The beautiful quadrangle where the launch took place.
Ovo Adagha and moi
L to R: Dan Raymond-Barker of New Internationalist, Jude Dibia, moi, Constantinos Tzikas, Elaine Chiew, Chris Brazier of New Internationalist, Ovo Adagha.This took place in the JCR at Christ Church College, and although it had some fairly heftly competition (there are four or five events on in the same time slots), we were informed that it was a sellout! All tickets sold out. The room was packed, and there was standing room only. It was lovely.
Ovo Adagha was introduced by our lovely chairperson, and he intoduced the anthology, talking about his vision and how it came about. How it started as a Third World collection of stories and how we all threw out that concept very fast.
Elaine read first, then Jude, then it was my turn. I read the opening of the story, asking the audience to suspend disbelief to aee/hear me as a six-year-old Inuit girl! There was discussion about the project, how it was conceived, how writers were chosen. How we organised it, worked together and so on.
There was much mention of Zoetrope. The online forum where the anthology was born and where it grew up.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie read, then Ovo. There was much signing, and natter, and all the anthologies brought to the event went. Fantastico. I also signed a few of my own collection - Blackwells Bookshop had really done well.
We were then treated to dinner by New Internationalist at a nearby superb Chinese restaurant, in the company of James, the Fund Director of Medecins Sans Frontieres.
The anthology is much in evidence in the Blackwells marquee bookshop in the meadows!! One pile on a stand, and another on the signed books table. It is REAL!
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