Book Moves

Whilst Wordsbody was sleeping, the world of books has rolled on, as it should. Here are just a few happenings we've been unduly silent on...

Jude Dibia went down south for the launch of the South African edition of his second novel, Unbridled, published by Jacana. The Pretoria News said of the author: “He is lively, interesting and willing to have a laugh at himself... [a] talented young Nigerian voice.” The judges and organisers of the richest literary prize in Nigeria seem to be in agreement, and Dibia is one of two shortlisted authors (alongside Kaine Agary, author of ‘Yellow Yellow’) contending for this year’s NLNG Prize, worth $50,000. Read Lauri Kubuitsile’s review of Unbridled – here. The winner of the NLNG Prize 2008 is announced at the Muson Centre, Lagos, on October 11.

Meanwhile, Uche Peter Umez, winner of this year’s BSU Creative Writing Competition, went on to participate in the Iowa International Writers’ Program.

Women Writing Zimbabwe, a new anthology edited by Irene Staunton, came out, with contributions by the some of the most vibrant females writing out of Zim today, including: Blessing Musariri and Wadzanai Mhute. In there also is Petina Gappah who has been making transatlantic publishing waves with international deals for her forthcoming books – yes, not one but two – An Elegy for Easterly (a collection of short stories) and a novel, The Book of Memory (lovely title). Read all about it on the author’s blog.

In the Women Writing Zimbabwe anthology is a writer who straddles straddles Zim and Nigeria and other places/heritages besides. Her name is Sarah Ladipo Manyika, and she’s going to be making waves of her own. Her novel, In Dependence, is published this month by the UK’s Legend Press. An Anglo-Nigerian tale by an Anglo-Nigerian writer, In Dependence will be published later in a West African edition by Cassava Republic.

We hope to stay awake as books move on...

• Sarah Ladipo Manyika's image © Robert Birnbach

Umez, AWF & the BSU

Uche Peter Umez, the first guest writer to grace the Abuja Writer’ Forum’s newly instituted monthly readings, has won this year’s BSU Creative Writing Competition, judged by Caine Winner Segun Afolabi. Umez won for his short story, ‘The Outsider’. He wins a cash prize of £200 and a £2000 scholarship to study Creative Writing at Bath Spa University (BSU). Runner-up was Ovo Adagha who wins £75 for his short story, ‘Homeless’.

Uche Peter Umez and Ovo Adagha are both writers with whom this blogger has worked collaboratively before. More recently in Adagha’s case, and we continue to work together on the ambitious ‘One World Anthology’ which he initiated, bringing together a diverse group of writers across continents for the project; and the good news is we have now been snapped up by wonderful publishers in the UK, with a Nigerian publisher in the works.

Owerri-based Uche Peter Umez came to the monthly reading while the Abuja Writers' Forum (AWF) was still under a month old. What a way to start. The blogger was not there, but you can take her word for it. There was music (courtesy of singer/songwriter Bem Sar), a visual arts segment (thanks to artist Muyiwa Akinwolere), and performance poetry by Dekmankind. All this was on 21st June and the event took place in a mini-hall at Pen & Pages Bookshop in Abuja.

Introducing the guest writer, founder of the AWF, Emman Usman Shehu, said the AWF’s Guest Writer sessions would aid better interaction between writers and literary enthusiasts, and would help provide better publicity and distribution for literary works. In short: getting writers and their readers together, and getting the books into the said readers’ hands, in a place like Nigeria where much effort is needed still to reenergise the flagging reading culture.

Umez, a finalist in the 2007 NLNG Prize for Literature, is the author of a collection of poems, ‘Dark Through The Delta’ and a collection of short stories, ‘Tears in Her Eyes’. He began his reading with the short story, ‘Smouldered’ for which he was Highly Commended in the 2006 Commonwealth Short Story Competition. Other stories from ‘Tears in Her Eyes’ followed.

Other Monthly Readings showcasing up-and-coming writers will follow from the AWF, which also holds weekly reading & critique sessions. The group is also organising literary contests and is due to launch a literary journal, Cavalcade, soon.

• Images courtesy of the AWF.