CORA hosts party

The second Book Party of the Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA) will hold on Sunday, August 1, 2010 at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The first edition of the event held last year when the group hosted a forum featuring the nine writers on the long list of the 2009 edition of the NLNG Prize for Literature.

This edition will involve the 11 writers on the list released by organisers of the Prize last week and will feature readings, reviews and discussions on the works.

The objective of the party, according to a statement from the organisers, "is to enable the public, especially the Arts and culture Community and the media, have an opportunity to encounter the finalists (and their works) in the $50,000 Nigeria Literature Prize -- before the shortlist of three is announced around mid-August."

The late Esiaba Irobi (‘Cemetery Road') and 10 living ones are the writers hoping to win the seventh edition of the prize. The others include: Ahmed Yerima for ‘Hard Ground'; Akinwumi Isola (‘Belly Bellows'); Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo (‘The Killing Swamp') and Uduak Akpabio (‘Perfect Mothers').

Other works in contention are: ‘Leopard Woman' by Philip Begho; ‘Ata Igala The Great' by Emmy Unuja Idegu; ‘Onions Make Us Cry' by Zaynabu Jallo; ‘Queen Ghasengeh' by Ziky Kofoworola; ‘Idia, The Warrior Queen of Benin' by Irene Salami-Agunloye and ‘Broken Pots' by Uwem Udoko.

Theatre scholars, Dapo Adelugba, Kalu Uka, John Illah, Tanimu Abubakar and Mary Kolawole screened the entries received for this year's prize, which is for drama.