Churning Spades and Spinning Yarns
Churning spades and Spinning Yarns is a column I have thought about for some years now. It is about calling a spade a spade and also churning out creative stories,poems, vignettes, interviews, amongst other things.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Winning Image for a Job Seeker II: Responding To Questions
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Winning Image at Job Interviews
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Staying Young, Growing Up
I have been living through the motions this last couple of days. I have been saturated by both heat and heavy rainfall. It was like been fed to strong unnatural forces who were throwing me around. I fell ill with Africa's most popular disease Malaria plus Typhoid, then got out of it. Recently got some books from the US-You see my life is a scatterbrain mishmash of everything and something. And my relationship just ended.
Now I'm in Ibadan. On my way here I was so uncomfortable. You see I had not slept in 2 days and that had somewhat demobilized my creativity. 'I also had a lot of money' like the Yorubas would say. So I just did what had to do and here I am in Ibadan, getting ready for Artmosphere. The road was rough, we had a couple of Lagos traffic that was giving us hell but the conversations in the bus showed a mix of aspirations. An old business woman said she had stayed in Cotonou for years before coming to Lagos. She was Yoruba but had gone there for business and had fallen in love with the place. she didn't finish her story, but I guess she got fed up with Benin Republic and came to Lagos, one of the fastest growing cities in Africa. A semi-Illiterate political thug says ' there so much money in politics and he wishes the elections were around the corner'-big cash for him I guess. But as he was talking he asked me what the book I was reading was about. It was Mukuma Wa Ngugi's Nairobi Heat and he was fascinated about the cover. He ask whether it was a map of America. I had to tell him that it was actually Africa and that Nigerian stood somewhere at the 'horn'. I had a sense of pity for him but I dismissed the feeling and accused myself of pride. I was relatively silent but my mind was traveling faster than the bus.
Now I think my growing up years, where I had no prejudices and no concern for security. My parents were there-they were my friends and my arch enemy-all in one. I think of the days when my father used to take time off his busy schedule to take us around the city and we used to marvel at those things that we now feel are utter wastes of emotions. Have I lost my sense of being 'Young' already. Since my sister's passing, I have found death as a common feature of my discourse, it's strong ambivalence to life, living and memories take me to heights of imagination. The happiness that fills me is that I am becoming, I am growing and yet I have been able to keep a part of my youth. That part that feels that a lot of things are possible and achieveable. So I decided it's time to set the ball rolling for another set of adventures. Next month my journey to Ibadan will be on the train. crazy eh!
Some people ask me what I do in Ibadan. For me, Ibadan reminds me a little about the several places I have lived with my now retired civil service father. We had to travel like some theatre company then-from Jos, to Owerri, to...(Name it). It does take me a little time to agree with a lot of people that it's 'childishness' to run a project that does not bring in the 'dough' but for me, it keeps me alive. Only those who have stayed 'Young' can think of the future of the crawlers.
Next month,Artmosphere, the literary and lifestyle event that came to me as an tiny-weany idea looking like a spermatozoa will be two years. It has grown into a community of creatives and franchise partners and has formed WriteHouse Collective. I look back at the lustre of seedlings and I just marvel. These are the things that will keep me going.
When I pass on to the great beyond
I will share vodka with Kafka
and laugh with James Joyce
I will walk on the clouds
and ask the angels the way to the library
I will meet familiar faces.
I guess, I am just ranting again.
This month's Artmosphere is today, 18 May, no wonder I found sleep yesterday Night.
It's this year's fifth edition which opens with a deliberate attempt to discuss African identity and realistic approach to progress in Africa. There will also be a detailed predisposition, and juxtapositions to personal and continental experiences of growing up.
WriteHouse Collective will be using this edition of Artmosphere to question evolving and modern African values
consideration to ethics, technological use and education. The foregrounded and fundamental question will be “What are the values and ideals that define our cosmos and what do we do with them in a fast multicultural and constantly changing cross-idealistic world?
Award-winning poet and literary scholar, Peter Akinlabi and novelist Omotunde Omole will read from their latest works and also deliver insightful perspectives and experiences relevant to the central theme. Peter Akinlabi was the very first winner of the Sentinel Literary Quarterly Poetry Competition (October, 2009). This will be followed by panel discussions as well as presentations from traditionally unpublished and emerging voices in Nigerian literature like Yeku James, Biodun Bello and Opeyemi Adeola. There will be music performances to spice the rhythm and jibes of poetry, stories and experiences.
Join me
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Publisher, Daily Manna falsely Reported Dead
SHOCKER! SHOCKER! SHOCKER! – NEWSPAPER REPORTS DEATH OF “OUR DAILY MANNA” PUBLISHER!
A prominent national daily newspaper, (Daily Champion) in Nigeria reported that the publisher of popular daily devotional, Our Daily Manna, Rev. Dr Chris Kwakpowe, was assassinated at his home by unknown gun men. His full name was printed in the controversial publication! This is untrue.
When the paper's CORRECTIONAL VERSION was RE-PUBLISHED, it STILL CARRIED HIS FULL NAMES! (and was not properly communicated to dissuade the earlier publication's error). This has caused panic and tears across the Nigeria nation, especially among ardent readers and beneficiaries of Our Daily Manna devotional worldwide.
Findings however have shown that Dr Chris is alive and well. Though the false publication has caused him to be very angry, reliable sources say he is calm but has been asking his close associates questions such as: “Is it a sin to be used by God, sleep just 2 hours a day and to succeed by the grace of God?" This is so, especially with various enemy blogs and lies against him recently.
Earlier on, it was uncovered that Dr. Chris received a text message threatening that he would be blackmailed on the internet if he fails to part with 250million Naira! He was also advised to get in touch and not inform the police. This is coupled with the burglary at their national headquarters and the availability of OVER 9 FAKE FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS IMPERSONATING HIM and defrauding innocent people!
He is said to be focused, but is quietly considering the next line of action and wondered who would want him dead!
Stay connected for further unfolding news of this death -scare!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Having "Conversations" in Artmosphere
ARTMOSPHERE #3, March, 2013 Edition: Conversations
Artmosphere, your favourite platform for the promotion of creative expressions in literature, music and the arts in Nigeria has been waxing stronger since its inception. The monthly event is organized by WriteHouse Collective, a creative enterprise, culture and arts firm with the support of Ibridge Hub, a collaborative space for people with great ideas to meet, learn and work and a growing league of literary and culture enthusiasts across South-West Nigeria.
In this Book-culture and Lifestyle edition, we consider literature as a vehicle for Conversations. Conversations are meant to stir questions, to challenge preconceived cultures and to create new and civil nuances. The March edition of Artmosphere is tagged Conversations.
Conversations will play host a crème of writers, Victor Ehikamenor, 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, and Kayode Taiwo Olla, author of debut novel, Sprouting Again.
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 longlist of emerging voices.
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
Guests of the Month
Victor Ehikhamenor
Victor Ehikhamenor was born in Nigeria. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The Washington Post, AGNI Magazine, Wasafiri, The Literary Magazine, Per Contra and Elsewhere. He is also a news media designer, visual artist and photographer whose art has been widely exhibited internationally. His artworks and photography have been used for many notable book, magazine and journal covers.
Ehikhamenor graduated from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma with a B.A. degree in English and Literary Studies. He holds a M.Sc. and a MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA. He is the author of the acclaimed widely-outsized portraiture of a nation, Excuse Me.
Emmanuel Iduma
Emmanuel Iduma works mainly as a writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and has won awards and received recognition in each genre. Emmanuel is the co-founder of Iroko Publishing, which has published Saraba as an electronic magazine since 2009.
In 2011, Emmanuel participated in the Invisible Borders Trans-African Photography Initiative, a road trip from Lagos to Ethiopia aimed at creating photographic and written material that addresses Africa from a more individualistic viewpoint. His debut novel, Farad has been widely likened to Plutarch Lives, as the narrator pieces together shades of personalities, events into a coordinated web of fatalistic accidents. He is working on a second novel.
Emmanuel Uweru Okoh
Emmanuel Uweru Okoh is a Nigeria- based writer and author of Gardens and Caves, a poetry collection. His works have been published in NEXT, Saraba Magazine, and Sentinel Nigeria. His works had also featured in Naijastories.com, ITCH Magazine and Mad Hatters’ Review of Iceland. Emmanuel lives and works in Lagos.
Kayode Taiwo Olla
Kayode Taiwo Olla is a graduate of English and Literary studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. During his undergraduate years, He played active roles in both religious and literary spheres. He was known for his dramatic poetry within and outside the university campus. He also served as Editor in charge of productions, at the Association of Nigerian Authors, Obafemi Awolowo University Chapter.
Taiwo Olla has evolved by also writing prose. His debut novel, Sprouting Again (2011) was published by Syncterface Media, a publishing house with operations in London. His first collection of poems will soon be published.
Labels:
Arts,
arts events,
Emmanuel Iduma,
Emmanuel Uweru Okoh,
Fiction,
Ibadan,
Kayode Taiwo Olla,
literary events,
Literature,
Music,
Paressia Publishers,
Poetry,
recent events,
Victor Ehikhamenor
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
#Thisisnotthereview. Threads of Gold Beads
I have suspended the reading of other books for one unfamiliar book titled Thread of Gold Beads by Nike Campbell-Fatoki. First the author was someone I didn't know and did not ring a bell in my literary circles-or should I say my circles of literati. So when I was given the book I totally ignored it.
I just read the author's profile and just said "all this diaspora people, hmn". The back of the 415 paged Novel reads of the author:
Nike Campbell-Fatoki was born in Lvov, Ukraine to Nigerian parents. She spent her formative years in Lagos, Nigeria, listening to stories and folktales told by her maternal grandparents. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Howard University and a master of Arts Degree in international Development from American University, Washington DC, presently, She is a Budget and Finance Manager in government in the Washington DC area. She is an avid reader. She loves travelling, watching movies and listening to music. She is also the Founder of Eclectic Goodies, a party favors and gift packaging company . She lives in the Washington DC area with her husband and three sons.
I handed it to Ebony Damilola, a colleague at Fairchild Media who after reading it sent me a mail
read
When I first picked up the book, I was a little skeptic about it but as I started reading wow! The author found ways to intrigue me, love the organization and the structure of her work, what fascinated me was how she created a vivid image to her readers, that’s something you don’t see every day (chuckles}. She made it seem like we were part of the growing process of the main character, I loved the story line, the enrichment of details and the subtle use of strong grammar, anyone could understand. I must say she carried us along beautifully.
I couldn’t help but feel a little thrown off at the end of the story, the ending was rushed, she kept our interest from the beginning but she didn’t go into much detail at the end. I felt it was the crucial part of the entire story. I just wished she had given us a little more entailment but apart from that I think she’s an amazing writer. Cheers!
Damilola Ebony is an "out-of-the-box-writer" who is interested in enchanting but unique stories that are not only up to standard but also original in narration.
Her comments made me pick up the book again and I am still reading.
I am in chapter chapter, so I cannot deliver a review yet. So in the next posts of Churning Spades and Spinning Yarns, I will be spinning something that looks like a review. I will be hash-tagged on twitter as #Thisisnotareview. So look out for these posts as I drown myself in the waters and streams of her narration.
What book review do that I wont do is that is details of the US printed book, published by Three Magi Publishers. As the not a review starts to fill our pages, the story and the thoughts will be my concern.
So Thisisnotthereview .
I just read the author's profile and just said "all this diaspora people, hmn". The back of the 415 paged Novel reads of the author:
Nike Campbell-Fatoki was born in Lvov, Ukraine to Nigerian parents. She spent her formative years in Lagos, Nigeria, listening to stories and folktales told by her maternal grandparents. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Howard University and a master of Arts Degree in international Development from American University, Washington DC, presently, She is a Budget and Finance Manager in government in the Washington DC area. She is an avid reader. She loves travelling, watching movies and listening to music. She is also the Founder of Eclectic Goodies, a party favors and gift packaging company . She lives in the Washington DC area with her husband and three sons.
I handed it to Ebony Damilola, a colleague at Fairchild Media who after reading it sent me a mail
read
When I first picked up the book, I was a little skeptic about it but as I started reading wow! The author found ways to intrigue me, love the organization and the structure of her work, what fascinated me was how she created a vivid image to her readers, that’s something you don’t see every day (chuckles}. She made it seem like we were part of the growing process of the main character, I loved the story line, the enrichment of details and the subtle use of strong grammar, anyone could understand. I must say she carried us along beautifully.
I couldn’t help but feel a little thrown off at the end of the story, the ending was rushed, she kept our interest from the beginning but she didn’t go into much detail at the end. I felt it was the crucial part of the entire story. I just wished she had given us a little more entailment but apart from that I think she’s an amazing writer. Cheers!
Damilola Ebony is an "out-of-the-box-writer" who is interested in enchanting but unique stories that are not only up to standard but also original in narration.
Her comments made me pick up the book again and I am still reading.
I am in chapter chapter, so I cannot deliver a review yet. So in the next posts of Churning Spades and Spinning Yarns, I will be spinning something that looks like a review. I will be hash-tagged on twitter as #Thisisnotareview. So look out for these posts as I drown myself in the waters and streams of her narration.
What book review do that I wont do is that is details of the US printed book, published by Three Magi Publishers. As the not a review starts to fill our pages, the story and the thoughts will be my concern.
So Thisisnotthereview .
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The Church within the Street (Short Story)
The rains. It wouldn't stop-even if it's sunday. You know that it's going to be difficult for a converted rainmaker's son to understand-"why can't I stop the rain with the craft of my fathers and still head to church without a prick of irony". The ingredients that language the rains to cease still lie bare in his spirit and the pastor has ordered a deliverance.
Yes an ordered a deliverance-yes, like ordering fries from Tantalisers or gadgets from DealDey and losing quality money. I look around the rain is tremendously heavy like the tears of Mary, heavy with eternal loss of mankind. The neighbour next door is frowning, I had sensed a "get-together" of old school classmates with the aroma of sensitive oils tortured by the heat of frying adogan pots. Now, I'm wondering how the party will go.
I have to go to church, the pastor has a way of making us feel like we need help. There is Prayers for Workers on Monday, Digging Deep on Tuesday, Fighting for your Right; one cowardly way of praying or is it getting back at Nigeria on Wednesday, Pray Till Your Enemies Die on Thursday, Praise Galore on Friday; it's fixed exactly at the time one needs to go unwind at a club with friends, there is God Set Me Free on Saturday; clashing with Saturday Night Live on Tv and there's Sunday with tithes, offerings and exhausted voices and loudspeakers. And there' s Facebook jostling with God.
My neighbour, Evangelist Pam lives next flat with his wife. His two kids are in the United Kingdom, a cosy top-notch college and he's a full time pastor. His wife, "Mummy Pam" is an accountant at a business investment bank. Evangelist Pam and I have come a long way. I was a juniour colleague in secondary school. When he built the flats, I had just come to Lagos in search of a job and he accomodated me for a while. Evangelist Pam hasn't changed much. He still retained the chubby cheeks of our school days, an oblong head with sharp edges too, but he had hidden that with the punk that he carries. He also cuts his beard so much that you can see some scars of the sharp blade when you concentrate on his chin. After a while, I moved into the other flat when he met with sister linda; now Mummy Pam. It was unbearable for Brother Pam then, living with him. Sometimes, I caught sister Pam sitting on bro Pam's hard dick and kissing him.
The other flat was uncompleted by then. When I got my job with Google Nigeria, bro Pam approached me with his finances and told me he planned on marrying Linda. "show boy, Abeg you go fit loan me money make I use am complete this flat whey you dey live sef". I knew he didnt want me to start paying rent since he had goten so much accolades from it in church. So I gathered money together and ask him to sell the other flat for me. we bargained on an irresistible deal, a deal I took a loan for.
Not long he became a pastor and the noise from his house became unbearable. A very loud prayer session that says " Can you hear me everyone, I am praying-Isn't it amazing!". I couldn't say a word, but I got more furious when the brothers and sisters came to visit after the session.
" Brother Shobayo, we didn't see you at Pastor Pam's place today?"
I usually didn't have an answer for them. I could preempt. If I said that I was busy I would have given the brethren permission to make me an object of specific sermons. If I told the truth, which was that Pam had offended me greatly about the utility bill issues always cropping up.
" hey show"
" Mr Pam, we got the Nepa bill-it's 5000 Naira'
"He laughed, "that's ridiculous. but with your plasma TV, computer and generator all the time, you bet, you gulped the larger share of power use in this house" Pam will say, forcefully grinning.
I laughed a laughter unearthed without the spice of happiness and say
" but you know that you have Plasma, TV and generator too-we go share am equal"
He would say "Show, Show, Google People, nah you go pay everything and will walk away".
It had happened too repeatedly to forgive. It had not changed sequential patterns one bit. I was so angry, I decided to change my church. Linda started to look at me like a Judas Iscariot who swindled her husband from an uncompleted flat. I had to complete it after I bought it and then there was no qualms.
So I began worshipping at Transformation of the Resurrection Church of the Holy Ghost. I intended a part time. One day, I came for a mid service-can't remember which one and I was invited to join the workforce. They needed someone to help manage content on their web but I didn' t like the idea.
Feel free to criticize or express your expectations.
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