tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-169682462012-01-27T11:10:02.361-08:00writing. filmmaking. fashion. music.The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-7534810616068668502010-10-19T05:28:00.000-07:002010-10-19T06:04:52.569-07:00

/jono1.jpg">/jono.jpg">It’s mid-day on Saturday 16 October, 2010. We are at Lifehouse, a cozy artsy joint on 33 Sinari Daranijo Street, off Younis Bashorun, off Ajose Adeogun. In few minutes, 20 year-old designer and Creative Director of Onyx & Pearls, Adebayo Oke-Lawal will be styling 19 year-old singer, Jon Ogah in some of their colourful outfits and designs, which recently have been widely

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-90075246569372632232010-09-23T02:08:00.000-07:002010-09-23T02:14:35.425-07:00

As soon as I saw his designs, I labeled him, ‘the LaQuan Smith of Nigeria.’ No matter how lame the comparison sounds, because, oh yes, he hasn’t dressed Rihanna or any top celebrity; Chukwuka Hillary Okeke’s designs are becoming staple for Nigerian students on Nigerian university campuses. Born in Enugu, bred in Lagos, but originally from Anambra, he speaks Yoruba (like mostIgbo kids do) and is

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-4811990168234548922010-09-16T08:59:00.000-07:002010-09-16T09:05:07.281-07:00

I've been away. I'm back to blogging.I've been sick, too. Bronchitis they call it. My nostrils are blocked and I barely breath. Religious people have suggested that maybe god is angry with me. Well, these are from Facebookers and I have deleted them. I don't care, really. Not like people who believe in god don't get sick, huh?No matter how sick I am, I don't stop working. At the moment, I'm

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-69068737051429380282010-05-25T12:52:00.000-07:002010-05-25T13:00:54.838-07:00

I travelled down to Nigeria from Delhi to attend the 2010 AMAA Awards. I got tickets and went for the glamorous event. I was not disappointed. Even as the event started late, I was impressed by the organisation of the event. More support should be given to the organisers and I also believe that such Jury should be sustained. They were, in my opinion, very fair.The Figurine, directed by Kune

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-7596858171648707742010-05-10T08:24:00.000-07:002010-05-10T08:31:11.302-07:00

I was invited to speak at City University in Hong Kong and participate at The Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival last March. I couldn't stop jubilating when I got the information that I would read at St. John's Cathedral along with South African writer, Andre Brink who has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize more than once. That night, I kept staring at the screen of my computer,

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-89528030349911340942010-04-04T11:38:00.000-07:002010-04-04T11:48:36.962-07:00

I'm back in Nigeria and I've been horrendously busy, writing and trying to fix my life before I travel again.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-90839155258892341542010-03-10T02:10:00.000-08:002010-03-10T02:12:41.127-08:00

I'm off to Hong Kong for the The Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival, where I will be reading alongside Andre Brink, Jason Hill and Jason Lee on the 14th, Sunday.I had difficulty getting the visa, but it turned out well.Here is a link: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_print.asp?art_id=95577&sid=27348454Will update from there.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-66532462665570366272010-03-03T23:15:00.000-08:002010-03-03T23:18:30.651-08:00

The Samit Basu and China Mievelle's event yesterday at Full Circle, GK-1 was a bomb. There was not a big audience, but it was some fun. China has a very good sense of humour. Samit too.After that, I hung out at Defence Colony with Maya and the Guptara Twins, which was interesting too.Today, I should be going to the British Council, for a comic event.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-30380931284790696612010-03-02T19:53:00.000-08:002010-03-02T19:57:41.424-08:00

Yesternight I had the opportunity of hanging out with writer, Dave Besseling and some colleagues at Foreign Correspondent's Club on Mathura Road, just opposite Gate 7 of Pragati Maidan. It's not all the time that you get to meet such lovely and lively writer. We had real discussion on writing and whatnot. And what struck me more was his take on Fela Kuti. Could I write on him? Well, no. Fela? No.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-68406779777936745142010-02-16T19:33:00.000-08:002010-02-16T19:42:22.586-08:00

Delhi has been great.But a lot of Delhiites are becoming too bold with their hostility towards black people. It is glaring these days. But I don't blame anyone. Last few days have been reports in the newspapers about Nigerians and their involvement in scams and whatnot. I do find it appalling that nothing positive is ever reported about Nigeria in the Indian media at all. I will not blame the

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-59987820086257971532010-02-14T13:53:00.000-08:002010-02-14T14:07:05.405-08:00

Our country is a funny country, full of hypocrites and caricaturists. Sometimes I don't get it at all. Sometimes I feel like shredding off my identity as a Nigerian. Sometimes I wonder if this could be called ignorance. Sometimes I feel taht we are brainless.That a man has Swastika sign on his property, his gate, is now a concern to people who live on the same street as he! Bloody hypocrites! I

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-30552367332398250602010-02-11T08:56:00.000-08:002010-02-11T09:10:09.064-08:00

Finally, the Future Award 2010 came and went. My friend, Adekunle Samuel Owolabi emerged winner in my category. He is a film-maker and web-designer based in South Africa. I'm very sick now. I can barely breathe. And I feel very dizzy these days.The scriptwriting training is taking a new shape, anyway.Let's see what happens next.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-35508766824802786742010-02-03T04:50:00.000-08:002010-02-03T04:53:57.583-08:00

I've been doing a lot of house hunting. I got one, although very expensive, compared to my kind of writer. Ha, ha. But all is good.I will be residing in Delhi here for now.And I will be writing in Delhi all the time.The house has a good terrace, so I go there in the morning and have some chai, look at the weather and write when I want to, then read when I want to and live a simple life.It feels

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-85974937357173033262010-01-31T09:00:00.000-08:002010-01-31T09:15:51.316-08:00

Today is my birthday and I'm in India. I had earlier thought it was going to be a boring one. I had gone to bed late, after replying to messages on Facebook and returned to my hotel room, till calls started coming in and a lot of SMSes. Later in the evening, I called up a friend from Mozambique and agreed on hanging out at Saket, which turned out to be so exciting. He came with his two friends.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-22426837539619335112010-01-27T15:32:00.001-08:002010-01-27T15:38:29.691-08:00

Guys, I had some lovely three days at the Jaipur Literature Festival. If Tina Brown describes it as the 'greatest literary show on earth', she is right. I had the opportunity of 'hanging out' and interviewing Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka.I'm so grateful to Mita Kapur of Siyahi, for everything.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-40356394134807864442010-01-23T08:49:00.000-08:002010-01-23T09:19:57.579-08:00

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-40565776588332386302010-01-21T15:12:00.000-08:002010-01-21T15:19:28.916-08:00

Guys, after much and much, I took off from Lagos for the Jaipur Literature Festival. I'm currently updating from Doha, Qatar, where we've made a stop-over. We were supposed to be here for some few hours and then head for Delhi. But the airline said the weather in Delhi is so bad that we have to stay here for so long and then, that means, I will get to Jaipur late, having already thought that I

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-56652375159341529732010-01-13T10:09:00.000-08:002010-01-13T10:24:28.135-08:00

It's an exciting year for me, I think - 2010. I was at the Indian embassy to get my travel documents that will enable me stay in India as long as I want this time around, after the Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka had left the Consulate..Oh, yes, Soyinka would be at Jaipur too and I'm glad to declare myself as his sidekick while there, incase I get the opportunity to reach Jaipur before he leaves.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-6820295803791087402010-01-10T10:44:00.000-08:002010-01-10T10:48:54.086-08:00

On the 19th of December, 2009, The Abyssinian Boy won the 2009 TM ALUKO Prize for First Book at the Abuja Writers' Forum Literary Festival and also won the second prize of the Ibrahim Tahir Prize for Fiction.I will be attending the Jaipur Literature Festival this year, taking place in India from the 21 - 25 and my publisher will be going too.While in India, I will undergo an eye surgery, for I

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-53273673458189944562009-12-19T06:27:00.001-08:002009-12-19T06:32:37.260-08:00

I was invited to speak by the English Language Department of Nnamdi Azikiwe University recently and here is part of what I prepared for the students.On: Storytelling/Storyshowing, Characterisation, Plot, Language and ThemeIntroduction:Writing is a thing of the mind. When a writer picks up his pen to write, the first question he should ask himself is this: what will be the essence of what is to be

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-21151462549571653222009-12-15T10:09:00.000-08:002009-12-15T10:15:12.445-08:00

This year has been incredibly great in many ways, even though I've been having my downs. A week or so ago, I got a phone call that I had been nominated in the Creative Artist of the Year category for the Future Awards 2010. You can vote for me at www.thefuturenigeria.com/vote.Or SMS TFA (space) ONYEKA NWELUE to 33120.While the buzz is on, my book has been shortlisted for two awards, endowed by

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-81806988407998406162009-11-28T02:45:00.000-08:002009-11-28T02:48:40.378-08:00

You need to have heard Chude Jideonwo say something like, his greatest fear, or enemy, is poverty, long ago, at an event organised by Kowry Kreations Media, tagged: "Poetry Potter". He said it as though poverty was a big politician ordering the arrest of his opponents in a tiny town. How horrible he would look. No gimmicks meant, but the truth is that anyone who doesn't know Chude Jideonwo until

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-66668198649038927332009-10-20T12:58:00.000-07:002009-10-20T13:08:36.750-07:00

Literature is a very hard form of art. It is that form that needs a lot of thinking, a lot of patience. Whatever style a writer chooses to write, the reader comes into the foci of discourse. Literature is like tea; you know which one tastes better, because all kinds of tea exist under the sun and the drinker is allowed to like and dislike either Assam or Chinese tea, even though both of them may

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-83344953917528177722009-10-19T10:15:00.000-07:002009-10-19T10:42:39.193-07:00

Poetry is a private thing. It's the channel through which personal issues are raised and delineated. Now, that is no different from Neelanjana Shakya's Netted Shadows, a collection of poems that are finely knitted and beautifully published. And yes, it is not all the time that you get to read a poem by a teenager and feel that wisdom is being passed from the 'young' to the 'old'. However,

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-13715640862110888242009-10-16T10:30:00.000-07:002009-10-16T11:04:02.952-07:00

I travelled to India in August under three different invitations. First one was from Manali Shah, a soft-spoken beautiful and sweet woman based in Delhi, who was in Lagos working with a non-governmental organisation and had read my book before it was presented to the public. At the book launch, she confessed how she recognised all the places I'd described.Second invitation was from one of India's

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-3871386665416700412009-10-13T03:54:00.000-07:002009-10-13T04:00:26.085-07:00

I travelled down to my village to continue research on my second novel. It's been over 8 months I visited there and a lot of things have changed. Not for the better any way. People's lives are at risk there now. You walk the night with fear, thinking someone is in the bush nearby waiting to gun you down. A lot of stuff have happened and this has actually instilled so much dread in people.The book

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-4245541252208697492009-09-28T13:07:00.000-07:002009-09-28T13:31:19.090-07:00

I'm on the fifth chapter of my second book and it's moving pretty fine. I have been reading a lot these days and yes, I have not been travelling much. I'm stuck in Lagos these days and the noisy city is not helping matter. But I'm trying so hard to write under its heavy weight.Tomorrow, I will be meeting Lasse Lau, the Danish film-maker who, by nature's sake, will make the movie of The Abyssinian

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-11942562496613514622009-09-28T13:05:00.000-07:002009-09-28T13:06:29.352-07:00

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-25302060384759670162009-09-08T04:30:00.000-07:002009-09-08T04:34:29.035-07:00

Having finished reading Rana Dasgupta's Solo, I couldn't really get why it didn't make the longlist of the Booker. However, the criteria with which the prize is judged is unknown to people like me, so I think I should go for what bothers me.The shortlist of the Booker is out and I'm happy that Byatt is ontop. The Children's Book by A S Byatt (Random House, Chatto and Windus)Summertime by J M

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-77405320744523209762009-09-06T11:28:00.002-07:002009-09-08T04:52:37.116-07:00

Finally, I'm back to Nigeria, after having so much fun in India, promoting my book.Now, I'm back, a little bit down with sickness and swapped with a certain level of depression, although this depression doesn't let me write anything.Since my book came out, I've not been able to write anything. It's been travels and readings. And with my funny Toshiba laptop crashed, nothing has been working

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-25467824554256414492009-09-06T10:44:00.000-07:002009-09-06T11:25:04.047-07:00

Got my electronic copy of Saraba Magazine, published by students at the University of Ife. It's packed with loads of interesting stuff and you really can't afford to miss it. No much talk, just check them out at Saraba Magazine. .

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-69341449780513134812009-08-18T23:46:00.000-07:002009-08-18T23:49:51.319-07:00

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-26025392229590381182009-08-18T09:03:00.000-07:002009-08-18T10:05:29.539-07:00

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-49759080909355303342009-08-14T11:08:00.000-07:002009-08-14T11:52:39.969-07:00

The past few months have been exciting for me as an emerging writer in Nigeria. So many reviews have followed the release of The Abyssinian Boy. So many interviews published. All of them promoting my book. Then the good news!Lasse Lau, a Danish film-maker, based in Brussels, Belgium has indicated interest to make a movie out of the book.Lasse and myself met at The World is Flat exhibition,

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-21793557112853540402009-08-13T08:06:00.000-07:002009-08-13T08:30:29.263-07:00

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-64469553739588008592009-08-03T03:35:00.000-07:002009-08-03T03:37:29.315-07:00

With the first CORA Hip Hop Conference gone, I will like to use the opportunity to reflect on the music that inspired my novel, The Abyssinian Boy. At the National Theatre, Iganmu, on the 26th of July, 2009, I listened with rapt attention to every speaker’s opinion. Speakers who troubled my consciousness were arts critic, Ropo Ewenla, visual artist, Chinwe Uwashe and afrobeat act, Edaoto. A lot

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-26313799766488814162009-07-17T11:32:00.000-07:002009-07-17T11:37:32.727-07:00

It's funny how nature changes. Now, I could walk into the Indian High Commission in full glare, largely recognised at and smiled at by the security. Awesome! And even addressed as 'sir', even though it is appalling. Just today, I was at the Indian embassy to pick my passport and I realised I have been given a 'special endorsement', my visa to expire next year. And I can safely walk round the

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-52837980951026952212009-07-13T03:19:00.000-07:002009-07-13T04:01:56.074-07:00

I was at the Indian Language School, Ilupeju on Friday, 10th with Jude Dibia, to talk about writing and reading. Some structured questions were thrown at me and I'm presenting them here this way. This is my opinion, and please, don't think I'm teaching anyone how to write, basically. But just the way I approach writing.------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-68683748699518033052009-07-10T07:30:00.000-07:002009-07-10T08:00:44.751-07:00

I arrived the Indian Language School in Lagos today almost two hours late to the event, which I had been invited to. This is because I missed my 7.15 flight from Abuja where I had gone to read from my book, "The Abyssinian Boy" at the Yar'Adua Centre, which one of the attendants, an Israeli woman, described as 'so beautiful and fantastic'. The Abuja event had a small scale of attendance, but it

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-51179940997959126652009-07-07T10:49:00.000-07:002009-07-07T11:09:35.517-07:00

It's ok that Michael Jackson is dead. It's ok that we have killed him. It's ok that we are burying him today. It's ok that some of us here in Nigeria are laughing and saying, 'He died long ago. A man who changed his identity is dead.' It's ok that we are heartless to a point. It's ok that an Igbo adage says that when a neighbour's corpse is carried past you, you feel it's a log of wood, till

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-3682275238427994712009-07-06T02:43:00.000-07:002009-07-06T02:56:01.775-07:00

Yesterday was Sunday.I woke up with two books on my bed: David Eddie's David Henry's story, Chump Change and Manju Kapur's The Immigrant, half-read and waiting to be completed. It's not that I take this long to finish a novel, the truth is that I can't concentrate in a city like Lagos. I'm not the only reader here in this big and wide city; so many people have been living (and reading) here

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-42858543527063698292009-07-03T05:03:00.000-07:002009-07-03T05:24:15.882-07:00

I'm posting this from TerraKulture. Just came in from Ijebu Ode, where I had gone, to find peace and read Manju Kapur's The Immigrant, which my editor gave me recently. It's not funny, but the truth is that once I'm in Lagos, the noise in the city doesn't allow me to do anything. Now, I thought of what to do, since I had no money, no time to return to my peaceful Owerri or village to read and

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-79175802438460654212009-07-02T13:30:00.000-07:002009-07-02T13:52:57.119-07:00

On the 24th of June, I was at the REDSTRAT's Red Reception for writer, Tolu Ogunlesi where I met Denrele Edun. That was not the first time we were meeting. But this time we had time to talk and he actually interviewed me for his SoundCity Show; just a little chat over music, movie and fashion. But it's just a clip, I know. But then, before the kid came into the hall, everyone was quiet and Chude

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com199tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-29321390548025528142009-06-29T11:57:00.000-07:002009-06-29T12:22:16.031-07:00

The past months have been hectic and also boring for me. A lot to do and stuff. I have not had the zeal to put down anything on paper. Nothing, no inspiration was coming. My manic-depression definitely took over, still I couldn't do any atom of writing, because I feel I write better when I'm depressed, hungry and angry. I battled to even write something and when I go back to them, I realised they

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-77158302205894944762009-06-26T11:23:00.000-07:002009-06-26T11:52:07.304-07:00

Dr. Reuben Abati didn't goof. He was complete when he wrote his piece in the Guardian. He's a fine writer. One of the most successful journalists in Nigeria. And his points are valid. The issues he has raised are valid, I must tell you. He has handled them well, from his own perspective. There are no two ways about it. I think he understands himself well enough.I'm in defense of Dr. Reuben Abati,

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-47092125386184524692009-06-21T05:55:00.000-07:002009-06-21T06:14:13.535-07:00

I've long started working on my second novel. Last two weeks, I sent the first chapter out to my editor and she responded positively with some brilliant notes and suggestions. Even though she feels that the style is unique, I feel the story is no more flowing. I have a deadline to beat and I want the story to flow ceaselessly. I want to finish it before...I just want the story to take itself up

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-68087107492910535762009-06-19T23:58:00.000-07:002009-06-20T01:11:33.431-07:00

This is not really a review. This is one book has grabbed the attention of the world. Everyone is talking about. Generally, it is a different book. People like the book and people like the author too, because he's jovial and accomodating. When you meet him at his readings, you will feel the pulse, the same you would feel reading the book. I do think I will have problem doing a proper review of

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-23448532932836023792009-06-18T10:27:00.001-07:002009-06-18T10:29:15.942-07:00

It was the 3rd leg of the ‘9 writers 4 cities’ tour; we headed to The Palms, the hub of opulent trading, exclusive dealings and modish association. I was animated, the Crown Troupe directed by the indefatigable Segun Adefila was going to be performing, the metrical Poet – Sage Hasson would also be live, and there’d be readings from all the writers plus lots of book sales, signing sessions and

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-35891323537152192112009-06-18T09:49:00.000-07:002009-06-18T09:58:16.953-07:00

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-3795236414739807432009-06-09T10:42:00.000-07:002009-06-09T10:48:38.688-07:00

This is a paper I presented at the Faculty of Arts, Kaduna State University on the 3rd June, 2009, under the invitation of the NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE CORPS (NYSC) and the Faculty of Arts.It was an excellent day, actually. First, I spoke to students from different schools at the Command Secondary School, Sabo. The event was lively in some parts. There were series of interview sessions with the

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-5485623061396745832009-05-10T09:36:00.001-07:002009-05-10T09:49:06.195-07:00

One of India's finest critics and poets, P.T Narendra Menon was in Nigeria recently and invited myself and Jumoke Verissimo to an extravagant south Indian lunch.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-87359526143996340272009-05-07T06:26:00.000-07:002009-05-07T06:59:38.729-07:00

Writing is actually becoming a hippie thing, thanks to my publisher, DADA Books, Toni Kan and Igoni Barret of Farafina. Last Saturday, at the African Artists' Foundation (AAF), on 54 Raymond Njoku Street, Ikoyi, Lagos, writers and readers alike met, to interact with the 9 authors on the 4-city book tour. Before I got to the venue of the event, I had it in mind to be there before Jude Dibia. But

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-85116534176011654942009-03-18T11:40:00.000-07:002009-03-18T11:48:33.483-07:00

Click on the image to enlarge.On Saturday, 21st of this March, I will be reading excerpts from my debut novel, The Abyssinian Boy at the Center for Contemporary Art on 9 McEwan Street, Sabo as part of the monthly exhibition of art works by international artists and part of the P.A.G.E.S event initiated by the Aderemi Adegbite-led Kowry Kreations Media.I would love to see you there if you are in

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-75392731249090095732009-03-15T09:48:00.001-07:002009-03-18T12:20:45.869-07:00

The piece I presented at Regent (British) School, Abuja appears today in the Guardian. Read it here: And then, these are the images Mr. Felix Obi produced from the event.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-42296117689582530952009-03-10T08:14:00.000-07:002009-03-10T08:26:17.991-07:00

These are the images from my reading at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, hosted by the Abuja Literary Society.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-21898638871009662832009-03-07T04:01:00.000-08:002009-03-07T09:41:15.408-08:00

Myself reading from "The Abyssinian Boy" at the Abuja Literary Society Guest Reading. (c) Jerry AdesewoI'm in Abuja now.On the 5th, I spoke to the secondary school students of Regent (British) School, Maitama. It was an interactive session with the students. Some of the girls were quite enthusiastic. Their teachers, mostly Britons, wanted me to talk about writing and the hurdles a writer has to

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-1314131324304527872009-02-14T12:52:00.000-08:002009-02-14T13:02:14.823-08:00

Myself at Poetry Potter on the 31st January, 2008. I clocked 21 on that day.Igoni Barrett's book is out again!

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-5991547357653463902009-02-11T12:05:00.000-08:002009-02-11T12:32:23.616-08:00

I've been having some real problems responding to comments on my blog.Now, I will be talking about my debut novel, which has already generated mixed reviews; Jude Dibia takes off the robe of friendship to show his honesty by saying that, 'The idea and ideology behind ‘The Abyssinian Boy’ is an ambitious one, however, the final product falls a little below expectation' in his review. This is what

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-3471394285133099402009-02-07T07:35:00.000-08:002009-02-07T08:10:47.498-08:00

This post is not just because of my travel. It's because of humanity and how inhumane we can be.Today, I travelled to Umuahia with my uncle, where we had gone to visit my cousin at her school. Life sucks at times, I concluded today when we passed through Timber Road and I saw two corpses sprawled by the roadsides at short distances from each other.Burnt. Dark. Smoke rising from them. Their legs

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-52224061395306207482009-02-02T01:12:00.000-08:002009-02-02T01:26:55.547-08:00

On Saturday, I attended Poetry Potter where Toni Kan, Yinka Davies and Sage Has.son were guest artistes. It was a fulfilling event and made me cringe, really. People should start supporting Kowry Kreations Media to be doing more of this.At the event, the presenters stampeded me, by bringing me onto the stage to 'talk about your book', in their own words. Outrightly, I didn't know what to say when

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-33483935155109588592009-01-30T11:42:00.000-08:002009-01-30T11:49:24.406-08:00

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-73094838613390377462009-01-27T06:49:00.000-08:002009-01-27T07:03:37.655-08:00

My name is Onyeka Nwelue. But I think the proper introduction should be: My name is Onyeka Nwelue, a newly published author, with his debut, The Abyssinian Boy, published this January by DADA Books and I’m 20, turning 21 on the 31st January. I just want to talk about somebody and something. Her name is Onyeka Onwenu. But I think and she will also think (because of my respect for her) that the

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-61713516040794449712009-01-24T10:40:00.000-08:002009-01-24T11:44:01.466-08:00

Today, I launched my book. That's all I have to say.But then, the kind of people who came surprised me a lot.Thanks to everyone who came and those who didn't.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-47651336867055525822009-01-20T12:18:00.000-08:002009-01-20T12:21:31.791-08:00

Today, while sitting in Jessica's Cuisines, Surulere, I watched the inauguration of Barack Obama as the US President.Today, we are seeing the first black man to become the president of the United States of America.Congratulations to Barack Obama!The farewell to George Bush was touching! I wish him all the best in life.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-91331259996389387742009-01-18T11:39:00.000-08:002009-01-19T01:08:11.772-08:00

It's been long I blogged.I came into Lagos last night.Today, I was in my publisher's house, where we chatted for long hours, over a bottle of Gulder beer (I was the one drinking).After that, I had to go to an aunt's house to let her know I'm in Lagos.After that, I returned to where I'm staying with a friend in Yaba, near the venue for my book launch at the National Library, Alagomeji, Yaba.The

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-19673489880770268412009-01-06T04:06:00.000-08:002009-01-06T04:21:46.134-08:00

On the 5th of January, a parcel arrived for me. The parcel was bundled copies of The Abyssinian Boy. On that same day, my mom clocked 51. On that same day, one of my uncles clocked 53. My mentor, Jude Dibia's birthday, was also on that same day!!!When the parcel came, my religious family said they were going to pray before opening it. They sang. They prayed. And then tore it open. They requested

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-30103204897117036792008-12-20T08:56:00.000-08:002008-12-20T09:14:20.850-08:00

Long time ago, I interviewed Tolu Ogunlesi, author of Listen to the Geckos Singing from the Balcony (Bewrite Books, 2004). Now, his new book, Conquest and Conviviality is out in the UK. He returned recently to Nigeria from Sweden, where he was the Nordic Guest Writer of 2008. I want you to revisit this interview...You seem to be lost in romantic journey when one grapples the title of your

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-41444114207526841892008-12-16T02:44:00.000-08:002008-12-16T02:54:34.530-08:00

On Saturday, I attended an uncle's wedding at Concorde Hotels, Owerri. My entire family were all there and I felt really good meeting up with my cousins. At the event, I got to the point of answering questions about my novel, The Abyssinian Boy.'What's happening?''When is it coming out?''I thought it should be out by now?'Well, I let the questions slip by unnoticed, not responding to that part,

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-90526330482513839622008-12-07T01:52:00.000-08:002008-12-09T03:41:32.539-08:00

Recently, I've been reading Abha Iyengar's works on the internet. Amongst them all, this one grapples me the most. Others are quite startling, even the poems."In Africa it works that way as well. A young Nigerian friend of mine thought that Indians were great because they were fair, fairer than blacks. He thought the white man was the greatest. He is also from a country which was ruled once by

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-62857838370759066012008-12-03T00:05:00.000-08:002008-12-03T00:37:40.763-08:00

Jumoke Verissimo, author of I am Memory (DADA Books, 2008), has been longlisted for RedStrat's Future Awards. The longlist was released yesterday and I'm proud of her. These pictures were taken at the first edition of Writers' Anonymous, where she performed from her collection, almost rendering the audience 'useless-in-laughter' with Ajani. She remains one of the finest poets in Nigeria today and

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-18274096231774792642008-11-30T06:11:00.000-08:002008-11-30T06:27:09.417-08:00

Wouldn't you rather join this list?A day ago, when I finished reading Zadie Smith's White Teeth, which I bought at the just concluded 10th Lagos Book and Art Festival, I felt intimidated by the author's mature mind. The novel is about everything and it is really hard for me to review. I just think Zadie has gracefully climbed up to the ladder of my favourite authors. And then, the age at which

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-30315535375228144272008-11-25T00:45:00.000-08:002008-11-25T00:59:37.214-08:00

I've been down here by the foothills of Odim in Nsukka and trying to understand what kind of life I'm living. My writing process has completely slowed and I'm trying so hard to energize myself to start writing again. In my head I've started work on my second novel, with my first coming out soon soon soon from DADA Books, whose publisher, Ayodele Arigbabu is far away in Berlin, 'catching cold'.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-81666459515782353022008-11-17T01:59:00.000-08:002008-11-20T06:37:36.672-08:00

At the just concluded 10th Lagos Book and Art Festival, the elegant Jumoke Verissimo, whose debut collection of poems, I am Memory, was officially released, stole the show when she read and performed titles from her collection, keeping the audience glued to their seats, applauding the sassy poet tremendously. Odia Ofeimun predicts on the cover of the collection that ‘this poet will travel’. Biyi

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-53857059139527848542008-11-13T11:16:00.000-08:002008-11-13T11:32:12.082-08:00

Now, it happens that the 2008 Commonwealth Short Story Prize has been announced and the Overall Winner and Regional Winner (Canada & the Caribbean) is Julie Curwin, for "World Backwards". Taddeo Bwambale Nyondo (Uganda) Regional Winner (Africa) for "Die, Dear Tofa" Salil Chaturvedi(India) Regional Winner (Asia) for "The Bombay Run" Not only that, Nigeria's Uche Peter Umez gets highly commended,

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-56329143239748053102008-11-12T07:24:00.000-08:002008-11-12T07:47:18.756-08:00

Jumoke Verissimo’s I am Memory is a collection of poems that dazzles. It is full of heart and transports the reader into its ambience, without much ado. What sets this collection apart is its simplicity, the slowness of the tranquillity and the fastness of its musicality.The collection is broken into four parts with ‘Memory Lane’ as titles. Memory Lane 1 (Of intuition and emotions) has poems like

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-26783886284681423342008-11-04T09:25:00.000-08:002008-11-04T10:00:06.994-08:00

The sassy and elegant Jumoke Verissimo will be reading from her collection of poems, I am Memory, published by DADA Books, an imprint of Dream Arts and Design Agency, on Saturday, November 8, 2008 from 4.30pm - 6.30pm, at the Lagos Book and Arts Festival, Main Exhibition Hall, Entrance C, National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos. You can't afford to miss this. Seriously.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-86761466812482289402008-10-20T08:21:00.000-07:002008-11-25T00:43:09.965-08:00

Epochal debut author, Eghosa Imasuen, reads from To St. Patrick, his novel of 'a futuristic Nigeria' at Bambuddha Restaurant & Lounge Bar, Victoria Island on the 18th October, 2008.(c) Courtesy of the author through FacebookOn Saturday, 18, October, I attended the October edition of WAPI at the British Council, which I enjoyed a lot, from 10:49 to 1:55, before heading for Bambuddha Restaurant/

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-18967768587603522262008-10-16T11:24:00.000-07:002008-10-16T12:00:06.052-07:00

I will be reading this story at a gathering soon. I will like you to read and give me a critical comment that can help me refine it before the event.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------LessonI will never forget the day my mother slapped me harshly across the face, because I didn’t wear my lipstick. I had dressed up very well, with my newly braided

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-902399923609791772008-10-16T04:11:00.000-07:002008-10-16T04:20:33.956-07:00

Kachifo Limited, publishers of the Farafina Imprint, would like to invite you to a book reading and book signing session.Eghosa Imasuen, author of To Saint Patrick will be reading at Bambuddha Restaurant/Lounge Bar, 21 Karimu Kotun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos at 4pm on Saturday, October 18, 2008. To Saint Patrick and other Farafina publications will be available at the venue. The first five

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-88216532542666837652008-10-15T02:39:00.000-07:002008-10-16T04:10:57.447-07:00

I've waited for this hour to come and here it is: Aravind Adiga has won the Booker Prize with his epochal debut, The White Tiger. Even though I've not read the book, I rooted for Aravindji, because he's a first time writer and young enough to play around with some old generation writers, who always appear to know better.Throughout yesterday, I followed the reports of the judges on BBC website and

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-43091975145038282982008-10-10T09:31:00.000-07:002008-10-10T09:53:03.030-07:00

Just yesterday, I was privileged to see two movies I had being longing to see in a long time. The first is Brokeback Mountain, starring Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Randy Quaid. I just don't know how to review this movie. You need to see it if you haven't. I guess I'm the last person seeing it. It's too emotional and not funny at all. It brought goose-bumps to my skin and made me think.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-10649019744131756092008-10-09T04:35:00.000-07:002008-10-09T05:43:51.004-07:00

Ramsey Nouah laughing when he should. But he should know that Nollywood is pinning him down!The first time I learnt something about the movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, I have to be honest with you, I thought it was going to be about 'a mad black woman' keeping a diary, probably out of being segregated in a white dominated society. When I finally saw the movie, I realised I was wrong. But when

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-60570466449035488012008-10-04T11:02:00.000-07:002008-10-04T12:47:46.622-07:00

Jude Dibia and Tosyn Bucknor. (Photo by Aderemi Adegbite)African literature enthusiasts always want to have some feel of the continental literary harvests, and that’s why Kowrie Kreations Media keeps giving it out, every month, through their mind-blowing programme, Poetry Potter, an event that has, in the past, attracted all sorts of writers and artistes, on a podium that rightfully gives you

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-17187841332912800742008-10-03T05:55:00.000-07:002008-10-03T06:06:32.987-07:00

Writers Anonymous The African Artist's Foundation is hosting a rendezvous for writers from all backgrounds and all persuasions, called: Writers Anonymous- a workshop (more of a salon, for writers, really) that offers mutual support to writers to help them come to terms with the pains and gains of their literary vocation. Writers Anonymous is a forum designed to foster

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-21285780731667026872008-09-29T07:42:00.000-07:002008-09-29T08:13:56.178-07:00

Someone sent me this link yesterday, and I'm quite suprised by the message that follows it. This sender wants to know why I'm so in love with India even when Indians despise Nigerians.Reading the article didn't bring goose-bumps on my skin, because this is something I've learnt to adjust to, thanks to the family I stayed with on my trip to India. On getting to India, I clotted my heart with

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-87878377492093522142008-09-26T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-26T06:45:51.385-07:00

Wally Lamb is the writer who handles humour as lively as Hari Kunzru and Junot Diaz; writes sex scenes as though they are too enjoyable - that there's no pain in sex - like Louise Kean. He knows how to twist plots - God, the reader doesn't even know, doesn't have a slight idea of what's going to happen next - and he honestly does this better than Sydney Sheldone and Dan Brown. And yes, the

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-7058304926519657382008-09-22T05:38:00.000-07:002008-09-22T06:08:35.735-07:00

Beautiful books, I assume, are always written by beautiful people. This I realised after reading Kaine Agary's Yellow-Yellow lying in my sick bed, getting transported to the Niger Delta region in a very pleasurable measure, when 'one of the crude oil pipes that ran through' Zilayefa's 'village broke and spilled oil over several hectares of land'.Zilayefa, as the cover notes, is 'a young girl of

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-38380306393825483152008-09-19T07:34:00.000-07:002008-09-20T10:30:40.940-07:00

As a great Rushdie fan, I'm disappointed to learn that his latest novel, The Enchantress of Florence didn't make the shortlist of this year's Booker Prize. Since I've not read the book, I don't have much to worry about, though. There's always a politicking in these sorts of competitions, where the judges would like to make surprising and unexpected omissions to please the public. And while many

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-32996248320627040022008-09-16T11:13:00.000-07:002008-09-16T12:32:14.995-07:00

I saw Mukesh Bhatt's Zeher directed by Mohit Suri, for the first time today. Long time ago, I had bought a CD of the soundtracks from a local music-bookshop in Pahar Ganj, so after years, I finally got to see the movie and hummed along the songs as it played, because I've mastered it. Not very well. I've waited so long and today, I realised my dream.Siddarth Mehra (Emran Hashmi) is a police

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-79415388919755348672008-09-15T10:26:00.000-07:002008-09-15T11:31:22.293-07:00

On Saturday, I attended the WordSlam event under the Sarmakand Tree at the National Theatre, as I told you. It was all fun. Performance poetry ruled the evening and folk music was also played. There was an open mic session, where young poets read and recited their poems. I kept my arse glued to the seat, enjoying everything as it happened.On Sunday, around 5pm, I went to see the production of ''

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-35763074712727311102008-09-12T13:42:00.000-07:002008-09-12T13:52:56.935-07:00

I'm finally in Lagos. Will be attending the WordSlam Poetry Event tomorrow at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu. If you are in Lagos, you should be there. I'm not reading or performing, though, but the array of poetry enthusiasts will definitely pull your mind.And if you can't make it to the event, try settling yourself with this review, because it is really awesome. Unu emela o!

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-45775708745652524772008-09-09T06:27:00.001-07:002008-09-09T06:51:53.958-07:00

I've not read Kaine Agary's Yellow- Yellow. But I'm sure to grab it as soon as I'm in Lagos. Just realised that the two books which have made the shortlist of the prestigious Nigerian Prize for Literature, sponsored by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) are Jude Dibia's Unbridled and Kaine Agary's Yellow-Yellow. And this is really impressive, owing to the fact that these are new voices,

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-4179382380156010012008-09-06T06:09:00.000-07:002008-09-06T06:56:19.474-07:00

"They say when trouble comes close ranks, and so the white people did. But we were not in their ranks. The Jamaican ladies had never approved of my mother, 'because she pretty like pretty self' Christophine said".And these are the opening lines of this magical classic, Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, which do not entirely introduce you into the story, but will make you feel warmth as you seep

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-86021344626864497012008-09-03T06:05:00.000-07:002008-09-03T07:10:21.549-07:00

Allah Is Not Obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma is a perfect work of art. Only if you have a literary bent can you be able to pass the opening pages and then, you flow along the liquid prose, following an immediate and direct narrative that keeps you glowing.Birahima is the ten year-old narrator and he is a child-soldier: "My name is Birahima and I'm a little nigger. Not 'cos I'm black and I'm a kid.

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-15330493466426300282008-08-30T05:01:00.000-07:002008-08-30T05:25:59.014-07:00

RecollectionsYour father was blind. And my father was also blind. We lived on the same street, a line of shabby houses, built closely opposite each other, like makeshifts in camps, sheltering jobless parents and their children, all trying to survive. Only a barbed-wire fence separated our houses; your house was the next to mine if you came from the end that led to the market. My father would

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-46820155846906230952008-08-25T08:40:00.000-07:002008-08-25T09:37:02.663-07:00

Long ago, while on a trip abroad, I had thought of something to keep my mind glowing all through the air-journey. First, I thought of grabbing a copy of J.K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (which ironically is the only book in the series that I ever read), but changed my mind, when I said, 'This book is said to have been inspired while on a train, so reading it on airplane

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-22110885248485605972008-08-19T05:00:00.000-07:002008-08-19T05:45:38.167-07:00

I re-read Uzodinma Iweala’s Beasts of No Nation yesternight in a ‘reading race’, before I started Ahmadou Kourouma’s Allah Is Not Obliged , which I had bought at the University of Nigeria Bookshop before I left Nsukka and enjoying a short story, Mariah, by Jamaica Kincaid, published in The Graywolf Annual Seven: Stories From The American Mosaic edited by Scott Walker. Beasts of No Nation is a

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-66300941645592512042008-08-16T06:07:00.000-07:002008-08-16T06:55:38.547-07:00

As a young writer, I've been lucky enough to meet established authors, listening to them talk about writing and how well you can refine your writing. One thing they all have in common, is the fact that you must be disciplined and be open to criticism. I've tried all; they work, I believe. But what really doesn't work is the fact that after putting so much time, money and resources working on a

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-39706549117087793792008-08-14T01:59:00.000-07:002008-09-06T08:02:11.392-07:00

I always picture William Shakespeare when I’m reading Wole Soyinka. And while I read The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, my mind shuffled the pages of The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, trying to understand some things, edging through the vast similarity that bundles itself around Indian writing in English. Now it’s The Impressionist by Hari Kunzru, which was recently gifted to me by a

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968246.post-31285473944865327792008-08-06T11:31:00.000-07:002008-08-16T03:27:14.798-07:00

I've not blogged in a long time, because I've been really sick. In the next four days, I would be travelling far off, so I may not be able to blog again. For now, I'm in Owerri to see my brother. I finished reading The Impressionist by Hari Kunzru. And started Geoff Ryman's The King's Last Song immediately. I've written a review of Kunzru's work. Will post later, when I'm settled at where I'm

The Booksexualnoreply@blogger.com4