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

RBC Adds a Colourful Feather to Mr. President's Cap

The last day in the month of January 2013 will remain special in the history of the Rainbow Book Club (RBC). On that beautiful Thursday morning, President Goodluck Jonathan was welcomed as an honorary member of the Rainbow Book Club. 

The occasion was the formal presentation of the book; Nigerian Literature: A Coat of Many Colours, to the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. The Founder of the RBC, in company of trustees and patrons paid a courtesy visit to the Nigerian President for the book presentation.

The book, a pictorial anthology of fifty Nigerian writers, is the first of its kind in Nigeria. Compiled by the founder of Rainbow Book Club, Mrs. Koko Kalango, the foreword to the book was written by the President. Nigerian Literature: A Coat of Many Colours features legendary writers including J P Clark, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Buchi Emecheta, Flora Nwapa, James Henshaw; and contemporary writers such as Chimamanda Adiche, Helon Habila and Kaine Agary.

In presenting the book, Mrs Kalango pointed out that it was an important national document that should be in every library in the country. She also said it would make an excellent gift from the President to his international guests. In addition she suggested that the book be placed in Nigerian embassies and foreign missions all over the world. She then went on to share with the President her plans to produce a revised edition of the book to feature hundred authors in commemoration of Nigeria’s centenary. 

While thanking Mr President for initiating the “Bring Back the Book” Project and the priority given to education in his 2013 budget, Mrs Kalango used the opportunity to intimate the President on the nomination of Port Harcourt by UNESCO as the World Book Capital City in 2014. The nomination was made possible by the bid submitted by the Rainbow Book Club. Ten other cities across the world, including Oxford  bidded. This is the first time a city in Sub- Saharan Africa will be holding the title in the fourteen years of nominations. “This nomination”, Mrs. Kalango pointed out, “is an honour to Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”

Through this investiture, Mr. President joins the list of honorary members of the Rainbow Book Club, which include Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Professor Wole Soyinka.

Channels Book Club: On PH as WBC

Channels Book Club, is an exciting journey into the world of publishers, readers, writers and all that connects with the literary world.

In this episode of Channels Bookclub, they peek into Koko Kalango's world. Koko Kalango is the brain behind the Rainbow Book Club, a frontrunner in Nigeria’s World Book Capital's successful bid, which will hold in the city of Port Harcourt in 2014.

Watch the video here

Sefi Atta's Play at Terra

Lufodo Productions held London to a stand still at the 30 Nigeria House, Theatre Royal Stratford East London, with three plays which included Sefi Atta’s The Naming Ceremony. The play featured the likes of Olu Jacobs, Joke Silva and Bimbo Akintola.

For those who missed the excitement at the Nigeria House London Olympics 2012, the play will be brought to you in March 2013. Though coming with a different cast, the play promises to be worth the wait.

Synopsis:

On the day of her first child’s naming ceremony, Tola is faced with the challenges of juggling her family relationships with caring for her daughter. The story of wit and wills shows how she handles the mounting pressure as a mother, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law and friend.

Details:

A LAPA Production (Run by Joke Silva and Olu Jacobs )

- Every Sunday in March

- At Terra Kulture

- 3pm and 6pm

- Tickets N2,500

Please call 07069771347 for more details.

- Discount: 15% off on first 50 tickets

Artmosphere in March

What does fiction, fictiveness and literature hope to achieve in the social, political and cultural landscape of a nation? This will be the crux of our discourse in this edition. There will also be poetry, spoken word and music presentations from a long list of emerging voices.

Conversations will play host a crème of writers: 

Victor Ehikhamenor, visual artist, creative communicator and author of Excuse Me. 

Emmanuel Iduma, literary and technology radical and author of Farad.

Emmanuel Uweru Okoh, author of celebrated debut poetry collection, Gardens and Caves.

Kayode Taiwo Olla, author of debut novel, Sprouting Again

The March edition of Artmosphere tagged “Conversations” holds on Saturday, March 16, 2013.

Venue: NuStreams Conference and Culture Centre, KM 110 Abeokuta road, off Alalubosa G.R.A., Ibadan.

Time: 3pm to 6pm

.

Favourite Five: Abimbola Dare

Abimbola Dare started writing on her blog, in 2006. In 2010 she released her first novel, The Small Print, a self-published Christian novel.  She published her first short story "The No-Nonsense Wife in 2012. A writer of Christian fiction, Abimbola’s passion lies in telling stories that draw people to the nature of Jesus, in a simple way. Her novel, The Small Print has been featured in leading newspapers in Nigeria. Award winning author Dr Wale Okediran described Abimbola Dare as an author with “a gripping, lucid style of writing, with an ability to make words playful, witty and full of memorable imagery against an awesome religious tapestry.” Abimbola is married with a daughter. She is currently working on her next novel.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I still cannot believe that I missed the hype about The Help when it was still fresh. Even though it started a bit slow for me, I quickly found myself trapped in its pages. The author did a fantastic job. I fell in love with each character’s voice, and still marvel at how well she was able to build each character to near perfection. What nailed it for me was Kathryn Stockett’s unique ability to change from third person POV (past tense) to first person POV (present tense). I read her book, picked up my laptop and penned the “no-nonsense wife”- my first ever short story… you guessed it! Written in first person. I just had to!

The Mark of The Lion Series by Francine Rivers

Francine Rivers is an author I love and admire. She writes as though it were the easiest thing in the world. The Mark of the Lion Series was an amazing read. A Voice in the Wind (1993) is the first novel in Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion Series.  When a novel is able to get me to pause and pray… then the author has done a brilliant job. An Echo in the Darkness and As Sure as Dawn are the other two books in the series. Both brilliantly written and worthy of commendation.

Waiting for Morning by Karen Kingsbury

Anyone who reads Christian fiction will be familiar with Karen Kingsbury. She is one author who has managed to win the hearts of many with her tear-jerking stories and unique ability to tell powerful stories of love and faith. It wasn’t the quality of writing that got me for this novel, it was the emotion displayed by each character, especially Hannah Ryan who in her grief, shut out God from her life... and completely stopped believing a God she had once trusted. This is one book that will stay with me for many years to come.

Tell No One by  Harlan Coben

Of all the authors of page-turning suspense novels; no one makes me turn pages faster than Harlan Corben. If you love reading crime fiction or just a good crazy story with loads of twists and good humour, Harlan Coben is a must. Tell No One had my heart racing till the end. His best book till date.

Deceit by Brandillyn Collins

Another Christian fiction author but with a crazy amount of suspense. I loved Deceit because it was totally unpredictable. I finished the book and thought.. hang on.. what the heck just happened? *in a good way*

Winners Announced: Splendid Literature & Culture Foundation Series

The Splendid Literature & Culture Foundation (SLCF) made the first Call for Entries into the SLCF Writers’ Series in 2012 with the ultimate aim of encouraging young Nigerian writers (based in Nigeria) of imaginative children’s literature to produce stories that will entertain, enlighten and appeal to children, as well as encourage them to think in novel ways. Entries were received from all over Nigeria.

Kings' College Students at the event

At the Foundation’s official public presentation, which recently held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, the 2012 winners of the SLCF Writers’ Series were announced. The Chair of the occasion was the Deputy Governor of Osun State, Otunba Mrs Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, ably represented by Dr. Ayodele Owoade, who during his speech emphasized the importance of encouraging creativity in Nigerian writers. 

Dr. Ayodele Owoade

While speaking, the Founder, Mrs Mobolaji Adenubi, renowned Nigerian veteran educationist, administrator and writer, gave a breakdown of the Foundation’s activities in 2012 and also foregrounded the importance of encouraging young writers.

Mrs Mobolaji Adenubi

Speaking on behalf of other judges at the formal presentation of the Splendid Literature & Culture, Ms. Sola Alamutu said arriving at the winning entries wasn’t an easy task, especially because of the high quality of entries received. “The Call for Entries into the Splendid Literature & Culture Foundation Series debuted in 2012, so, we expect that more schools will participate in the future. Of all the entries received, some just couldn’t pass at all because they didn’t meet the criteria set when the call for entries was announced. Stories that were not written, bearing in mind children readers were automatically disqualified”, Alamutu said. 

Four winners have emerged for the 2012 Splendid Literature & Culture Foundation Series Competition, and they are Chimee Adioha, Ihejirika U. Charles, Ononye Odinaka Emmanuella, and Nnani Tochukwu. The winning stories will be published in an anthology; the authors will have public presentations of their works, with readings, book signings and tours arranged for them; they will also be entitled to royalty. 

The judges of the 2012 competition were Mr. Toyin Akinosho, Secretary General of the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) and 2011 CNN Winner of the African Journalist of the Year; Mr. Dagga Tolla, poet and musician; and Ms. Sola Alamutu, Winner of the ANA/Atiku Abubakar Prize for Children Literature in 2004. 

A Cross-section of the students

Splendid Literature & Culture Foundation ensures that books written by young writers for children readers satisfy parents who continue to buy books for their children, and the children who read them. The Foundation also has a sub-project which is to run English Language and writing workshops for students in public schools in the long holidays at centres designated by each state.