The Words Finesse

National and fifteen states ANA Executive Council members trouped to the capital of the State of Harmony recently for the first ANA/Yusuf Ali Literary Awareness Campaign’s Capacity Building Workshop.

He reads in minutes;
You read in hours.
He misses lot of classes;
You attend all classes.
Yet, he passes more than you,
'Cause it's your nature.

The struggle of the barren land 

To become like alluvial soil,
Is treated by the generous cloud
With repugnance and recoil.

The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) will on Friday, 20th of April 2018 hold her first ever literary awareness capacity building workshop in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara state.

The Awele Creative Trust (ACT) has announced a six-name shortlist for the ACT Award 2017, following a four-month period of deliberation. Now in its fourth year, the N50,000 Awele Creative Trust Award is an annual short story prize conceived to encourage aspiring writers in Nigeria.

The shortlisted stories are:

•“The Goat Thief,” by Famous Ogbewe

•“With What Mouth Does One Tell This Kind of Story,” by Olakunle Ologunro

•“The Return,” by Imade Iyamu Oduduwa

•“This is How You Lose Your Mind,” by Tochukwu Okafor

•“Solving for X,”  by Dami Lare

•“Theatre of Tattered Things,” by Adams Adeosun

First awarded in January 2015 to Caleb Adebayo, the award has been judged by names like Justine Labalestier, Brian Chikwava, Toni Kan Onwordi, Madeleine Thien, Joe Dunthorne, Chibundu Onuzo, Vamba Sherif and Monica Arac d’Nyeko.

According to the organisation’s press statement, the shortlisted writers have “embraced the freedom that the  short fiction form offers to experiment, to be innovative, to mix old myths with new ones. Their stories are bold, touching and entertaining. Born between 1993 and 1998, these writers assure us that the future of writing is in good hands with Nigeria’s youth.”

Awele Creative Trust was set up in 2014 by award winning writer, Chika Unigwe, who is also its creative director. Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, Prof. Femi Osofisan, Kanene Dieobi and Ichie Nnaeto Orazulike are the other board members of the non-profit organisation.