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Blogger Spotlight: Incessante Scribble

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Incessant Scribble is an African Literary blog owned by Osondu Nnamdi Awaraka born in Lagos, grew up in Port Harcourt and then moved to Houston, Texas where he currently blogs from. He is a graduate from Texas A&M with a Doctor of Pharmacy, will be a licensed pharmacist once he is done with his board exams.


In your blog introduction you said I was born in Lagos, Nigeria in the late 1980's…. I immigrated to America in March 2009… Do you look forward to returning to Nigeria?
Yes, I do! I haven’t been back to Nigeria since I left. My plan was to focus on getting my degree and then go back to visit. I’ll plan my trip once I’m done with my board exams.

What inspired you to start your blog?
I started Incessant Scribble because I wanted to share my writings. I had been writing for some time and I would always show it to my friends and family but I wanted a broader audience. I was initially worried that I wouldn’t be able to blog frequently enough and all the other fears of the unknown but my friend Onyeka Nwelue really, really encouraged me to start. 

How did you fall upon the name “Incessant Scribble”? incessantly scribbling :-), I love it by the way. What does it stand for for you?
Thank you! It spoke to what I felt I wanted to do with my life. To constantly write stories. It’s a need. And even when I’m not jotting down my stories (like during my college years when I was so consumed with school work), I’m constantly just mentally sorting out my stories till I can put them down on paper. 

For how long have you been blogging and for how long do you look forward to book blogging?
I’ve been blogging since March 2008. I plan to keep blogging until my tenth anniversary in March 2018 at the very least. I hope to keep blogging after then but there is only so much time an individual has and so many projects and journeys I hope to embark on in this life. It’s something I’ll figure out in detail as I get closer to March 2018. 

What is the highest amount of book you’ve read in a year? 
Sadly, I don’t have a number for that. I’m so good at keeping tabs on everything but that isn’t something that I’ve bothered with. There are years when I read books without even reviewing them so my literary blog isn’t a reliable guide either. 

How many books did you read last year?
I read and reviewed 16 novels in 2015. 

In your introduction, you said that you got two more years to try and accomplish the literary goals I've always hoped ...... what are those literary goals? Are you close to accomplishing them?
I’ve always hoped that by 30 I’d have completed a novel or a collection of short stories. I’d always hoped to be published by that age but that wasn’t as concrete a goal as finishing a book. I have friends who I started out with who have finished their first novels and gotten them published. I have been really busy with school these past couple of years so I haven’t been able to give it as much time as I would like. I’m a graduate now and once I’m finished with my licensing exams I’ll have a lot more time to devote to my literary pursuits. I’m currently putting together a collection of short stories. I feel like I’m on track to be done before turning 30 but we’ll see. Fingers crossed. 

Fingers crossed. Good luck! How do you decide the books you read? Where do you buy or borrow them?
There are a lot of factors that determine my book selection. Right now I’m trying to read as widely as I can from the African continent. Africa has 54 countries and I’ve read & reviewed literature from 14 of them. If I find something interesting from a country I’ve never read from, I select it. Book cover art interestingly enough can motivate me to select a novel. I also keep tabs on authors I’ve read in the past so if they have a new work coming out I buy it. 

When I arrived America I used to borrow my books but now I buy them. The library closest to me does not always have new releases which is important if you’re a book blogger. Also borrowing from the library requires that you read it during a specific window of time. With all of the studying, schoolwork and traveling that I have to do, I can’t borrow from the library and still meet all my reading targets. It’s very constricting. I buy most of my books from Amazon. It’s a wonderful service. Buying my own books also helps me build a library of books I’ve read, which is something I’ve always wanted. 

Who are your 3 most read authors
I’m assuming you mean a count of the number of published titles from the body of work of a specific author. I’ve read about 7 titles by Chinua Achebe; I’ve read 7 of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, and I’ve read 4 titles from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and 4 titles from Helen Oyeyemi. 

Your favourite African writer?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Are you participating in any reading challenges? 
No, I’m not currently participating in any reading challenges.

Five African literature blog you recommend and follow?
A good number of the African literary bloggers that I love have stopped blogging so I’m going to list my favourite book/literary bloggers in no particular order: 
  1. African Book Addict! 
  2. Read Diverse Books
  3. Mary Okeke Reviews
  4. Brittle Paper
  5. Critical Literature Review

10 African literature, you have read, really enjoyed and highly recommend.
There’s so much to recommend. I’m going to list them in no particular order: 

  1. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  2. The Hair dresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu
  3. Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasis
  4. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
  5. Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
  6. Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
  7. The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma
  8. On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe
  9. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
  10. Foreign Gods INC. by Okey Ndibe
How do we contact you?
Email: incessantscribble(at)gmail(dot)com
Blog: http://ift.tt/2g3FJe7

Thank you!






from Mary Okeke Reviews http://ift.tt/2g3C545

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