AWF’s September Writing Workshops

The September Writing Workshops, organized by the Abuja Writers Forum (AWF), as part of the AWF Creative Writing School initiative, is designed to give those with a genuine interest in writing the requisite skills in Fiction, Poetry and Drama.
Participants will over four Saturdays in September (7th, 6th, 14th, 21st & 28th) get the opportunity to develop their writing skills in any of the aforementioned genres. They would be working with a group of dedicated resource persons.
The workshop which will be in three-phases per set (introductory, intermediate and advanced) is a preparatory class for a certificate course in creative writing that the literary group is set to run in partnership with the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ), Abuja. Bob MajiriOghene – poet, short story writer and public commentator will handle the Fiction module. Author of Tears for a Birthday (poetry) and Deep Sighs (short stories), his forthcoming work Secrets of a Diary, is a story of love and hate narrated by a diary. He began expressing his writing flair as a student-columnis with the Nigerian Observer in 1991 with a column that gained rapid popularity called Acada Gist. He later worked with TELL newsmagazine first as staff, then as senior writer. He was also editorial assistant and columnist with Daily Independent Newspaper, Nigeria. His column identity then was Avant-garde.
MajiriOghene is published locally (Daily Independent, Pointer-on Saturday, TELL, The Guardian, The Nigerian Observer and Vanguard) and internationally by Associated Content aka YahooVoices, Equatorial Press, the German Kulturaustausch, Nigeriansinamerica and South Africa’s Urban Green File.
A graduate of English from the universities of Benin and Lagos, MajiriOghene was the recipient of two German fellowships organized by the International Institute of Journalism, IIJ of InWent, first in Ghana (Reporting on ECOWAS & its Institutions) and next in Berlin Germany (Environment Reporting) in 2008.
He runs his own media and publishing agency, Bob MajiriOghene Communications, and works as office manager and editorial consultant with the law firm of Jackson, Kargbo & Associates. His interests include chess, music, philately, writing, sports.
Anthony Abu, who will handle the Drama module ,is a Development Communication Expert who has worked on development projects of the UKaid, British Council, Action Aid and others in the areas of research, communications and media engagement. A Best-student-award-winniing graduate of the Theatre and Communication Department of the University of Jos, Abu has impeccable playwriting skills; most of his plays written to amplify social development messages, addressing issues of peace building, governance and reproductive health.
Abu is skilled in writing, producing and directing for the screen and stage. He was Coordinator of the NOA-supported Winds of Change Theatre Group where he wrote most of the plays used in the campaign on peace building and resolution; same he did with Future Africa Network, WACWIN and Manji Foundation. His pet projects BE WISE and ASEREKHU in Akure and Jos used plays as tools. He believes in Theatre for Society sake and has used his productions for this reason.
Dr Emman Usman Shehu will take care of the Poetry module. He has taught creative writing over the years including during his stint at the Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto. Apart from teaching creative writing and media related courses, he heads the Abuja-based International Institute of Journalism and is the founding President of the Abuja Writers Forum (AWF).
He has published two collections of poetry, Questions For Big Brother and Open Sesame. The latter was a runner up in one of the editions of the prestigious Nigeria Literature Prize organized by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) group. He has two forthcoming poetry collections, Tailspin and Icarus Rising, as well as a collection of short stories, A Cry of Bugles.
For registration details about the September Writing Worksops, prospective participants can send an email to abujawriters@gmail.com indicating the particular workshop writing genre they are interested in. They can also call 08063811559, 08023117473, 07030489356 or 08058520145 for further information.