An interview with author, Nwachukwu Egbunike. Read our review of his book, Hashtags: Social Media, Politics and Ethnicity in Nigeria here.

LE: Hello Nwachukwu, please tell us a bit about yourself.

Nwachukwu: I am from Onitsha, Anambra State but was born and grew up in Enugu, Enugu State. I have a Medical Laboratory Sciences (B.MLS) degree from the University of Nigeria. I also have two Master’s degrees in Developmental and Applied Communication respectively from the University of Ibadan. My PhD research agenda is on social media and youth political participation.

LE: What do you do for a living? Is writing your full time job?

Nwachukwu: I write and make books for a living. I am also Global Voices Community Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa.

I live in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.

LE: When did you start writing and what prompted it?

Nwachukwu: I started writing in high school in the early ’90s. I think that my literature teacher was the reason why I started writing. She was exceptional, she brought the characters in prose and poetry to life. In addition, joining the Enugu Orient Literary Club afterwards helped me a lot.

LE: Are you currently working on any book and if you are, what is it about?

Nwachukwu: Actually, I started working on another collection of poems before Hashtags.

LE: Lastly, what are your hobbies?

Nwachukwu: It’s strange, but I have come to realise that my greatest hobby is driving on a long distance trip. It formats my mind…

Nwachukwu has 3 published books:

Dyed Thoughts: A Conversation in and from my Country

Blazing Moon

Hashtags: Social Media, Politics and Ethnicity in Nigeria

He is on Twitter and has a blog.