry, essay, drama, diary and short story writing. In a bid to effectively address some social issues like politics, corruption, bribery, child hawking, religion malpractices to mention but few. We use various means such as poetry, drama, short stories, diary, novels and other forms of literary and creative arts to express our opinions and different views.

Lovers of literary world are always invited to SOCIETY OF YOUNG NIGERIAN WRITERS gathering organized by the society.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: societyofyoungnigerianwriters@gmail.com

For submissions: societyofyoungnigerianwriters@gmail.com

Website: http://www.societyforyoungwriters.webs.com/

New Book: Birds of Our Land: A Child’s Guide to West African Birds by Virginia Dike

Children’s book lets imagination take flight

When Virginia Dike moved to the country in the early 1970s with her young family, she discovered that Nigeria had so many fascinating birds and she wanted to share them with her children and other children. But she couldn’t find books on Nigerian or West African birds.  Instead, the bookshops had plenty of books about birds from the United States and Britain. 

So in 1986, the professor of Library Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, decided to write Birds of Our Land, a child’s guide to West African birds that aimed to introduce children and adults to some of the many captivating birds around them. This month, Cassava Republic Press, an Abuja-based book publisher, is reissuing this classic book with entirely new illustrations and an activities page. 

More than a great read

Through its rich, poetic descriptions Birds of Our Land offers children a gateway to the natural world by introducing them to the basics of bird watching. It explains the basic features of birds and key things to note in observing them. The book is accompanied by beautiful paintings by illustrator Robin Gowen of 25 birds representing the major species in the region. Most are birds that children are likely to come across in their own yards, while a few are less familiar but amazing in some way. This book also comes with a wall poster of all the birds and a guide for teachers and parents.

One special feature of the new revised edition is that it features each bird’s name in the three main Nigerian languages: Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. Children, especially those in urban centres, will be introduced to indigenous terms showing that English is not the only language for naming things in the natural environment. 

Birds of Our Land is more than a great read. It is the perfect tool for parents and educators encouraging children to spend more time outdoors exploring the world of nature and giving them an appreciation of the beauty and interdependence of all forms of life. 

A passion for nature

Author Virginia Dike is the head of the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.  She has a BA in History from Harvard University, an MA in Education and an MSc in Library Science, both from Columbia University. She is also a founding member of The Children Centre Library at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka. Though not an environmentalist, Dike has had a lifelong passion for nature.

“I believe that if we want Nigerian children to know and appreciate the gift of nature, we need to provide books that will foster that knowledge and appreciation by reflecting the natural world around them,” she said.

She notes that non-fiction literature is a much-neglected area in Nigerian children’s books and that what is available – to some extent – are textbooks. 

“Yet children need information books written as literature to satisfy their curiosity,” Dike said. “I believe that if we want Nigerian children to know and appreciate the gift of nature, we need to provide books that will foster that knowledge and appreciation by reflecting the natural world around them.”

A new kind of children’s literature

The book is part of a broader drive by Cassava Republic to change the way children’s literature in Africa is regarded. Birds of Our Land is the first in a series of reference books that will not only increase children’s knowledge, but enhance their understanding of the natural world around them. Others books in the series will focus on trees, flowers, the seasons and many more.  

Cassava Republic is also passionately committed to ensuring that affordable, beautifully-made books are available to the Nigerian market. Birds of Our Land is sure to be a valuable addition to what is a growing pool of high-quality local literature.  

Birds of Our Land: A Child’s Guide to West African Birds will be available from February 2012. For more information about placing pre-orders, or if you would like to conduct and email interview with the author, contact: info@cassavarepublic.biz or call: 0818 580 2634.