Jerry Chiemeke
Jerry Chiemeke (born 1 May 1991) is a Nigerian writer, lawyer, journalist, and film critic. Chiemeke won the 2017 Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize for Criticism.
Early life and education
[edit]Born on 1 May 1991 in Warri, Delta State, Jerry Chiemeke was born to Stephen Chiemeke Snr., a Nigerian civil servant at the Federal Ministry of Environment and the late Veronica Chiemeke who worked as a teacher.[1] As a child, Chiemeke grew up reading the works of Chinua Achebe, H. Ridder-Haggard, Charles Dickens, Cyprian Ekwensi, James Hardley Chase and Christopher Okigbo.[1] Through his elder brother who rents VHS cassette tapes in a video rental at Ugborikoko, Chiemeke grew up watching Jean-Claude van Damme, Jackie Chan, Cynthia Rothrock and Sean Connery.[1]
Chiemeke attended Lumen Christi International High School, Uromi, Edo State from 2001 to 2007 for his secondary school education. He proceeded to University of Benin (UNIBEN) in late 2007 where he was admitted to study law.[1] He graduated in 2012 with Second Class (Upper Division) and was called to the Nigerian Bar the following after graduating from Nigerian Law School the following year.[1]
Career
[edit]In 2013, Chiemeke began writing on his Facebook page and later in April of the year, he opened a WordPress blog where he wrote short stories. His blog garnered followership the following year, while he started writing flash fictions for contests.[1] In 2017, he won the Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize for Criticism and was shortlisted for the Diana Woods Memorial Award in 2019.[2][1]
Chiemeke released his first full-length work, Dreaming of Ways To Understand You a collection of 15 short stories in 2020; it was published in print by MagicWand Publishers.[3] The book was described as "a captivating and smoothly flowing narrative" in Business Day.[4] He was the pioneer editor-in-chief of Afrocritik, a culture and entertainment outlet.[1] He has represented Nigeria at film festivals such as Sundance, Berlinale, Blackstar Film Festival, and the Durban International Film Festival.[1] He joined the media and marketing sector in 2019 and has worked with several companies.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Chiemeke moved the UK in October 2022 on the Global Talent Visa, with an endorsement by the Arts Council England.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Afolase, Olumide (3 April 2024). "The understated genius of Jerry Chiemeke: maverick of Nigerian literature and culture writing". Nigerian Tribune. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ Mwaniga, Gloria (17 November 2017). "BY THE BOOK: Jerry Chiemeke". The Nation. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ Otosirieze (30 December 2020). "Jerry Chiemeke's Debut, Dreaming of Ways to Understand You, Out in Print". Open Country Mag. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ Oyemade, Titilade (3 February 2024). "Dreaming of Ways To Understand You by Jerry Chiemeke: A Review". Business Day. Retrieved 8 April 2024.