Art Connects Us: Sarah Odedina

As a recipient of the Arts Connects Us Grant I travelled to Ghana and Sierra Leone to meet with writers and publishing professionals working in the field of books for young readers to foster creative and collaborative exchanges between those contacts and publishing professionals and readers in the UK. This blog post is by necessity a focus on very specific meetings and conversations and is only a fraction of the encounters and connections I made. I planned my visit to Ghana to coincide with the PaGya! Festival which is organised by Writers Project Ghana and the Goethe Institute. Over the course of three days writers and publishers gathered to talk about everything from poetry to narrative non-fiction, memoir to books for younger readers.  There was a packed programme from morning until night with simultaneous events happening making the festival a positive and vibrant event. Speakers came from all over the world and their backgrounds, interests and perspectives ensured a well rounded and broad look at the world of writing with roots in West Africa. Prior to the festival I had arranged several days of meetings with people involved in the world of children’s literature to talk about their work as writers and publishers and also to get to grips with the market in Ghana.  It soon became very clear that not only is there a thriving publishing scene in Ghana it is one that is self-sufficient both in terms of talent and audience.  I was told often that what readers in Ghana need... Continue reading at 'British Council global'

[ British Council global | 2019-03-19 11:10:28 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Art Connects Us: Sarah Odedina"


If writing’s got you down, remember that James Patterson’s first book was rejected 31 times.

Unless you’re a disgraced politician, trying to get a book published can be difficult, nerve-wracking, soul-denting work. If you’re anything like me, though, it really helps to hear that rejection is the rule in the publishing industry, rather than the exception. When my novel was out on... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-03-10 17:04:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Writer as Traveler and the Gift of Prismatic Vision: An Interview with Stephanie McKenzie, by Tom Halford

Interviews   Photo by Sonette Watt Stephanie McKenzie is a poet and scholar who works for the English Programme at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her scholarly work has traced the flourishing of Indigenous literature in... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-03-09 21:39:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Review: ‘Model Citizen,’ by Joshua Mohr

In the memoir “Model Citizen,” Joshua Mohr recounts a life of substance abuse, real love and “cheery nihilism.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-03-09 10:00:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A novel approach to IR35

Publishing has long relied on self-employed freelancers for a diverse range of roles. From editors and copywriters to illustrators and ghost-writers, the periplectic nature of creativity has long been such that impermanence is a norm. Against that context, the publishing industry faces the new... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-09 00:04:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Tony Hendra, a Multiplatform Humorist, Is Dead at 79

He took his British brand of satire to nightclubs, TV, film (“This Is Spinal Tap”) and National Lampoon. But a memoir led to a sex-abuse accusation. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-03-05 19:48:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Make Time For 15 of the Best Erotic Short Stories and Novellas

Short, fun erotic short stories that will leave you wanting more! Check out the best erotic short stories that you need to pick ASAP. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-03-05 11:35:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Tough times need indie spirit

When I left the publishing industry at the end of 2007, the first Kindle had gone on sale just a month earlier, Apple had not yet launched the iPad and few people in publishing knew what an app was. It was a very different world. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-05 11:09:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Deals: Week of March 8, 2021

Ecco goes big on a debut novel, Kal Penn sells a memoir to Gallery, Brittney Cooper sells seven for seven figures to Scholastic, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Daisy May Cooper pens 'wonderful' memoir for PMJ

Comedy writer and actor Daisy May Cooper has written a "wonderful and ultimately uplifting" memoir, Don't Laugh, It Will Only Encourage Her, to be released by Penguin Michael Joseph. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-02 18:28:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Now You See It: A Magician’s Memoir Promises Truth and Other Lies

In “Amoralman,” the sleight-of-hand artist Derek DelGaudio turns to philosophy in an attempt to understand the nature of reality and deception. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-03-02 16:45:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Boy Who Talked to Dogs: a story of trauma brought to the stage with honesty and grace

This new play based on Martin McKenna’s memoir tells a difficult story with theatrical skill and artistic heart. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2021-03-01 05:56:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A Summary and Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘The Minister’s Black Veil’

‘The Minister’s Black Veil’ is one of the best-known and most widely studied short stories written by the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. Subtitled ‘A Parable’, the story originally appeared in a gift book titled The Token and Atlantic Souvenir in 1836, before being collected in Hawthorne’s... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-02-27 15:00:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Storyteller of Tangier

Mrabet was friends with Paul Bowles—and, it’s assumed, lovers, too—and they were artistic collaborators. But his memoir begins long before they met. Continue reading at The Paris Review

[ The Paris Review | 2021-02-26 14:00:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Resisting the Easy Impulse: Te-Ping Chen in Conversation with Brenda Peynado

I also love the way that surreality and exaggeration can work in short stories in ways that they don’t often in novels. The wilder the conceit, the harder it is to sustain, like it’s rocket fuel. The post Resisting the Easy Impulse: Te-Ping Chen in Conversation with Brenda Peynado appeared first... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2021-02-26 10:59:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this


10 of the Best Short Stories by Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812-70) is best-known for his fifteen novels and for shorter books like A Christmas Carol. However, Dickens’s was a restless talent, and during his publishing career that spanned more than thirty-five years, he also wrote countless articles, essays, and short stories. Although... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-02-25 15:00:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Allen & Unwin snaps up Ryder's 'sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll' memoir

Allen & Unwin to publish How to be a Rock Star by Shaun Ryder, a memoir that promises to lift the lid on what it's like to be a rock star. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-25 01:13:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this


International markets showed mixed response to pandemic in 2020

While the pandemic sent shockwaves across the world’s publishing industry in 2020, some international markets reported strong performances with the US posting record-breaking sales while Australia also saw a major boost. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-25 01:03:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Isabel Allende isn't passing the feminist torch — she's sharing it

The bestselling novelist, subject of an upcoming HBO Max biopic and author of the new memoir 'The Soul of a Woman' discusses aging, feminism and home. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-02-24 17:00:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Two Roads to publish memoir from Billy Connolly

Two Roads will publish Billy Connolly's first autobiography, titled Windswept and Interesting.    Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-24 15:35:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Writing for likes

Wattpad has increasingly become a very popular platform among young writers. Allowing anyone to share their works and providing a route for aspiring authors to be discovered by the publishing industry, it has become a compelling route for those to looking to develop professionally as a writer... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-24 03:00:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this