Paula Willie-Okafor, Staff Writer at Open Country Mag.

Paula Willie-Okafor

Staff Writer

Paula Willie-Okafor is a staff writer at Open Country Mag. She is a student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she is custodian of The Writers’ Community (TWC). Her writing has appeared in Kissing Dynamite Magazine and Praxis Magazine.

All Works

May 14, 2023

Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad, the actress’ debut collection of stories, sold over 2,200 copies, assuring it the No. 1 spot on The Rovingheights Bestseller List: Presented with Open Country Mag. So why do these stories of failing romance connect so widely?

April 4, 2023

Ahead of its release in Nigeria, the collection about gay men just won the inaugural Republic of Consciousness Prize for the US and Canada: a highlight in a series of recognition from the Kirkus Prize, the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Story Prize, and the Lambda Awards.

March 11, 2023

Despite characters that are not fully realized, and a convenient central dilemma, Dakore Egbuson-Akande and Nse Ikpe-Etim serve the strength of connection between women.

December 13, 2022

With Happiness, Like Water and Under the Udala Trees, she helped herald LGBTQ visibility in Nigerian literature. With Harry Sylvester Bird, she still isn’t looking to satisfy society. “I think, sometimes, it takes time for people to digest what literature is really doing,” the literary icon says.

November 4, 2022

The Enugu-based hub, whose exhibitions, screenings, and lecture series have drawn 7,000 visitors, is, executive director Iheanyi Igboko says, “grooming a generation of young people who are not only grounded in their history and culture but proud of their Igbo identity.”

October 22, 2022

Kunle Afolayan’s beautifully shot adaptation of Sefi Atta’s novel explores humanity and morality, but even with popstar Niyola in lead, it doesn’t rise above its source material.

October 22, 2022

Tola Odunsi’s web series is a refreshing, revelatory take on bromance, with Baaj Adebule standing out in the ensemble.

October 15, 2022

Chinny Ukata and Astrid Madimba on how their “conversational approach to the book and podcast allows us to reach audiences who wouldn’t typically engage with such content.”

May 14, 2023

Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad, the actress’ debut collection of stories, sold over 2,200 copies, assuring it the No. 1 spot on The Rovingheights Bestseller List: Presented with Open Country Mag. So why do these stories of failing romance connect so widely?

April 4, 2023

Ahead of its release in Nigeria, the collection about gay men just won the inaugural Republic of Consciousness Prize for the US and Canada: a highlight in a series of recognition from the Kirkus Prize, the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Story Prize, and the Lambda Awards.

March 11, 2023

Despite characters that are not fully realized, and a convenient central dilemma, Dakore Egbuson-Akande and Nse Ikpe-Etim serve the strength of connection between women.

December 13, 2022

With Happiness, Like Water and Under the Udala Trees, she helped herald LGBTQ visibility in Nigerian literature. With Harry Sylvester Bird, she still isn’t looking to satisfy society. “I think, sometimes, it takes time for people to digest what literature is really doing,” the literary icon says.

November 4, 2022

The Enugu-based hub, whose exhibitions, screenings, and lecture series have drawn 7,000 visitors, is, executive director Iheanyi Igboko says, “grooming a generation of young people who are not only grounded in their history and culture but proud of their Igbo identity.”

October 22, 2022

Kunle Afolayan’s beautifully shot adaptation of Sefi Atta’s novel explores humanity and morality, but even with popstar Niyola in lead, it doesn’t rise above its source material.

October 22, 2022

Tola Odunsi’s web series is a refreshing, revelatory take on bromance, with Baaj Adebule standing out in the ensemble.

October 15, 2022

Chinny Ukata and Astrid Madimba on how their “conversational approach to the book and podcast allows us to reach audiences who wouldn’t typically engage with such content.”

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