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This year’s international convention of
the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), the 29th of its kind, will
take place in Akure, Ondo State, between October 28 and 31.
Registration of attendees will commence from the date of arrival at
Owena Motels, Akure. This year’s keynote address on the theme ‘Myth,
Fantasy and Indigenous Theatre’ will be given by Kalu Uka; while other
guest speakers will include Nigeria LNG Managing Director Chima
Ibeneche, who will speak on the topic, ‘Ideas Have Consequences’. Poet
and Playwright John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo will be the special guest
of honour at the event, which will have writers from home and abroad in
attendance.

Shortlisted writers

The press release sent by the national
general secretary of the association, Hyacinth Obunseh, contains the
shortlists for this year’s ANA prizes; with the exclusion of the
categories for children’s literature and journalist of the year which
will be announced in due course, and the ANA/Chevron Prose Prize on
Environmental issues which has no entry shortlisted for it.

The N100,000 ANA/NDDC Flora Nwapa Prize
for Women’s Writing has on its shortlist ‘The Colour of My Tears’ by
Jacqueline U. Agweh; ‘The Knots of Karma’ by Ngozi Onyioha-Orji; and
‘The Waiting Place and Other Stories’ by Halima Sekula. ‘The Bear Hug’
by Godwin Noah, ‘The Blood Sample’ by Yemi Adebiyi and ‘The Midnight
Angel’ by Jesse Unoh are contenders for the ANA/Jacaranda Prize for
Prose, which carries a N50,000 prize money.

‘Against The Odds’, ‘Shadows of the
River Nun’ and ‘The Village Tradesman’ – the fictions of writers Ben
Igwe, Million John and Adamu Kyuka Usman respectively – are contending
for the ANA/NDDC Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize for Prose and the N100,000 cash
award that goes with it. The N100,000 ANA/NDDC Gabriel Okara Prize for
Poetry has on its shortlist Gbenga Ajileye for ‘Droplets’; past ANA
President Olu Obafemi for ‘Illuminations’ and Seyi Hodonu for ‘Songs
from my Mother’s Heart’.

Drama

‘Long Walk to a Dream’ by Theatre
Practitioner Arnold Udoka, ‘Quagmire’ by Fidelis U. Okoro and
‘Termites’ by Chris Anyokwu are on the shortlist for the N100,000
ANA/NDDC J.P.Clark Prize for Drama. The ANA/Cadbury Prize for Poetry,
with a $2,000 cash award for its eventual winner, has on its shortlist
‘Endless Seasons’ by Faith Brown; ‘Streams’ by Bose Ayeni-Tsevende; and
‘That Other Country’ by Hyginius Ekwuazi, who won the prize in 2008 and
was last year’s runner-up. However, the ANA/James Ene Henshaw Prize for
Playwriting with a N150,000 prize money has so far only one entry which
merits being shortlisted and which will be announced in the course of
the convention.

The Judges for this year’s competition are Chidi T.Maduka of the
University of Port Harcourt, Maria Ajima of Benue State University,
Makurdi, Obododinma Oha of the University of Ibadan, Joseph A. Ushie of
the University of Uyo and Victor S. Dugga of the University of Jos.