I must congratulate the NLNG Prize folks for compiling a most thoughtful 2013 longlist: Afam Akeh, Amatoritsero Ede, G'ebinyo Egbewo, Iquo Eke, Obari Gamba, Tade Ipadeola, Okinba Launko (Femi Osofisan), Amu Nnadi, Obi Nwakanma, Promise Ogochukwu and Remi Raji.
Again, It is a thoughtful list with pretty much everyone a strong contender. It is actually the case that many on the long-list actually deserve the prize for a lifetime of meritorious work in the service of literature. Outside of the legendary Femi Osofisan, I am thinking of Afam Akeh, Remi Raji, Amatoritsero Ede, Tade Ipadeola, Obi Nwakanma, virtually all of them in the 35 to 50 or under range who have distinguished themselves by consistent output and leadership in the digital age when the book came under fierce completion thanks to new digital tools.
I love everyone on the list; however, this longlist is an unintended gentle nod to that quiet group of folks, most of whom started out in Krazitivity listserv in the early 2000s to fashion out a way of telling our stories in the new dispensation. There are too many names to mention, but you would need to add folks like Molara Wood, Olu Oguibe, Lola Shoneyin, Obiwu, Toni Kan, Victor Ekpuk, Chika Unigwe, Victor Ehikhamenor, Ogaga Ifowodo, Pius Adesanmi, Sola Osofisan, Obemata (Abdul Mahmud), Nnorom Azuonye, etc, etc.to complete the list of feisty but passionate digital literary warriors. In those days we had poetry workshops and many listservs were fierce places to be in as a writer. If I had the money, I would give each one of them a $100,000 for their service, they are still here, quietly influential in the background, and still devoting hours daily to the written word and the visual arts.
It is also good to see that The NLNG Prize is fast gaining acceptance among many of its initial fierce critics, some of whom are on this list. The NLNG folks do listen to constructive criticism and have been very flexible in adapting the prize to the demands and wishes of Nigerian writers. That is how it should be.
The NLNG folks may have stumbled upon a way to honor our writers; reward a body of robust work acquired over a period of time, as opposed to honoring just one book. I say ths because on the surface ,the books listed here do not robustly tell the story of the awe-inspiring work so many of these guys have done – mostly for free on the Internet. It is hard to acquire any of the books, several are merely recently printed with very primitive or barely visible distribution channels. I will continue to maintain that we need a conversation about what to do with the publishing industry – it is inchoate (yes, that word!) Try to find any of these long-listed books, and it is a huge challenge.
It is hard to then justifying giving $100,000 to an author for a book that only 20 or fewer people have read. The NLNG prize costs $800,000 to administer yearly. We really need to have a conversation about how best to use that money to honor our writers – and to support our literature. The publishing industry could use some of that money. The good news is that the NLNG folks are listening. But, hey, I love the list, it is populated with great folks.
I predict with utter confidence that one of these eleven poets will win the prize. Mark my words. *cycles away happily*
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152151409914616&set=a.441969454615.231130.754854615&type=1
14/08/2013
Again, It is a thoughtful list with pretty much everyone a strong contender. It is actually the case that many on the long-list actually deserve the prize for a lifetime of meritorious work in the service of literature. Outside of the legendary Femi Osofisan, I am thinking of Afam Akeh, Remi Raji, Amatoritsero Ede, Tade Ipadeola, Obi Nwakanma, virtually all of them in the 35 to 50 or under range who have distinguished themselves by consistent output and leadership in the digital age when the book came under fierce completion thanks to new digital tools.
I love everyone on the list; however, this longlist is an unintended gentle nod to that quiet group of folks, most of whom started out in Krazitivity listserv in the early 2000s to fashion out a way of telling our stories in the new dispensation. There are too many names to mention, but you would need to add folks like Molara Wood, Olu Oguibe, Lola Shoneyin, Obiwu, Toni Kan, Victor Ekpuk, Chika Unigwe, Victor Ehikhamenor, Ogaga Ifowodo, Pius Adesanmi, Sola Osofisan, Obemata (Abdul Mahmud), Nnorom Azuonye, etc, etc.to complete the list of feisty but passionate digital literary warriors. In those days we had poetry workshops and many listservs were fierce places to be in as a writer. If I had the money, I would give each one of them a $100,000 for their service, they are still here, quietly influential in the background, and still devoting hours daily to the written word and the visual arts.
It is also good to see that The NLNG Prize is fast gaining acceptance among many of its initial fierce critics, some of whom are on this list. The NLNG folks do listen to constructive criticism and have been very flexible in adapting the prize to the demands and wishes of Nigerian writers. That is how it should be.
The NLNG folks may have stumbled upon a way to honor our writers; reward a body of robust work acquired over a period of time, as opposed to honoring just one book. I say ths because on the surface ,the books listed here do not robustly tell the story of the awe-inspiring work so many of these guys have done – mostly for free on the Internet. It is hard to acquire any of the books, several are merely recently printed with very primitive or barely visible distribution channels. I will continue to maintain that we need a conversation about what to do with the publishing industry – it is inchoate (yes, that word!) Try to find any of these long-listed books, and it is a huge challenge.
It is hard to then justifying giving $100,000 to an author for a book that only 20 or fewer people have read. The NLNG prize costs $800,000 to administer yearly. We really need to have a conversation about how best to use that money to honor our writers – and to support our literature. The publishing industry could use some of that money. The good news is that the NLNG folks are listening. But, hey, I love the list, it is populated with great folks.
I predict with utter confidence that one of these eleven poets will win the prize. Mark my words. *cycles away happily*
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152151409914616&set=a.441969454615.231130.754854615&type=1
14/08/2013
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