9 Writers, 4 Cities Book Tour

[Sola Osofisan]

From May 2nd to Saturday June 6th 2009, 9 writers will embark on a book tour to 4 cities across Nigeria. The event is themed 9 Writers, 4 Cities: The Book Tour, and it is a series of book readings, book signings and discussions. Each event will also be recorded and made available for download online. The series of weekend readings will hold in Benin, Ibadan, Lagos and Warri. The first event, which is to be hosted by Writers Anonymous at the African Artists Foundation in Lagos, will be immediately followed by a 'Book Party'.

The participating writers are:

1. Odia Ofeimun (poet and author of The Poet Lied)

2. Toni Kan (author of Nights of a Creaking Bed)

3. Lindsay Barrett (journalist, poet and author of several books, including Song for Mumu)

4. Jumoke Verissimo (author of I am Memory)

5. Tade Ipadeola (a lawyer and author of the poetry collection A Sign of Times)

6. Joy Isi Bewaji (author of Eko Dialogue)

7. Eghosa Imasuen ( medical doctor and author of To Saint Patrick)

8. A. Igoni Barrett (managing editor of Farafina magazine and author of From Caves of Rotten Teeth)

9. Bimbo Adelakun (journalist and author of Under the Brown Rusted Roofs).


The series of events will take place at the following places:

Lagos: 2--7 pm on Saturday, 2nd May, 2009 at the African Artists Foundation, No 54, Raymond Njoku Street, Ikoyi, Lagos

Lagos: 2--7 pm on Sunday, 17th May at The Palms Shopping Mall, Lekki Express Way, Lekki

Lagos: 2--5 pm on Saturday 6th June, 2009 at the African Artists Foundation, No 54, Raymond Njoku Street, Ikoyi, Lagos

Audio and video recordings of each reading will also be placed on Switched On as podcasts.

[Kabura Zakama]

All in Lagos and you call this a tour!

[Sola Osofisan]

By Emmanuel Anyifite

Any doubt about the coming of age of Nigerian literature would have been cleared at the first edition of "9 writers, 4 cities," a book reading and interactive session held at the African Artists Foundation, Ikoyi, Lagos, on May 2.

Although the event was scheduled for 2pm, it began well after the advertised time with some of the authors assisting in getting the venue ready. Odia Ofeimun, Eghosa Imasuen, Joy Isi Bewaji, Abimbola Adelakun, Igoni Barrett, Jumoke Verissimo and Toni Kan were present.

"The reading is an avenue to meet our readers, have them know us and interact with us," said Igoni Barrett as the event started. "We hope by making this an annual event, we would fix a major problem in the publishing industry in Nigeria." The writer read excerpts from his short story collection, "From the Caves of Rotting Teeth."

Next was Eghosa Imasuen, who began by telling the audience how he started writing. "I started writing in 2005 after an argument with my mum, when she showed me a magazine which a girl had written on horticulture...was it Coloured Hibiscus, no...Purple Hibiscus."

Imasuen said this spurred him into writing, something he hitherto believed was a simple task until he found out otherwise. "I said this thing is easy now, but it was when I started that I knew how difficult it was," the author of To Saint Patrick said.

NEXT for more (http://www.234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/ArtsandCulture/Books/5413059-147/9_writers,_4_cities,_first_strike.csp)

[Kabura Zakama]

Very promising opening but then, where is the story?