Science and Writing: Any Links?

Two writers with medical science backgrounds, Sylva Nze Ifedigbo and Nwachukwu Egbunike, will be reading from their works at Patabah Bookshop on March 16, 2013.

The Writers
Sylva Nze Ifedigbo is a Doctor of Veterinary medicine, a writer and a Corporate Communications professional.  He is an award-winning essayist and author of the novella, “Whispering Aloud” and collection of short stories The Funeral Did Not End. Sylva’s Essays have appeared in The Punch, The Nation, 234Next, Nigeria Village Square, Nigeria Dialogue, amongst others. He manages a weekly column on Daily TimesNG.  He is also the features & Reviews Editor of Sentinel Nigeria and an Ambassador for the Coca-Cola ‘A Billion Reasons To Believe in Africa’ Campaign.

Nwachukwu Egbunike studied Medical Laboratory Sciences at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; and Communication and Language Arts in the University of Ibadan, respectively. His essays have been published in the Guardian, ThisDay,Vivantes Viva, Buisnessday, Evans School Supplement and the Nigerian Tribune respectively. Online, he has written for Fast Editions, Mercatornet, Nigeria Plus and Nigeria Village Square. Nwachukwu has been blogging in Feathers Project since 2006.  In 2011, he became an author with Global Voices. He is currently the Executive Editor of Feathers and Ink, Ibadan.

Their Works

Nze Sylva’s short story collection The Funeral Did Not End has been making waves since it was published  mid 2012. TFDNE is remarkable for having social commentary as a major theme and the skill of the author in depicting the largely ignored everyday life of the average Nigerian.

Nwachukwu Egbunike’s Dyed Thoughts is a collection of essays that mirror the author’s view on the state of the Nigerian society. Dyed Thoughts slices open the underbelly of a country in need of redemption and shows the hows , the whys and ultimately the why nots, which will serve as a guide for anyone pondering the way forward.

The Event

Date: Saturday March 16 2013

Venue: Patabah Bookshop, B18 Adeniran Ogunsanya (Shoprite) Shopping Mall, Ground Street, Surulere, Lagos

Time: 3-6PM

For more information contact: books@dadaenterprises.net, info@patabah.com

Favourite Five: Sylva Ifedigbo

Sylva Ifedigbo

Sylva Ifedigbo is an advocate of good governance and believes in the use of creative writing and Journalism in addressing Africa’s socio-political issues. He is a graduate of the University of Nigeria, and has written extensively both on and off line. He currently lives in Lagos. He tells us about his favourite five books.

I will start from the very beginning. Number 1 will be Akin Goes to School by Christie Ade Ajayi and Michael Crowder. It was in the league of Eze Goes to School and Chike and the River. The books that introduced me to literature and nurtured my childhood fantasies. There was something about Akin Goes to School though that made it stand out in my memory…can’t quite place it now.

Our Children Are Coming by Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike. Fantastic writer. The very best we’ve had in my opinion. This book stimulated my interest in Student activism and in writing stories with political themes.

Anthills of Savannah by Chinua Achebe. This book is Achebe’s best till date. I said so. Here Achebe did a deconstruction of military dictatorships, demonstrating how the fierce pursuit for personal interest comes at huge costs to friendships and the community in general. A good read any day.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie. I need not say much on this one. The whole world attests to the genius that is the work.

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. An account of the life of Holden Caulfield in the few days after being expelled from school. I hear the book has been banned many times by zealous parents and educators who cite the profanity, sex, alcohol abuse and prostitution but there is much more to the book which has seen it sell over 60million copies to date and translated to many languages. This rambling of a 17 year old is a must read for all.