Date: 30 July 2011
The prolific poetess, Cecilia Kato, will read from her poems in print and work in progress at the highly-acclaimed Guest Writer Session on July 30, 2011. An initiative of the Abuja Writers Forum (AWF), now in its third year, the event holds at the Pen and Pages Bookstore, White House Plaza, Plot 79, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja and has featured an exciting array of emerging and established writers.
A lecturer at the University of Abuja, Mrs Kato is considered to be one of the leading female poets from Northern Nigeria, who brings a wonderful perspective to feminist poetry in Nigeria. She has published two collections of poetry Desires and Victims of Love. Her forthcoming poetry collections are Let Me Cry To Your Hearing, A Woman’s Song and Choices.
Born in Kagoro, Jama’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State, she attended WTC Zaria, College of Education, Kano and did her first and second degrees at University Of Calabar. Currently undertaking a doctoral programme in the ELS department of the University of Abuja, Mrs Kato is an advocate for women’s emancipation and gender equity. She is also interested in Communications.
On what inspires her poetry, Mrs Kato says: “Poetry is my passion. It is a natural consequence of my rural upbringing. Kagoro exudes poetry by its topography. The streams, the foliage, the wild game and birds sing through memories that have survived every (aspect) of western education that one has received. Other experiences stem from early marriage and the survival techniques life made available to provide an enabling environment for the prisoner of the world’s worst war, The turbulence caused by riots in my state has left a mark on each of us. This too is reflected in what I call ‘my stupid thoughts’, that is, the poetry I write.”
The event which will include the usual side attractions of poetry performance, mini art exhibition, and a raffle-draw will also feature live music. The Abuja Writer’s Forum meets three Sundays each month and hosts a reading on every last Saturday at the International Institute of Journalism and Pen and Pages respectively.
Time: 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: Pen and Pages Bookstore, White House Plaza, Plot 79, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja
Contact Information:
For inquiries: abujawriters@fastermail.com
Website: http://www.abujawritersforum.com