I was reminded of the quote above while reading through the pages of this anthology, among other feelings evoked. What immediately strikes one upon perusing this anthology is its aesthetic beauty, originality, and vulnerability. And we are reminded that something beautiful and magical can come out of an ugly situation.

The anthology is a combination of short stories, poems, and essays. Every work in the anthology is brilliant. We find these voices—unique and vulnerable, unclothing themselves before an audience of readers. As a result, the reader can feel every emotion captured by the writers; such an experience is memorable. 
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In the first section of the anthology is where we find the writers channeling their inner senses, reflecting on the question, “Why I Write,” and the result is beauty cooked from recipes of originality, creativity, and vulnerability. Each writer seems convinced about their why—intention and purpose for writing, and I suppose herein lies the beauty. Whether it be a chronicler who is journeying and documenting, or a lad who found writing through the language of love, or an adult trying to survive the phase called adulthood, or the writer born out of the desire to survive challenges, seeking an outlet for expression, to beat grief and malicious words, or a writer on a journey of discovery, or the ones who can be called saviours, whatever their reason, the magic these writers create with words emphasize their innermost yield to write.

Furthermore, these pieces show us that while we may go through a dose of heart-rending tales before we can find light or anything beautiful, writing is the outlet for the beauty we seek—for example, the writer who found solace in the pages of books in the library to escape from bullies at school. Hence, it is possible for a writer to resent the rationale for writing in the first place but doesn't dispute the beauty that lies therein—finding the pen! So, like a flower on the path of blossom, every essay represents transformation, blooming. 

“At some point in my writing journey, I believed that my writing was influenced by change…If you ask me now, I will say I write to make money. This does not mean that my passion for writing has shifted. It means that I come from an economy where the prices of foodstuffs have doubled, and everyone is struggling to make ends meet. Maybe some years from now, I may find myself in a new environment. I may be doing academic writing, an MFA, or any of these serious writing programs that will raise my shoulders high in Kiss Daniel’s “Buga” style. Then if you ask me why I write, I will respond in a velvety voice: the kind that is softened by years of vacations, boat cruises, sipping wine, and counting wads of cash. I will say the words in my Amerigbo accent: “I write for fun.”- Gimbiya Galadima.
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Even though I find the above hilarious, I cannot ignore what the writer is trying to convey. First, it is a reminder that the only constant thing is change, and we must give ourselves permission to embrace it. It is an acknowledgment that time changes and reasons change, but regardless, writing remains a core of the writer—a truth that speaks through the words of every writer in this anthology. In the words of Ifunanya Juliet Ottih, “I know that time changes. And if you ask me tomorrow why I write, I might have a different reason, but I will always write to complete sentences.”

Additionally, you will find a compelling mix of uniqueness, humour, and relatability in the short stories in this collection, which will have you drooling for more—the writing prowess of the authors that pulls you into the story from the very beginning and guides your attention throughout the duration of the tale. Also the same holds for the poems in this anthology; they are rich and diverse in expression. 

Overall, the diversity of thought within the anthology is equally impressive, and it is hard not to relish the originality and elegance of the writers.

“I write about everything that plants a rose in my chest, and when I talk about a rose, I’m talking about everything tender and beautiful.”

- Abdulkareem Abdulkareem.

This anthology is proof of everything tender and beautiful.


Ilerioluwa Olatunde
Lagos, Nigeria.