Sola Osofisan
07-15-2009, 04:18 PM
One-time national president of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Alhaji Abubakar Gimba, takes the spotlight of the July 27, 2009 edition of the Guest Writer Session hosted by the Abuja Writers’ Forum (AWF) at the Pen and Pages Bookstore, Wuse 2, Abuja.
Regarded as a major writer from Northern Nigeria and one of the internationally acclaimed writers from Nigeria, Gimba’s burgeoning corpus includes Trail of Sacrifice (1985), Innocent Victims (1988), Golden Apples (1997), Footprints (1998), Once Upon a Reed (1998), Sunset for a Mandarin (1991), This Land of Ours (2001), A Toast In The Cemetery(2003), Letter to the Muslim Fundamentalist (2005). His most recent works are Why Am I Doing This? (2007) and Letters To My Children(2007).
Alhaji Gimba whose educational background is in economics, has had varied experiences as a banker and administrator including midwifing the Niger State owned Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai of which he was the pioneeer Pro-Chancellor. He attended the International Writing Programme at the University of Iowa, USA in 2000 and was awarded Honorary Fellow in Writing. From 2003 to date he is serving on the Committee for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, an initiative of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas company. He is currently special adviser to the Senate President on economic and budget matters.
The Guest Writer session is preceded in the morning by the newly introduced Creative Writing Workshop segment which is proving immensely popular. The resource persons for the July edition which is being supported by the Public Affairs Section of the United States Embassy are Barbara Jones and Musa Idris Okpanachi. Dr Jones, who is visiting Nigeria under the auspices of the United States Embassy, is an international consultant with the Wesleyan University. She will be teaching a module on research skills for writers and artists for fellowships and residencies.
Dr Okpanachi, a senior lecturer at the University of Maiduguri and prize-winning writer, will take a module on poetry. The third module will be on utilising the dream process as a springboard for creative writing. The workshop will hold on the same day from 10:30am to 1pm at the Banquet Hall of Top Rank Hotel, Gimbiya Street, Garki 2, Abuja.
The Abuja Writers’ Forum (AWF) has created and hosted the Guest Writer Session consistently since June 2008 as a platform for promoting upcoming and established writers. The published writer is able to interact directly with the audience, thus promoting his work and receiving immediate feedback. The books are usually made available in advance, enabling members of the audience to patronize the author and make themselves familiar with the works thereby making the interaction with the author intellectually engaging. To add variety to the occasion, there is a medley of live music, performance poetry and mini visual arts exhibition.
Previous Guest Writers have been Uche Peter Umezurike, Nneonyeodiri Ogbeyalu Ukoha, Ozioma Izuora, Bose Ayeni Tsevende, Emman Sule Egya, ElNathan John, Jumoke Verissimo, Musa Idris Okpanachi, Uwem Akpan, Unoma Nguemo Azuah, Igoni Barrett, and the Canadian poet, novelist and lecturer, Patricia Keeney. The August 2009 edition will feature Gabriel Okara.
Abdullahi Abubakar,
Public Relations Officer (PRO),
Abuja Writers’ Forum (AWF),
Abuja.
08034519159
abujawriters@fastermail.com
www.abujawritersforum.com
Regarded as a major writer from Northern Nigeria and one of the internationally acclaimed writers from Nigeria, Gimba’s burgeoning corpus includes Trail of Sacrifice (1985), Innocent Victims (1988), Golden Apples (1997), Footprints (1998), Once Upon a Reed (1998), Sunset for a Mandarin (1991), This Land of Ours (2001), A Toast In The Cemetery(2003), Letter to the Muslim Fundamentalist (2005). His most recent works are Why Am I Doing This? (2007) and Letters To My Children(2007).
Alhaji Gimba whose educational background is in economics, has had varied experiences as a banker and administrator including midwifing the Niger State owned Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai of which he was the pioneeer Pro-Chancellor. He attended the International Writing Programme at the University of Iowa, USA in 2000 and was awarded Honorary Fellow in Writing. From 2003 to date he is serving on the Committee for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, an initiative of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas company. He is currently special adviser to the Senate President on economic and budget matters.
The Guest Writer session is preceded in the morning by the newly introduced Creative Writing Workshop segment which is proving immensely popular. The resource persons for the July edition which is being supported by the Public Affairs Section of the United States Embassy are Barbara Jones and Musa Idris Okpanachi. Dr Jones, who is visiting Nigeria under the auspices of the United States Embassy, is an international consultant with the Wesleyan University. She will be teaching a module on research skills for writers and artists for fellowships and residencies.
Dr Okpanachi, a senior lecturer at the University of Maiduguri and prize-winning writer, will take a module on poetry. The third module will be on utilising the dream process as a springboard for creative writing. The workshop will hold on the same day from 10:30am to 1pm at the Banquet Hall of Top Rank Hotel, Gimbiya Street, Garki 2, Abuja.
The Abuja Writers’ Forum (AWF) has created and hosted the Guest Writer Session consistently since June 2008 as a platform for promoting upcoming and established writers. The published writer is able to interact directly with the audience, thus promoting his work and receiving immediate feedback. The books are usually made available in advance, enabling members of the audience to patronize the author and make themselves familiar with the works thereby making the interaction with the author intellectually engaging. To add variety to the occasion, there is a medley of live music, performance poetry and mini visual arts exhibition.
Previous Guest Writers have been Uche Peter Umezurike, Nneonyeodiri Ogbeyalu Ukoha, Ozioma Izuora, Bose Ayeni Tsevende, Emman Sule Egya, ElNathan John, Jumoke Verissimo, Musa Idris Okpanachi, Uwem Akpan, Unoma Nguemo Azuah, Igoni Barrett, and the Canadian poet, novelist and lecturer, Patricia Keeney. The August 2009 edition will feature Gabriel Okara.
Abdullahi Abubakar,
Public Relations Officer (PRO),
Abuja Writers’ Forum (AWF),
Abuja.
08034519159
abujawriters@fastermail.com
www.abujawritersforum.com