MEET OLUOMA UDEMEZUE, THE AUTHOR OF THE LAST TIME

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Welcome! We had the priviledge to interview Ms. Oluoma Udemezue, the author of the trendy stories "Pubic" and "The last time". Kindly find below the full transcription of our interview with her.

It's good to have you on set today. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am Udemezue, Oluoma (Judith), the last among seven, and I grew up in the Eastern part of Nigeria. I loveeeeeee to write, gist, movies, exploration, oldies, and meeting new people.

Beside writings, what’s something you are good at that only few people know about?

I work a lot with my hands: I make hair.

What does your family and friends think of your writing?

Wow! They love it! Very excited! They believe that I will go far, as long as I put in more effort.

Who are your favorite authors and how have they influenced your style of writing?

My favourite authors are: Adaeze  Atuegwu, Chinua Achebe, Buchi Emecheta, JP Clark, Nawal El Saadawi, Festus Iyayi, Chika Unigwe, Chimamanda Adichie and many more. Adaeze Atuegwu was the first person that influenced my reading and writing habit at age seven (while in primary school), when I started writing. I came in contact with Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart at a very tender age of twelve; it made me think more about my culture and tradition in a more positive way. My encounter with Chimamanda’s Purple Hibiscus burst my bubble: my writing skills and muse were sharpened beyond comprehension. Emecheta, Saadawi, and Unigwe, taught me about culture, religion, and women in African society, and diasporas.

Has your upbringing and environment coloured your writing in anyway? Tell us.

I have a good religious background, but it hasn’t stopped me from expressing my thoughts about life, religion, and society. In fact, I am able to create a starting and ending point between religion, culture and tradition in my thoughts, words, and actions. My background made me dig more into the culture and tradition of the Igbo people, other ethnic groups, Africa, and Diasporas, to the extent that what I write most times does not fall short of it. I have great respect for culture and tradition of a people. My environment gave peace to my writing, and I am ever grateful to family, and friends who made it up, and are part of what I write.

How did you come up with the idea for “The last time”?

The last time came to me like the others, on the wings of my muse. The story picked its characters, the characters acted according to their fate, and then we have a story.

Can you tell us some of the lessons you would want readers to learn from this particular story (The last time)?

Yeah, I learnt a couple of things myself:

• We must make use of every opportunity we come across.

• Most times, our fate is never in our hands.

• People are humans, and must make mistakes.

• We must be very careful in acts that we carry out.

• There could be a last chance, but use the one you have at hand.

Do you have any other book in the pipeline? Can you give us a little overview?

Yes, I do. They all bother on man’s struggle for survival, ties that bind men and the increase in negative lifestyle, due to hardship in Nigeria. 

What advice do you have for new writers like yourself?

I have made nothing by myself. Start early, because you are your own best motivator. 

Final words… do you have anything to say to the avid readers who have been reading your stories?

I am deeply humbled by your comments. I love you all, and I pray to serve you, better. Keep up the good work of reading Udemezue, Oluoma. Cheers!