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Role in IFWG: Author (deceased)

In July 2021 Biola Olatunde, a much-loved and prolific writer for IFWG Publishing, passed away. Because she lived in Nigeria, and the intermittent times we communicated, I didn’t find out about this event until February 2022. I was shocked. She was 70 years old and was way too young to die. It took a lot of time to process this information.

Prior to Biola passing we had agreed to publish a chap­­book of her poetry in 2023—while we have had the pleasure and privilege to publish four of her novels, we knew that her particular strengths were poetry and screen­play writing. We wanted her poetry. Unfortunately, if she had written any poetry for this project they are now lost. It took over six months to come to this realisation and we were disappointed. We wanted to find a long-lasting way to pay respect to Biola’s memory.

Some years ago IFWG published a series of ebook-only ‘chapbooks’ with some modest success. One of these was a collection of six short stories by Biola called ‘Sunset Tales’. It didn’t take long for us to decide to republish it, in a second-edition form, in our chapbook print series. We wanted to get it right, and do it right for Biola.

You now know the background, but I want to write a few more words about Biola. She had a spirit the size of Africa and had amazing creative energy. I know she had, at times, struggled with financial and cultural issues in modern-day Nigeria, but her contagious smile prevaled, and was always excited to see her work published by our company. There were nights (my time) when we would have long chats through various internet apps and it was almost like I was sitting opposite her with our favourite beverages in hand. For many years I called her my ‘African sister’—and I meant it. I still do.

Being a small publisher, and smaller still when we published Biola’s novels, we didn’t get the sales she deserved. It was tougher still trying to sell her books in Nigeria. Neverthel­ess, she was over the moon to have published through us and this does warm my heart. Sunset Tales: Haunted Tales of Africa, is our last opportunity to publish Biola again, and I am sure she would have cried out with joy.

This thought alone makes this exercise worth it.

Ake, Biola. 

Gerry Huntman
Managing Director, IFWG Publishing
Gold Coast, Australia
January 2023

The following works published by IFWG and authored by Biola Olatunde are now out of print: The Numen Yeye Trilogy, and (the stand alone) Blood Contract.

Short Fiction Collection

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