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News Update
Fidelity Creative Writing Workshop receives 1000 entries
Two weeks to the opening of the 3rd International Creative Writing Workshop organized by Fidelity Bank Plc, about 1000 aspiring writers have applied for a spot to learn the writing craft at the feet of some of the best known novelists from Nigeria, US and Canada. Since the call-for-entry advertisement appeared in the newspapers in late May this year, the workshop mailbox has been inundated with 826 work samples of intending participants as at the time of writing this report with possibilities of exceeding the 1000 mark before the workshop opens. The entries which cut across fiction and nonfiction genres of literature were received from different parts of Nigeria and some neighbouring West African states. The entries consist of mostly quality work samples of aspiring authors and are indicative of the growing interest of Nigerians in literature arising from the recent upsurge in literary activities in the country of which Fidelity Bank has served as a key catalyst. This year’s edition of the workshop has been scheduled to hold in a serene resort in Zone 6, Abuja where frontline Nigerian novelist, Helon Habila shall be supported by Canadian born Madeleine Thien and Jamaican born Colin Channer in equipping aspiring writers with the basic skills of the writing profession. Since the workshop was announced in the newspapers and on the internet, it has generated excitement among Nigeria’s large tribe of writers at home and in the Diaspora who are happy that the nation’s cultural sector is finally revving up for a change that will boost the growth and appreciation of Nigerians who have proven to possess the gift of the imagination. Some Nigerian poets who teach in American, Canadian and British universities have made inquiries as to when Fidelity’s International Creative Writing Workshop shall be anchored by a poet. This year’s workshop will open from July 16 to 22 in Abuja, the nation’s capital and end in a colourful ceremony that will attract all lovers of culture and the arts in the city. Speaking recently from his base in the US, Habila who teaches creative writing at the prestigious George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia expressed satisfaction with the quality and quantity of work samples so far received from intending participants to the workshop. According to him, his co-teachers of the workshop are all looking forward to the trip to Nigeria and an exciting time with the intending students.
