Calling the Poets...

We find these projects interesting. Performance poets should try to participate. Really there's a revolution brewing, you are either a part of it or not...

Badilisha! Poetry X-Change introduces a brand new dimension to the live poetry project--the Badilisha! Poetry.com, an online poetry radio station which will produce weekly podcasts of poets from Africa and the Diaspora. Our blog will also facilitate relevant poetry discussions and open the way for continued conversation amongst poets featured on the podcasts, greater exposure of the work of African poets to the world and to each other. Weekly shows will be presented by South African writer and performance poet Malika Ndlovu.  BadilishaPoetry.com aims to encourage, expose and celebrate the work of African and Diaspora poets, answering to the need for an Africa-centred platform where these African voices and works from all over the globe can be accessed and enjoyed, as well as serving as a networking space for these artists within and beyond the literary arena. More info here.

International Poetry Competition Castello Di Duino - Under 30 Poetry

Deadline:  December 31st, 2009 (For schools 2010 January 15th)

Rules of participation:

• The competition is open to young people under 30 years of age.
• The participation is free.
• Participants have to send only one unpublished , never prized poem (maximum 50 lines).
• The general theme of the Edition 2008 is: Lights/shadows (for instance : the natural alternation of times, the colours of the reality and  soul, the metaphers of the life,  thinking,  doubts. The topic can be worked out very free 
• Poems will be accepted in the mother tongue of the authors. A translation into English and /or Italian is required.
• A jury composed by poets and literary critics with different linguistic competences will evaluate the poems as much as possible in their original language.

More information here.

Calling the Performance Poets...

The organizers of WordSlam (Culture Advocates Caucus & Goethe Institut, Nigeria) are delighted to inform poets and spoken word artistes that the 4th edition of a feast of poetic flight, aimed at encouraging young people to express themselves through poetry, has been scheduled for the last week of November 2009. This is a call for participation at the event, which we hope will be more exciting than the previous editions.

WORDSLAM is a platform for the presentation of live poetry performances, featuring poetry in its diverse forms covering everyday experiences, history, culture, religion, politics and many others. To be a part of this, send in at least two poems you would like to perform, plus a short biography of 200 words about yourself and your career to jahblak@yahoo.com on or before 31st, October, 2009.

From the Desk of the Anthill 2.0 Team

The art of the spoken word found a new expression when Anthill 2.0 was re-created in September, 2008. A concept that has accommodated other art forms such as music and chant. Today, we are prepared for yet another edition set to bring together a select gathering of the lovers of the art.

Held on the last Sunday of every other month, every edition possesses a special feature aimed at ultimately producing the best in poetry and music.

With five editions already gone by, and the Annual grand slam event well underway, Anthill is set to feature internationally celebrated poets among others.

We will be exploring two forms of poetry – the Sonnet and the Villanelle. Examples of these forms of poetry are available on our Facebook fan page. The next edition of Anthill will take place on the 23rd of August, 2009, at Red Restaurant and Lounge, Saka Jojo Street, off Idejo Street, off Adeola Odeku, Victoria Island. Time is 4pm.

All entries should be sent to anthill@nosurprisesevents.com on or before Wednesday 19 August, 2009. An entry fee of N3000 flat will be requested at the entrance. It’s Happy Hour (20% off drinks) and finger foods will be served as well.

P.S Kindly confirm attendance on or before August 19, 2009.

Warm Regards,

The Anthill Team.

WASAFIRI

Renowned worldwide for featuring some of the best and brightest new talent, Wasafiri-the online magazine is launching a New Writing Prize as part of its 25th birthday celebrations. In the words of acclaimed author Jackie Kay, ‘Wasafiri holds it all together, the past and the future. It is vigorous, searching and stimulating’.
Since Wasafiri was first published in 1984, it has consistently aimed to shift the contours of established literary canons and remapped the borders of international contemporary writing, creating new imaginative spaces and publishing some of the most promising new literary voices.

How to enter
The competition is open to anyone worldwide who has not published a complete book. They are looking for creative submissions in one of three categories: Poetry, Fiction or Life Writing. Simply incorporate the theme of ‘25’ somewhere in your piece, fill in the entry form and send it to them with your entry fee of UK Sterling £5.00 using the paypal option below. The closing date is 30 June 2009. Entrants who are visually impaired or who are prevented from typing through disability can enter stories on audio CD.

For details and information please visit www.wasafiri.org

Prize-Winning Writers Visit Abuja

Two Prize-Winning writers, Musa Idris Okpanachi and Uwem Akpan, will be in Abuja for the March 2009 edition of the Guest Writer Session organised by the Abuja Writers’ Forum (AWF).

Uwem Akpan, a Nigerian Jesuit Priest, has just joined the list of winners of the Commonwealth Prize for Literature in the Best First Book category of the Africa region. Akpan who started writing fiction ten years ago, was born at Iko Akpan Eda in Akwa Ibom state. He studied Philosophy and English at Creighton and Gonzaga universities and Theology at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He has taught English and Literature-in-English in Nigerian secondary schools and received an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan in 2006. Prior to his Commonwealth Prize for Literature feat, he was on the Caine shortlist.

Musa Idris Okpanachi hails from Kogi Sate and a long-serving member of the Department of English, University of Miaduguri. Dr Okpanachi’s poetry collection, The Eaters of the Living published by Kraft Books Limited won the 2008 ANA/Cadbury Prize for Poetry.  The judges had commented that “Okpanachi reveals himself as the voice of the downtrodden with the uncanny ability to transform simple words into powerful imagery of bullets pulling down the fortress of oppression erected by the members of the ruling class who are depicted as heartless predators.”

The Guest Writer Sessions have been created by the Abuja Writers’ Forum to improve interaction between writers and literary enthusiasts, and boost better publicity and distribution for writers’ works. It takes place on the last Saturday of the month by 4pm at the Pen and Pages Bookstore, 79 Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Wuse 2, Abuja and features side attractions of live music, performance poetry and art exhibition. The Okpanachi-Akpan double-header takes place on March 28, 2009.

Sage Has.son Presents 'Twinke Twinkle Superstar'

Nigeria’s spoken word performance poet, Sage Has.son launched his highly anticipated second album Twinkle Twinke Superstar at a listening party held at the Lydos Bar & Cafe, Victoria Island on the evening of Sunday, the 8th of March 2009.

The event kicked off with a soulful performance from Bez, which was followed by an adlib-filled rendition of Bob Marley’s ‘Turn Your Lights Down Low’ and an original piece composed and performed acapella by Pamela for Sage himself. The night continued in that fashion with artistes performing from a variety of genres such as soul, rock, Afro, hip hop and rap in between the listening and viewing of Sage’s work, both old and new.

Sex, love, relationships, rebellion, spirituality are all themes which Sage explores in his new album. If I had to choose a favourite track it would be the catchy radio-friendly ‘Dance’ which starts off with a sultry husky female voice repeating, ‘I will make you dance’, this is followed by a musical rap by Sage. Sage performed the remix of the song later in the night with Ade Piper. That’s not all that caught my attention; ‘Screw Poem’ is one title that I won’t forget. Others include ‘Shine (remix)’ ‘Hey Love’ and ‘Black Jesus’ just to mention a few. Kraft, Jesse Jagz, T.O.D., Joe Kenny and Mendo all worked on producing the album.

The event also featured performances from Sista Soul, Mode Nine, Nnenna, Toba Gold, Ayo, Femi Jubal and Itu Baba. The audience which was packed boasted of the likes of Obiwon, Djinee and Blaise. The night closed with announcement from Sage’s manager who said the cd would be available on the streets, in other words-Go ask your vendor and drive up the demand.

In all, the event was a success as evidenced in the large turnout and media presence from NTA’s camera crew to newspaper reporters from NEXT, this super star is shining all the way through!

POETRY POTTER...

The last edition of Poetry Potter has come and gone. This was my first edition and I had a swell time for many reasons. It was a bumper package: the Potter himself (Aderemi Adegbite) was a year older; there were so many interesting people on the guest list (Terry the Rapman, the three members of the REDSTRAT team); not forgetting the beautiful renditions of the spoken word. It was indeed a beautiful symphony of words, music and stories... a real Poetry Potter.

I arrived there a little beyond schedule thanks to leaving home late and Lagos traffic, however when I entered the hall, I knew that I had not missed so much because there were less than fifteen people seated and it was obvious that the invited guests were not yet around. So I sat down and enjoyed Cornerstone’s musical performance as he sang a reggae number. As if the guests knew I was around, they arrived in minutes one by one: Terry, Adewole Ajao (winner of the AMBO 4), and the Redstrat team.

Next performance was Lanre Ari-Ajia’s poetry rendition about two things: a beautiful woman and Obama. The beauty of his poetry lies in his native Yoruba tongue and his ability to play on words through the use of pun or as the Yorubas say “oro ase”. He later rendered them in English for the non-Yoruba in the crowd to enjoy, which revealed the obvious effort to make the words rhyme. Both poems got the crowd cheering particularly the rendition in Yoruba.

Terry the Rapman was upstage next as he was locked in an interview session with the MCs. The questions bothered on his humble background in Kaduna; his musical influences; his first album called “I am Nigerian” which sounded like Eminem’s song rhythmically; the evolution, revolution and business of rap music in Nigeria, among other things. For me through this session, he showed that there is hope for qualitative music in Nigeria and that you don’t have to “belong” by being a part of the current trend of singing “jargons” that sounded alike.

Chude Jideonwu, Emilia Asimuta and Adebola Williams, the brains behind the Future awards soon took the stage. The MCs questioned again: their untold story that led to the FUTURE glory (days of pasting posters themselves, sweeping, carrying the red carpet, etc.); progress report; the significance of people to them; the dynamic nature of their challenges as the years progress. The one lesson that I picked from them was that challenges would always come and the “challenged” has to decide to use it positively because work has to get done and most times it is by you.

Next was a “musical relief” that came through a performance by Ayo, a female guitarist and singer. The title of her song was “Freedom”, and one could feel freedom around as she strummed the strings of the guitar and sang with a slightly masculine voice. She is a star to watch out for (take that from me!).

There was the last interview session with all the invited guests as they responded intelligently to questions from the audience. Whats next for them? Terry closed the session saying that he was working on a 2-in-1 album and videos; his guiding philosophy is to live life as if death was due tomorrow and plan as if he has forever to live.

There was an open mic session to round off the day; key among the performers were Brainstorm, Uche Uwadinachi, Nonnie, Jubril, Segun Eluyemi with his magical nose (Sege Black) with each of them bringing their uniqueness to each performance.

How else could I start my weekend? What else can I say?

Long live Kowry Kreations...
Long live Poetry Potter...
Long live creativity in Nigeria...