The annual book party in honour of those who make the longlist of the prestigious $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature (NPL) holds on Saturday, August 25 at Terra Kulture Arena, Victoria Island, Lagos. Organised by the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) in conjunction with Nigeria LNG Limited, which sponsors the prize, the 11 authors on the list this year for drama include Jude Idada and Obari Gomba, who are both making comebacks. Idada got on the list for Sankara published by Parressia Publishing, was among the last three when Sam Ukala won in drama in 2014, while Gomba longlisted for Guerrilla Post published by Narrative Landscape Press, made the longlist in 2013 when Tade Ipadeola won the prize and last year both for poetry collections.
The others are: August Inmates by Chidubem Iweka, published by Kraft Books; Death and The King’s Grey Hair by Denja Abdullahi, published by Kraft Books; Embers by Soji Cole, published by Emotion Press; Majestic Revolt by Peter E. Omoko, published by Malthouse Press; Melancholia by Dul Johnson, published by Sevhage Publishers and No More the Taming Hawks by Diran Ademiju-Bepo, published by Dynasty Tales.
Then there is Once Upon an Elephant by Bosede Ademilua-Afolayan published by Kraft Books;The Rally by Akanji Nasiru, published by Kraft Books and Unstable by Dickson Ekhaguere, published by Tryspect Solutions.
Time for the event is 2pm.
CORA said the objective of the book party is to help bring the works and profiles of the finalists to larger public attention before the announcement of the final three finalists.
“The objective of the Book Party as manifested in the past editions is to ensure that we bring the short-listed writers and books face-to-face with the literary audiences so that we could create conversations around the work and the author. Since the first edition, the Book Party has become a platform through which the shortlisted writers are engaged on their work by the public,” stated the CORA directorate, which has been a critical partner in the projection of the shortlisted works to the attention of the public.
Deji Toye, lawyer, playwright, poet and literary activist will moderate the panel that will feature the 11 dramatists.