Azuah’s Abuja Reading

US-based writer, Unoma Nguemo Azuah was the guest writer at the Abuja Writers’ Forum held at Pen and Pages Bookstore on May 30.

The guitarist Billy Ngasa and poet Dek Mankind of the Elixir of Mankind group performed before the composition writing teacher at Lane College, Tennessee read from her works.

Azuah’s first story, “Sirens”, from her new short story collection ‘The Length of Light’, centres on Kaito, a young African migrant to the USA, whose quest for a better life becomes an illusion.

“Walking into My Groom”, her second story is a mysterious tale about a young lady who falls in love with a young man in Lagos and traces him to Ibadan where they get married. Unknown to her, her groom had died with his wife and two children in an accident three years earlier.

“Gospel at Dawn”, the third story Azuah read had earlier been discussed at the creative writing workshop which preceded the reading.

The writer was then robustly engaged by the audience during the question and answer that followed. The plausibility of a ghost marrying a human in one of her stories generated much debate. However, a contributor had the last word by saying “all boiled down to the power of creativity which is the essence of fiction or make-believe genre of writing.”

Poems from the special guest, Anthony Agbo’s collection titled “Adoration of the King”, were read by some members of the audience and Azuah who said “it was a blast of a day” of the reading.

The next edition of the Abuja Writers’ Forum holds on June 27. It will feature Igoni Barret, author of From the Caves of Rotten Teeth and Canadian novelist and poet, Patricia Keeney.