Nnedimma Ezenwa-Ohaeto is from Akwa, Anambra
State in Nigeria. She says that her brother, Chinua, motivated her to write and
enter for the Babishai 2017 haiku prize.
What drew you to enter for the competition?
I don’t think it is “what” but “who”: it has always been my
brother, Chinua, who always wants me and our other siblings to write, express
ourselves and enter for competitions. He loves competitions. Making it into the
shortlist has been a great joy to me. My entries― although my first time of
trying haiku― were edited by Chinua, who gave it its taste and quality.
Do you have a particular personal story with haikus?
Yeah, I do. It was really difficult, for me, writing haikus
because it was my first time. I remember how I birthed them: one particular
night, I couldn’t sleep, and in the bid of wanting to kill time by doing a
thing rather than just lying in my bed, I picked a paper and wrote just three,
and one of them got me onto the shortlist.
What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?
Wooow! But I feel great. I feel appreciated. I feel I can
write more. I feel my tiny and shy voice can make a difference.
What motivation do poets need, to keep writing, in this
ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?
Motivation poets need, for me, to keep writing: read more,
listen to their feelings, and allow themselves be absorbed by their
environment(s). In this way they can reflect their inner selves and society in
which they find themselves through their outputs.
If your 2017 submission was food, what would it
be?
It would be fried rice decorated with chicken.
Her 2017 haiku submission is here:
crickets' chirps
break the quiet of night:
an old man deserts his armchair
http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/
The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html
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