The weekend was filled with noise of literary chatter. The space had been darkened and lulled by the Covid 19 pandemic. Schools and public spaces were shut down for most of 2021. For people of the pen it robbed us of our literary festivals, open mics and writers hangouts. Writing is fun but hanging out with writers and literary enthusiasts is twice as nice.
We received with joy the coming of award-winning Nigeria Ink god Abubakar Adam Ibrahim. He had a book released at the beginning of the year. We gathered in a coven to drink from the bowls of “Dreams and Assorted Nightmares.”
Abubakar took us on a journey through his writing career. He spoke about style and muses. He advised and admonished. When asked about what advice he had for upcoming writers. He blew my mind. He stated that there was no such thing as upcoming writer. It’s either you are a writer or not. If you are not writing then you are not a writer. I remembered some WSA members.
He further told a story, about a girl he met at AKE Festival. She wore a fancy t-shirt with shredded jeans. She tied her dreadlocks into a bunch on her crown. He asked her about her style. She responded that she was building a brand herself as a writer. She wanted to have her unique style. She told him all the literary festivals she had attended. The authors she had meet. The literary groups she belonged to.
Abubakar was awestruck. He was impressed. He then asked her what she had written. He was thirsty to drink from the cup of her craft.
“I am still thinking of what genre I should write. I think I like poetry or flash fiction”. Was her response.
Click to Read – Noise Can Kill the Souls of People and Nation by Ezeani Sunday, Nigeria
