This years’ edition of the Connect Nigeria Writers’ Conference takes place in just under two weeks. Built as a gathering of wordsmiths and literary enthusiasts, the event is set to dominate the agenda of Lagos’s literary scene this September.
First held in April 2014, the Connect Nigeria Writers’ Conference has played its part in the ongoing mini-renaissance in Nigerian literature. It caters to an audience of up and coming writers and exists to help budding talents get ahead in the country’s art space.
This year’s event has the theme The Business of Writing: Translating Writing into Money. In accordance with this, the conference will see a couple hundred attendees learn how to generate revenue from writing. They will be taken through the steps by award-winning authors and established figures in the worlds of the creative arts, journalism, and publishing.
Some of these speakers include Efe Paul Azino, poet and convener of the Lagos Poetry Festival; Sally Kenneth-Dadzie, a widely-read novelist; Dare Olaitan, a film director; Arukaino Umukoro, journalist and winner of the 2015 CNN Africa Journalist Award; and Tomilola Adeyemo, a screenwriter who has worked on projects featured on MTV and Africa Magic.
They will be facilitating learning sessions in journalism, creative non-fiction, poetry, and other writing genres. They will also be sharing their personal experiences and drawing from their literary journeys to advise and encourage members of the audience. Practical insights, such as current opportunities and the future prospects for Nigeria’s literary scene will be discussed as well.
Attendees will get the chance to interact and share their ideas and experience with other creatives, and build valuable connections with them.
This year’s event has OkadaBooks as its official partner.
The Connect Nigeria Writers’ Conference takes place on Saturday, September 21.
You can find out more about this event here.