An Apology to Wole Soyinka by Okey Ndibe

Witty, critical piece...and more critical. Find it here.

"In the 1960s, the political parties still understood the meaning of party manifestoes and programs. On the stump, candidates for political offices could be expected to speak not about their programs but also to articulate the nature of ideological differences between themselves and their opponents. Today, any ignoramus can run for office. Manifesto is a word now used exclusively by mugus who don’t understand that the import of political office is to cart away millions in security votes, fraudulent contracts, constituency allowances, and sundry bribes.

Nigeria’s political rhetoric has been distilled – dumbed down – to two or three facile phrases, easily digested by even the most ignorant candidates. The standard, pat answer to the question, “Why are you running for office?” is: “To move the nation (or state, or local government) forward,” or “To deliver the dividends of democracy,” or “My people asked me to run.”

20 Seconds Read: Wisdom from Paulo Coehlo

Okay, I visit Paulo Coehlo's website a lot...although I am yet to lay my hands on any of his works, I find most of the posts very interesting. Here's one that moved me a lot...20 Seconds Read by Paulo Coehlo. Enjoy!

A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked: ‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’ His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson: I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’

Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special. ‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’

‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’

‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’

‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.

‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’

‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’

‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action. 

As I make this post and read the story again, I discover newer things. This would definitely be printed and stay on my "notes wall" for a long time. Read more Coehlo here. 

Aesthetica Creative Works Contest

Now in its third year, the Creative Works Competition is dedicated to celebrating and championing creative talent across three disciplines: 'Artwork & Photography', 'Poetry' and 'Fiction'.

Three winners, one from each category, will each receive £500 prize money and the winners and finalists will be published in the Creative Works Annual. Other prizes will also be available.

More info here.

Deadline: August 31, 2010

Literature Training Resources

As writers, one way of getting better is learning from other people. Literature Training is one website that has loads of literature resources you would never get tired of learning from.

Check out their resources here.

Happy learning!

Culture of Enterprise Essay Contest

Questions: “Can Character and Communities Survive in an Age of Globalization?”

The Culture of Enterprise Project annually sponsors an international student essay contest on the topic "Can Character and Communities Survive in an Age of Globalization?" The contest is designed to encourage students to reflect on the relationship between free enterprise and the institutions and mores that define a particular culture.

First Place $10,000

Second Place $5,000

Third Place $2,000

Fourth Place $1,500

Fifth Place $1,000

Deadline: December 31, 2010

More information here.

One Poem for you...

Here's a Maya Angelou poem for men and women who read this blog. It's a lesson from life...a lesson to keep living; to maybe keep writing too ;) Enjoy!


Lesson

I keep on dying again.
Veins collapse, opening like the
Small fists of sleeping Children.
Memory of old tombs,
Rotting flesh and worms do
Not convince me against
The challenge. The years
And cold defeat live deep in
Lines along my face.
They dull my eyes, yet
I keep on dying,
Because I love to live.

Sentinel Literature Festival Poetry Competition 2010

First of a planned annual competition as part of the celebration of creativity at the Sentinel Literature Festival to be held at Pearson Lecture Theatre, University College London between October 28th and 31st. Winners of the competition will be invited to read on the last day of the festival - The Awards and Recognitions Day, where their cheques and certificates of achievement will be presented to them. This competition is judged by the legendary Roger Elkin, former editor of Envoi magazine, who has himself won over 100 literary prizes and awards.

Prizes: £250, £130, £70

Entry fees: £5 per poem, £13 for 3 poems, £20 for 5 poems

Judge: Roger Elkin

More info here. 

All the best!