The spotlight of the Abuja Writers Forum’s Guest Writer Session falls on Abigail Anaba and Sodiq Alabi on November 28, at the Nanet Suites Abuja.
The monthly literary event which commences by 4pm and is a popular part of the city’s arts scene, also features live music and a raffle draw for contemporary books, Ms Anaba describes herself as a writer, thinker and teacher. Though she is primarily a teacher, she always puts writing first because writing has always been her first love.
As a teacher Ms Anabal is credited with the writing of five books in the Sound Right English series, a set of books that explores English reading and speaking from Nursery to SS3 classes. These books are in use in various private schools in Lagos and Abuja. She is also presently Head of Training in the Institute of Certified Communicators, Lagos where she trains teachers to communicate better in English.
As a screen writer, she has worked on various writing projects for Nollywood and Nigerian television drama and has writing credits for “Unguarded”, “Lost Maiden”, “Believe”, “Stranger’s arms” “Eve” and “I just Came Back” among others.
Abigail’s love for writing has also taken her into the world of journalism. In fact, she holds a HND in Mass Communication from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Lagos. She has written several articles and commentaries on the Nigerian sociopolitical scene and is a champion for research in getting details of a story right. She has contributed and still contributes to online news magazines including, Ynaija, TheScoopNg, NewswireNg, Stories.ng and techsuplex.com. She writes a regular blog atwww.anabagail.wordpress.com
“Sector IV”, a story of love, set during the Nigerian civil war, is her debut novel. She is currently working on her second novel, a journey into the life of a little boy suffering from dyslexia in Nigeria.
She can be contacted at na2anaba@gmail.com or through her twitter handle, @Anabagail
Sodiq Alabi is a poet and essayist. He was born in Iwo where he also had his early education before proceeding to study Plant Biology at the University of Ilorin. His experience growing up in his beloved city of Iwo has been the enduring influence on his approach to life. An activist and dedicated volunteer, Alabi has been involved in several projects and movements.
He has worked as editor, researcher and freelance writer. He was the editor of The Clip magazine and currently serves as managing editor of Cerath Press. Until recently, he was the communication manager of I-Media Communications Limited, Abuja, where he co-designed couple of television programmes and public outreach initiatives. He presently runs a startup meat processing venture.
Alabi’s creative works have been published in media including Kalahari Review, The Nation, Ann Arbor Review, Sankofa and Daily Independent. His poetry has been featured in anthologies and his debut collection, The Texture of Air, published by Amab Books, Minna, was released in September 2015.
