The Flame Tree Writers’ Project, which supports emerging Nigerian writers in the craft of creative writing as a critical tool to explore the present social realities and imagine the future, is currently accepting applications from emerging writers from the 19 Northern States of Nigeria in an initiative to enable that emphasizes the role of creative writing in advancing a more democratic, peaceful, gender-equitable, and socially just Northern Nigeria.
The project is led by Mr. Abubakar Adam Ibrahim and will be co-facilitated by Mr. Chika Unigwe both NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature Laureates in partnership with the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Abuja Office.
Successful applicants will be invited to a five-day workshop in Abuja from June 24 to June 28, 2024, where they will receive expert guidance that will help them explore available options in publishing. It also offers them a vehicle to disseminate new ideas through stories to broad audiences.
Participants will receive expert guidance from two NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature winners and others, in writing a short story suitable for publication in an anthology of new writing from Northern Nigeria.
All programme-related travel, catering and accommodation costs will be covered by the organisers. There will be no fees charged to participants.
This pilot edition of the workshop is exclusively for writers from the 19 Northern States of Nigeria domiciled in the country; who must be between the ages of 18 and 35; and have not published any full-length work of fiction at the time of application, but must provide (where available) a link to previously published fiction pieces even if they were not published on a mainstream platform. Participants must be committed to staying the entire duration of the workshop.
To be eligible applicants must submit the following:
- • Full Name, Date of Birth, and State of Origin.
- • 100-word bio.
- • 100-word motivation statement explaining why this workshop will be important to them.
- • 1000-word prose fiction writing sample (could be an excerpt or short story).
- • Copy of valid means of identification: NIN, Driver’s license, Voter’s Card or other acceptable National IDs.
All documents must be submitted in a single merged PDF document.
The project expressly aims to ensure a balanced mix of participants in terms of gender, geography, and identity to represent the diversity of Northern Nigeria. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
All applications should be submitted to flametreewritersproject@gmail.com on or before June 1, 2024.
