For our Hosting Earth Award, presented in partnership with Guestbook Project, we asked for a creative nonfiction piece that expressed a sense of gratitude for the earth. Ezimadu Ugorji’s (Nigeria) myth-like piece “From the Farm” did just that, leaving readers with the understanding that, as Ezimadu says, the land is alive and we must take care of her.
Learn about Ezimadu’s writing process, his tips for seamlessly incorporating description into action, his book recommendation, and more!
In your story, the narrator and the narrator’s mother’s have a meaningful encounter with a neighbor while harvesting cassava. Did you know immediately that you wanted to write about this incident, or did you consider various narratives?
There were other drafts although they were somewhat along that line. For example, my main alternative was about an experience frying garri, which is dry ground cassava. I guess I’m full of cassava episodes.
Your piece gives readers a strong sense of place, yet you never stop the narrative for description. What tips do you have for other young writers who want to seamlessly weave in a sense of place in their writing without losing momentum?
A useful tip would be: don’t pause the action once it starts. Just progressively add in one or two description sentences. Write some action, then you add. It nudges the reader’s imagination without being too obvious.
What do you hope readers will take away from your piece?
Ala is the land. She feels and breathes. So our actions, both environmental and social—because they’re all done on the land—affect her feelings. How do you make her feel?
What’s a book by a Nigerian author that you would recommend to other young writers?
It’s a dream come true to recommend a book for the community. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe especially; the story of Okonkwo, a man constantly reaching for status with a latent fear of failure and weakness.
