15 Writers, Three Days & A Bigger Mission: The Lagos Review Targets Nigeria’s Literary Future
FIFTEEN emerging writers will gather in Lagos this September for a programme that seeks to do more than teach the mechanics of writing.
The Lagos Review Writing Weekend, scheduled for 10 to 12 September 2026, will train participants in writing reviews of books, music and films, as well as producing thoughtful essays.
The initiative comes from The Lagos Review, the Nigerian literary platform founded in 2019 by Dami Ajayi, Peju Akande and Toni Kan.
For the organisers, however, the three-day programme represents part of a longer project: developing writers who can become influential reviewers, essayists and cultural tastemakers.
A Seven-Year Literary Experiment
When The Lagos Review began, its founders set out to interrogate Nigeria’s literary output while building an ecosystem around critical writing.
That vision included creating opportunities for writers to become literary gatekeepers and tastemakers while earning income from their work.
Seven years later, the publication says its work has expanded considerably.
It has published almost 2,500 reviews and essays. Its contributors have also moved into international academic and professional spaces.
Seven writers have received or progressed to MFAs, according to the publication, while five have secured global talent visas.
Two contributors have won the CORA–Saro Wiwa review prizes.
The platform also points to a notable international opportunity in 2025, when two of its writers were selected to write for a Financial Times special edition on Lagos.
Why Reviewers Matter
Literary and cultural reviewers occupy a crucial position between creators and audiences.
They help readers understand books, listeners interpret music and audiences assess films. Through criticism, they can also challenge prevailing ideas about art, culture and society.
Yet the profession often lacks the structures available to other areas of creative work.
The Lagos Review’s Writing Weekend seeks to strengthen that missing infrastructure by combining training with publication and professional exposure.
The goal is to produce writers who can contribute to cultural conversations with confidence, knowledge and critical independence.
Experienced Voices Lead the Training
The organisers have assembled facilitators with experience across Nigerian literary and cultural writing.
Adewale Maja Pearce, Eghosa Imasuen, Oris Aigbokhaevbolo, Akumbu Uche and Toni Kan are among those scheduled to lead the sessions.
Participants will examine the craft of writing compelling reviews and essays.
They will also encounter different approaches to engaging with books, music, films and broader cultural questions.
The programme has received support from the Open Society Foundation.
Training Comes With Professional Opportunities
The organisers have designed the programme to offer practical benefits alongside instruction.
Each selected participant will receive free return airfare from anywhere in Nigeria, hotel accommodation and a ₦100,000 honorarium.
The writers will also have opportunities for regular publication in The Lagos Review.
In addition, they will participate in a public reading at the conclusion of the programme.
That combination gives the workshop a professional dimension. Participants will not simply learn about cultural writing; they will have opportunities to practise it, publish it and present their work before an audience.
The Weekend Ends With Books & Conversation
The programme will conclude on Saturday 12 September, with a public reading at RovingHeights Bookstore in Oniru.
The event will begin at 4 p.m.
Toni Kan and Eghosa Imasuen will read from their books, Riding the Storm: The Untold Story of Africa’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and The Challengers: The Disruptive Nigerian Entrepreneurs Creating a Billion-Naira Company.
Kan will subsequently speak with Toyin Akinosho.
The closing event creates a bridge between the new writers participating in the programme and the broader literary public.
A New Cohort for a Growing Ecosystem
The first cohort consists of Mariam Abdullahi, Peter Adeyemo, Lateefat Balogun, Sima Essien, Charity Ezeja, Hubaidat Ishola, Deborah Iyalagha, Joseph Jonathan, Seyi Lasisi, Azubuike Obi, Adewande Oreshade, Ahmad Mubarak Tanimu, Shalom Tewobola, Keyukemi Usani and Yusuf Zay.
Their selection gives the Writing Weekend a specific human dimension. Each participant enters with an opportunity to develop a stronger critical voice and potentially build a career around cultural writing.
For The Lagos Review, the larger ambition is clear.
The platform wants to cultivate writers who can influence how Nigerians discuss books, music, cinema and the wider culture.
In that sense, the September gathering is not merely a workshop. It is another attempt to build the people and institutions required for a stronger Nigerian literary ecosystem.
