ANA Bayelsa Urges Writers to Embrace Sci-Fi, Speculative Fiction, Young Girls Challenged to Join Workshop
By Jonah Fubara, YENAGOA – The Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Bayelsa State Chapter, Ebi Robert, has urged writers and aspiring authors in the state to embrace science fiction and speculative storytelling, describing the emerging literary genre as a creative space for imagining new worlds and exploring the possibilities of the future.
Robert made the call in a chat with the Reflector News Correspondent in Yenagoa ahead of the fourth edition of the ANA Bayelsa Speculative Fiction Writing Workshop, organised in collaboration with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Association (SFWA).
The workshop, with the theme, “Worlds Unwritten: The Art of Speculative Storytelling,” is scheduled to hold on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the Postgraduate Auditorium, Federal University Otuoke, beginning at 10:00am.
According to Robert, the workshop is part of efforts by ANA Bayelsa to expose writers to different forms of literary expression and encourage them to go beyond conventional storytelling.
He said science fiction and speculative fiction offer writers the opportunity to imagine realities that may not yet exist, while also using creative narratives to examine present-day social, technological, environmental and human challenges.
The ANA Bayelsa chairman therefore called on established writers, emerging authors, students and lovers of literature across the state to attend the workshop and take advantage of the opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners and academics.
“We want our writers to understand that there are many possibilities in literature. Science fiction and speculative fiction allow you to imagine what the future could look like and to create stories around possibilities that challenge the way we see our world,” he said.
Robert noted that Bayelsa has a growing community of young creative minds whose talents could be strengthened by exposure to new literary forms.
He urged participants to approach the workshop with an open mind, stressing that the objective was not only to teach writing techniques but also to stimulate imagination and encourage writers to develop original stories.
Also speaking with the Reflector News Correspondent, the Vice Chairman of ANA Bayelsa, Hannah Onoguwe, called particularly on young women and girls in the state to embrace the opportunity and participate actively in the workshop.
Onoguwe, a speculative fiction author, said young women should not allow stereotypes about science fiction and fantasy to discourage them from exploring the genre.
She encouraged girls and young women with an interest in writing to see speculative fiction as a platform through which they can express their ideas, experiences and visions of the future.
“Women and girls have stories to tell and worlds to imagine. They should not think that science fiction or speculative writing is not for them. This is an opportunity to learn, experiment and find their voices,” she said.
She further encouraged young female writers to use the workshop to connect with other writers, learn from experienced facilitators and gain confidence in developing their creative works.
The workshop will feature facilitators drawn from the academic and literary communities, including Associate Professor Franca Okumo and Dr. Onyeka Ike, JP, both of the Federal University Otuoke; Dr. Ernest Weridonghan of Niger Delta University; and speculative fiction authors Hannah Onoguwe and Ebi Robert.
The organisers said participation is open to writers, aspiring writers, students and members of the public interested in science fiction, fantasy and speculative storytelling.
The workshop begins at 10:00am at the Postgraduate Auditorium, Federal University Otuoke.
