INTERVIEW

Publishing and the African Landscape: A Conversation with Author of  Echoes Across the Atlantic, John Chinaka Onyeche.

John Chinaka Onyeche "Rememberajc" (he/his) is an author of three poetry collections Echoes Across The Atlantic, A Night Tale At The Threshold Of Howl, We Returned To Kiss The Cross and a chapbook Chapters Of Broken Tales. A husband, father and poet from Nigeria. He writes from the city of Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria. He is currently a student of History and Diplomatic Studies at Ignatius Ajuru University Of Education Port Harcourt Rivers State.

John Chinaka can be reached through the following means:

Rememberajc.wordpress.com

Facebook.com/jehovahisgood

Twitter.com/apostlejohnchin

Apostlejohnchinaka@gmail.com

https://linktr.ee/Rememberajc

In the world today, especially in the African literary space, the idea of publishing, with regards to chapbooks and manuscripts have been low; especially as poets/writers prefer publishing singular poems in various magazines without fully considering a full blown work. How do you as a writer and poet reconcile this with your publication history?

Well, first of all, I will say that I see art as a lifestyle and something that gives me joy irrespective of if I am making a dime out of it or not. Remember, most of the chapbooks published by African writers are free, and to be honest, I will tell you that not all are being read to an extent, unlike hard copies. So, poets in considering the part of the world we find ourselves in, we look at getting our pay instead of going into publishing a full-blown poetry books. Another factor is the issue of contests; yes, majority of these promising literary awards weave their guidelines in a way that submitters who do not have a chapbook or full-length published books of poetry of any kind, are the only ones eligible for submission. Now, coming to myself, I have said that, I love the art and putting it out is one thing that has kept me going.

Still on publishing, one cannot gainsay the simple truism that writers and readers share a symbiotic relationship; due to this, are you of the opinion that published works by small or online presses should be made available to readers for free or at a price?

Talking from this part of the world, I think that readers of online published works of literature, be it from a small online press or otherwise, all readers should be able to appreciate the writer and the publishers as that could be said to be an encouragement.

What's your take on self-publishing? Do you think self-publishing fosters bastardisation? Or, is it just another way for writers to traffic their works to a wider audience?

A tree can not make a forest. I have once tried publishing one of my collections on Amazon and till I pulled it down, I never made any sales from the book. Self-publishing, well as the name implies, you have to do everything for yourself. Just imagine an emerging writer who has little or no idea the market and how to go about it, the fellow would likely end up publishing his/her book and dump them in their houses. I had once known a writer who never wanted to go into any contract with any publishing firm to publish his books and after embarking on self-publishing, I tell you to this day, those books are packed in his room. My advice to the budding writers is this, try to get a conventional publishing house.

When venturing into the publication of your poetry collection, Echoes Across the Atlantic, did you reach out to African presses or did you feel Dumpster Fire Press was the right home for the collection? And does the process of selection of manuscripts take a subjective process or one which requires impressionistic exclusivity?

Paulo Coelho in his book The Alchemist said, "whatever thing you want, that universe will conspire to bring it your way." I didn't know any Nigerian or African Press as at the time I wanted to publish my first book, Echoes Across The Atlantic. But all that I can say is that I wanted the manuscript published. Another thing is the belief system that most of us have been building in our subconscious minds, yes, as a writer, you have to believe in yourself and never allow depression to steal your sanity.

How do you toggle the act of creative writing, editing and compilation of poems amidst work? Does this come natural to you, or do you sometimes make sacrifices for the love of art?

If you want anything in life, saturate yourself with it and keep working to see it come to fruition. I read so much online and I did make contacts with editors too but later on, I decided to rely on my intuition to guide me and there was Mike Zone of Dumpster Fire Press, who helped me to achieve this goal. 

During the pandemic, the firm I worked for came up with a plan, being that they are a service provider, most of the guards were asked to return to their various homes and I happened to be amongst them. I have been working as a security guard with Halogen Security since 2014 December till date and I gained admission into the university in 2019 to study History and Diplomatic Studies.

It is a wish fulfilled for me and regardless of how tight up the job seems in most cases, I always return to my pen and paper. So, during the pandemic, I returned home and I started thinking about what next to do during lockdown, then I noticed that the phone I was using then had an app called Notes and when I tried using it, I discovered that it was a great place to while away time with writing and so I started writing and posting them on my Facebook timeline. 

Work. Work turned me into a night wolf . I read all my textbooks and other books to get angered by the dealings of our forefathers. Since I had an app like Notes I mentioned earlier, I downloaded Microsoft Office and later Google Keep Notes, any little idea I came across, I made sure to put it down and revisit later. 

Studies. I had always wanted to be visit the library but time was limited, so I took my books along with me to the office and there I read like no one's business. 

Family. I have a lovely wife and a son and they are always there for me regardless of my being away from them.

I downloaded Microsoft Office and later Google Keep Notes, any little idea I came across, I made sure to put it down and revisit later. 

One last question before we wrap up this session."I have rewritten — often several times — every word I have ever published. My pencils outlast their erasers." Drawing from Vladimir Nabokov's proclamation, do you you earnestly think publishing is the last stage of writing?

Wow! Well, first I would like to say that you need to be in a proper state of mind before closing a manuscript. A manuscript sent out and published can only be visited again as a second edition of the book. However, publishing is never the last stage of writing. Thank you.

A manuscript sent out and published can only be visited again as the second edition of the book. 

Thank you so much for having me, Sir. I enjoyed having this conversation with you.

You're welcome.