just got my hands on a copy of dreams at dawn: stories from the international creative writing workshop series organized by fidelity bank plc. altho i really should be writing my own, find myself lost in reading so many beautiful words today. with an introduction by helon habila--one of the co-editors, along with tsitsi dangarembga and madeleine thien--the collection features stories from:

                    abdulrahman mohammed :: abuja blues
                    eghosa imasuen :: wet hair
                    nnadozie duke onyekuru :: upside down
                    james eze :: the last good man in america
                    elvis iyorngurum :: scars of our last day
                    elias chukwuemeka ugwu :: the pot of life
                    stanley azuakola :: penitence
                    ebele adibe adimgbe :: where is thy sting?
                    tolu ogunlesi :: the funeral
                    onyinyechi nwadinma :: my vacation
                    uche peter umez :: face like a mask
                    emilia udom :: no fault of mine
                    evans bagwiba :: father without a child
                    karen adu :: hold me
                    deji rahman :: a scent of eternity
                    ugwu christian ikenna :: journey of a lifetime
                    ojo maduweke :: he is not my child
                    queen esther egbe :: olla's rainbow

i know several of these folks personally, so it's always great to see them in print. a few are no longer so new on the scene, but there are also plenty up-and-coming writers to watch out for in the future. still not sure where the books are available (my copy was handed to me), but i will keep you posted if and when i find out. --AL.