viSHEbility- Episode 7 - Writer's Corner featuring - Abimbola Dare, Tolu Adesina and Tola Okogwu

MARKET SPHERE: Writing, Authors, Fiction, Fiction with Intention

About Abimbola
Abimbola Daré grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and attended Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls. She studied law at the University of Wolverhampton and has an M.Sc. in International Project Management from Glasgow Caledonian University, graduating as best performing student and receiving the Association of Project Manager’s Prize for that year.

She was also awarded the Vivian Fowler Memorial College Outstanding Achievement Award for Literature in 2018, The Author Academy Award for her self-published novel, The Accidental Wife in 2017, and was named as top 100 Most Influential Writers in Nigeria by the Nigerian Writers Awards in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

In 2018, Abi won The Bath Novel Award in 2018 out of 1200 entries from 38 countries and was selected as a finalist in The Literary Consultancy Pen Factor competition in 2018. Through this, she has gained agency representation and the winning book “The Girl with the Louding Voice” will be released as a book in 2020.

She completed an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck University of London, achieving a Distinction.

Abi lives in Essex with her husband and children and works at a FTSE 100 company in the UK, as the head of the Project Management Office.

About Tolu
Affectionately known as Kekere (Tiny), Tolu's passion for young people and their development is anything but tiny. An avid volunteer with a heart to inspire young minds to achieve their fullest potential in all areas, Tolu is the co-founder of the Women of the Word and Seed Foundation and spends a majority of her time engaging with teenagers and young adults on issues such as career development, emotional trauma and self-acceptance. With a warm yet engaging manner, Tolu cuts to the depth of the issues facing young people today in a relatable yet practical way and her raw but real conversational style of story-telling draws people in and ensures her message of love in the face of trauma reaches the depth of the hearts of those she engages through her blog and social media platforms.

Tolu's debut book, In the Vault, was released in April 2018 and is an extremely personal and raw book which everyone can relate to and find a little of themselves in. It is a book that journeys through deeply felt losses, shameful mistakes and vulnerable moments as well as the lessons learnt from each step of the journey. Tolu has a unique perspective into the everyday issues and inner conflict we all face and will make you laugh, cry and scream as you learn along with her.

When she isn't working on a blog or a book, Tolu loves eating, travelling, reading, watching movies and playing with her nieces.

About Tola
Tola Okogwu is a journalist and author of the ‘Daddy Do My Hair?’ picture book series. The books were inspired by the relationship between her husband and daughters and are designed to challenge some of the perceptions and preconceptions around race and gender roles within parenting. Her books have become an excellent way of encouraging diversity and inclusion from an early age. Having children from all ethnicities enjoy the book makes an important impact on how children can identify with each other.

Through her books and wider writing, Tola constantly seeks to create ‘mirrors and windows’, allowing everyone the opportunity to read books that are reflective of their own experiences, backgrounds and cultures. An avid reader, Tola enjoys spending time with her family and friends around her home in Kent, UK where she lives with her husband and daughters.

Key takeaways from our conversation
1. Just start writing & stick with it – You have to want it
2. Invest in resources to learn how to write and hone your skills
3. Find accountability partners for the journey – critic partners, writing coaches, book mentors, writing groups etc
4. Expose your work to experts who can constructively critic your work
5. Every rejection is a footprint on your journey to greatness. Keep going!

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Thank you

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