Fortunate Traveller has made a call for submissions of creative non-fiction, poetry and photography for the second volume of its National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) themed anthology, Becoming Otondo: An Anthology of NYSC Travels Vol II.
Like it’s first volume, Government Pikin: An Anthology of NYSC Travels Vol I, guest-edited by Sami Tunji and SA Sanusi, Becoming Otondo will tell the stories of Nigerians observing, or that have observed, the compulsory year of service for young Nigerian tertiary institution graduates. The anthology will document the NYSC experience and showcase the creativity it generates. It will provide a platform for both new and established writers and artists to tell their NYSC stories and reach a wider audience.
Submission details:
For creative nonfiction, writers may send a single submission between 1000 to 3000 words, in a single Word document.
For poetry, writers may send up to three poems in a single Word document.
For photography, contributors should send up to three images, which should be appropriately captioned. All photo submissions should be high-resolution jpeg or png files.
Now into its fifth decade, has the NYSC scheme achieved its purpose of bringing unity to a devastated country immediately after independence, and in the multi-ethnic nation that is Nigeria? What are the stories corps members are telling about it? These questions and many more are what will be answered in the stories organisers are looking for in Becoming Otondo.
Submissions will be read and selected by guest editors and editorial team. Those selected for publication in the anthology will receive a first payment of 20,000 naira each and another payment upon every 500 paperback copies sold. Successful entries will be contacted by July 10, 2023. Deadline is June 17, 2023
Becoming Otondo will be curated by the duo of Kemi Falodun and Temitsyo Olofinlua. The project is partly funded by the Goethe Institut, Lagos. A public reading will be held at the Goethe Institut, where the book will be launched.
For enquiries and submissions, visit www.fortunatetraveller.com