It was a mix of serious talks and poetic rendition as Jumoke Verissimo was hosted at the January edition of the Readers’ Konnect, a monthly programme by Ate Ogbon Literary Club, Osogbo. Members of the club and the young audience never regretted waiting an hour behind schedule as they were completely overwhelmed by Jummy’s powerful rendition as well as her very clear insights on the Nigerian situation which forms the basis of her writing.
Reading from her poetry collection, i am memory, the widely travelled young poet shared her viewpoints with the eager audience by bringing her lines to life. She rendered and dissected her verses with dexterity to reveal why she puts her lines the way she does.
At the interactive session, Jumoke really got connected with the expectant members of the audience answering their questions in a calm but satisfying way. Her response to some of the questions is a pointer to how well she felt at home with the curious audience.
On whether there is any difference between the style and language of a poet, playwright and a novelist, Verrisimo said: “No one is born a poet, playwright or a novelist. A person becomes any of these based on the influence around them…” While responding to the why she asks too many questions in her writings without providing answers, she simply replied : “A person write to seek answers at times and not only to appear to have known everything . I was only seeking for answers…..”. Asked to advise young would-be writers, she, in a matter-of-fact way, charged them to read continuously without stopping. She summed up the importance of reading when she declared that : “A good reader is a good writer.”
The club’s encounter with Jummy was like a very swift but sweet dream which none of the participants at the monthly reading did not want to wake up from. However, like every dreamer, they eventually woke up to get an autograph of the writer at the end of the programme. To all, it was an interesting memory of rendition and discussion of the collection “i am memory”
