TABLE TALK
“Anyone who is able to weave a good story is my hero any day” – Interview with Olakunle Ologunro
Olakunle Ologunro
Winner of the 2017 Kreative Diadem Annual Creative Writing Content (Flash Fiction Category)
KD: When did you first discover your passion for writing, what inspired you?
KD: What are some of the challenges you face as a writer? What steps do you take to overcome them?
KD: Who are some of the literary figures that inspire you/you look up to?
” But to put it simply, anyone who is able to weave a good story is my hero any day. I am not bothered if that person has never published a book, or if s/he is a multiple award-winning
KD: In 2017, you won first prize in the flash fiction category of Kreative Diadem’s annual writing contest. How did you feel about winning?
Ologunro: Surprised. Then excited. And then panicky.
KD: Let us get down to your flash fiction. What was the inspiration behind Imole? Was there a specific message you intended to pass along to the reader?
Ologunro: Would you believe me if I said that the idea for ‘Imole‘ came to me from nowhere? I can’t remember what I was doing then, but the line, “Your mother,
And no, I wasn’t interested in passing a message. At least that was not my foremost intention. I understand that people who read it might take away a lesson or two, but while I was writing it, all that mattered was telling a story that seemed ripe enough to be told.
KD: Apart from winning first prize in the flash fiction contest last year, what are some of your other achievements? (Awards, nominations, published works, etc.)
Ologunro: I placed second in a writing contest by Naija Stories, was a finalist for the Awele Creative Trust Award, was shortlisted for the Gerald Kraak award anthology, longlisted for the inaugural AMAB-Home of Books Foundation Prize. My short story ‘Pampers’ was published in the Queer Africa 2 anthology, and republished in Queer Africa: Selected Stories, my flash fiction ‘And They Were Laughing’ was published in LitroUK, and my recent short story ‘A Nonrequired Guide to Writing Love Stories’ appears on Brittle Paper.
KD: Are you currently working on any books at the moment?
Ologunro: No, I am not. I wish I was, though.
KD: What advice would you give to aspiring writers like yourself, especially in Nigeria?
KD: What do you think about Kreative Diadem?
KD: Any final words?
Our third issue ever, "Isolation" is out. We had thought-provoking conversations with Alexis Teyie and Tobi Nifesi. It's a collection of works from some of the finest minds out there -- poetry, short stories, interviews, and creative essays.
Do you love our published works?
You can add your literary work to an endless list of poems, short stories, flash fiction, and essays.
Kreative Diadem
The right to think is the right to write
© 2015 - 2020 Kreative Diadem. Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
FOLLOW US
I so much believe in OLOGUNRO as a writer, and I see a future for writers.
Kudos to kreativediadem