Chidera Okolie
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Chidera Okolie | |
|---|---|
| File:Chidera Okolie.jpg Chidera Okolie in 2019 | |
| Born | 27 March 1993 |
| Occupation(s) | Novelist, Lawyer, Freelancer |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Notable work | When Silence Becomes Too Loud |
| Awards | Fiction Writer of the year |
Chidera Nneoma Okolie (born 27 March 1993)[1] is a Nigerian writer who gained national attention when her debut novel When Silence Becomes Too Loud was endorsed in 2015 by then President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan.[2][3]
Biography
Okolie was born in Enugu, Enugu State, in Southeast Nigeria. She is the first-born child of an Architect father and a Professor mother. She is ethnic Igbo from Enugu State.[4]
As a young child, Okolie began showing signs of her love for literature, as she did considerably well in her literature courses in school and also began writing short stories for her classmates, while in high school.[4]
Okolie went on to study Law at the University of Nigeria and was admitted to the Nigerian bar[5] in November 2016.[6][2]
Literary career
Okolie published her first novel, When Silence Becomes Too Loud, in December 2014 while a law student.[7] In March 2015 the novel was endorsed by then President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan,[3] in an entrepreneurship initiative in Abuja.[6]
In September 2017, she released of her second publication, Not Forgiven, a collection of short psychological thriller stories.[8][5]
Idios Creatives
In February 2018, Okolie founded the Idios Creatives, a platform for young aspiring writers and creatives to express their creativity.[5][4] In April 2018, she initiated the Idios Prize for Flash Fiction and Poetry,[8][5] which attracted participation from at least 397 school children.[8][5] After a rigorous selection process, 100 children's stories were selected and compiled by Okolie into a book titled "The Future: A Collection of Short Stories and Poems by Children of Selected Nigerian Schools", which was released in November 2018.[8]
Honours
In June 2015, Okolie was nominated for the African Achievers Awards. In 2016, she was named Fiction Writer of the Year and one of the 100 most influential Nigerian writers under 40 at the first Nigerian Writers Awards.[1] She was also named Fiction Writer of the Year at the Xperience Womanity Awards.[1][9]
In January 2019, she was listed among the top 100 Most Influential Young Nigerians by AvanceMedia in the category, Law & Governance.[10]
References
- ^ a b c "100 Most Influential Nigerian Writers Under 40. (2016 List)". NWAward.com. 28 December 2016.
- ^ a b Iheanacho, Chinma (8 March 2019) [8 March 2018]. "Meet 24 year-old Chidera Okolie, another Chimamanda Adichie in the making". Legit Newspaper.
- ^ a b "Meet Chidera Okolie – 24 Year-Old Barrister & Award Winning Writer". The Witness Newspaper. 8 March 2019 [27 November 2018].
- ^ a b c Oliseh, Njideka (8 March 2019) [8 March 2019]. "The Creative force that is the Idios". Business Day Newspaper.
- ^ a b c d e Onochie, Bridget (8 March 2019) [20 January 2019]. "With The Future, Okolie raises new storytellers, poets". The Guardian Newspaper.
- ^ a b AIT News (24 April 2017). "Meet 'Chidera Okolie' – 24 year-old Barrister & Award Winning Writer". ait. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ^ Quadri, Zaynab (2 June 2015) [28 May 2015]. "Chidera Okolie: When silence becomes too loud". Pulse.ng.
- ^ a b c d Pascal, Igue (8 March 2019) [8 March 2019]. "The Future: Raising New Breeds of Poets, Storytellers". Leadership Newspaper.
- ^ Julius, Success (6 May 2016). "Exclusive photos from the Xperience Womanity Awards 2016". Xperience Online Media. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- ^ "2018 100 most influential young Nigerians finalists announced". PulseNG via News Agency of Nigeria. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2018.