Welcome to the 5 Minutes Series. Each week, I’ll ask five questions of some of my favorite authors, editors, publishers, and other industry professionals. This week, I’m talking with Yejide Kilanko, an amazing writer and a lovely person.
You were recently shortlisted for the prestigious Caine Prize. Can you talk a little about that experience?
This has been a long, emotional year for me, and the shortlist announcement came when I needed some encouragement. No matter where we are on this writing journey, we all need encouragement. Travelling to London, UK, meeting and reconnecting with the other shortlisted writers and writer friends was a joy. I didn’t win the prize, but I got the unexpected honour of having my story title picked as the anthology title. I’m especially thankful to Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, editor of Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices. All this happened because Nana believed in and nominated the short story. Great things happen when people believe in us.
How long did it take you to write and revise the story for which you were shortlisted?
The core of This Tangible Thing started as a draft chapter in a middle-grade fantasy novel I’m still hoping to write one day. I wrote my first words in 2012. Seven years later, after struggling to move things forward, I decided that maybe the novel would be easier to write if I focused on getting to know the two main characters, Bíbíire and Àjọkẹ. That exploration of their relationship unfolded into a short story. The detour was the best decision because the story was accepted for publication in 2020 and subsequently published in Relations in January 2023.
What does success mean to you as a writer?
Success as a writer means being at peace with my work and myself. Those are the things within my control. Of course, I also want to share my work with the largest audience, make some money, and get recognized by literary prizes. Those are great goals, as bills happen in real-time. However, of utmost importance, I want to keep writing stories that help my readers and me imagine the world differently.
What advice would you give to writers who are getting frustrated because they don’t feel they’re moving ahead in their careers?
It would be helpful to determine the core issues fueling the frustration. If the issues are related to their craft, what do they think the roadblocks are? Are there ways they can get around them? Whose help do they need? What expectations do they need to let go? If the issues are related to the business end of things, they may need to practice radical acceptance about how publishing works. Publishing is a business. Books get published for many reasons. Sometimes, they are about something other than being the best manuscript. Defining what success means to you as a writer will help determine if writing costs, e.g., time, money, and peace are worth the investment. If you decide that they are, keep keeping on. All the best.
What are you working on right now?
Right now, nothing. I have completed novel manuscripts that need homes, and I should focus my energy on getting some yeses. I am also doing work, school, and life full-time and need to fully breathe. I may start working on the fascinating short story idea floating around in my head. We’ll see.
Bonus question: Have you ever taken a picture of a weird bird?
I haven’t. But I took a picture of a goose on my favourite walking path. The geese usually leave the path as you approach. This queen said, “Chile, I’ve been waddling for a minute. You need to wait.” I had to respect the waddle.
Yejide Kilanko was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. She writes poetry and fiction. Kilanko’s debut novel, Daughters Who Walk This Path, a Canadian national bestseller, was longlisted for the 2016 Nigeria Prize for Literature. Her short fiction is included in the New Orleans Review 2017: The African Literary Hustle anthology. Kilanko’s latest novel, A Good Name, was published by Guernica Editions in 2021. A Health Quality PhD student, Kilanko lives in Ontario, Canada, where she also practices as a social worker.
Yejide Kilanko can be found on the web as follows:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YejideKilankoAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yejidekilanko
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yejidekilanko
Website: www.yejidekilanko.com
Finnian Burnett 