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1. Evening
with Binyavanga Wainaina and Kojo Laing
Wednesday, May 19th –
American Corner at University of Ghana, Legon Campus
Kenyan
writer, Binyavanga Wainaina, the 2002 Caine Prize
winner, and Ghanaian writer Kojo Laing, joined the Writers Project of
Ghana for an evening of literary discussion.
Wainaina, now the Director of the Chinua Achebe Center
for African Literature and Languages at Bard College, read a
few hilarious passages from his forthcoming memoir about
his Kenyan childhood. He expressed his love for Laing’s
novel Search Sweet Country, and explained
that,“Writing is madness. It’s the only place where a kiss is
more important than a genocide.” Laing offered advice to the young
Ghanaian writers in the audience and described his complex
relationship with Ghana as a writer: “I’ve always thought of
myself as a ghost in my own country.” 2. Day
& a Half Poetry workshop with Laban Hill
Saturday,
May 22nd and Sunday,
May 23rd – Legon
Hall Reading Room, University of Ghana, Legon
The first writing workshop organised by the Writers Project of Ghana took off with a small group of participants meeting with American writer and Writers
Project of Ghana co-founder Laban Hill for a lively interaction. Day One focused on metaphors and lineation, with analyses
of poems by Billy Collins, Jane Kenyon and Robert Hass. Hill gave an
overnight writing assignment of a twenty-line poem in one
sentence using an animal as a metaphor for something else.
This resulted in a great Day Two, spent discussing participants’
poems, featuring cats, bats, birds and a he-goat.
3. Day
& a Half Fiction workshop with Laban Hill
Saturday,
May 29th and
Sunday, May 30th –
Legon Hall at University of Ghana, Legon Campus
After
the success of the poetry workshop, Laban Hill returned to discuss
fiction with a group of twelve writers. Day One centered on
emotional beats and the construction of a scene, with analysis of
work by E.M. Forster and Edward P. Jones. An overnight assignment
produced a variety of short scenes that were discussed on Day Two.
| 4. Fiction, Journaling and Poetry Workshops with Opportunities Opportunities Industrialization Centre (OIC) students Tuesday, May 18th and Thursday, May 20th – American Corner at University of Ghana, Legon Campus
Organized by the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Accra, these two workshops encouraged writing with a group of thirty OIC students. Tuesday’s activities included readings by Ben East (Embassy staff), Laban Hill, Nana Nyarko Boateng (Writers Project of Ghana Programmes Director) and Kimi Goffe (Writers Project of Ghana Intern). This was followed by free writing time for the students, who then read some of their work. Myrah Brown (Embassy staff) led a journaling session in the afternoon. On Thursday, the students read aloud from an anthology of African American poetry and shared some more of their own work. 5. Information Technology Workshop with Opportunities Industrialization Centre (OIC) students
Wednesday, June 2nd – Information Resource Center at US Embassy in Accra
The Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Accra invited the Writers Project of Ghana to lead a workshop on internet use. Laban Hill, Nana Nyarko Boateng and Kimi Goffe helped students set up email addresses and went through the process of starting an online blog.
6. Ehalakasa TalkParty Series
Every fortnight at the Nubuke Foundation, East Legon
The Ehalakasa TalkParty series for 2010 started on January 31st and have carried on every fortnight since, featuring the usual open bar and a variety of poems and musical pieces from Ghanaian writers and musicians.
7. Poetry Marathon and Workshop
Saturday, June 26th and Sunday, June, 23rd – Legon Hall Reading Room, University of Ghana, Legon
The Writers Project of Ghana’s workshop series continued in June with this poetry-focused workshop, aimed at producing new work. Fifteen writers met on Saturday for a day of critique-free writing exercises. They wrote and read in a continuous creative flow during the morning and afternoon sessions, producing the beginnings of many new pieces.
On Sunday, Dr. Mawuli Adjei, a poet and lecturer in the English Department at Legon, led a workshop of participants’ pieces.
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