News
Creative Writing graduate's novel published by Ouida Books
Monday, 16 April, 2018Nigerian publisher Ouida Books has published MA Creative Writing graduate Hadiza Isma El-Rufai's debut novel, An Abundance of Scorpions.
Hadiza, who is the first lady of Kaduna State, graduated from Bath Spa University in 2012. She began writing An Abundance of Scorpions during her MA.
She said: "I'd dreamt of getting my novel published for a long time and I was thrilled when I heard that it was going to be published by Ouida Books."
Before starting her MA, Hadiza worked as an architect and volunteered at an orphanage in Abuja.
Hadiza said: "Most of the children in the orphanage had been abandoned and we didn't know their origins. There are lots of cases like this in Nigeria. I would often think about where the children had come from and what makes us who we are. I had an idea for a story about a matron and an orphan boy, and I decided that I wanted to develop this into a novel.
"I decided to study for an MA in Creative Writing to hone my writing craft. I chose to study at Bath Spa especially as I had heard that the MA Creative Writing course had an excellent reputation."
Hadiza is currently writing a sequel to An Abundance of Scorpions.
Enhancing literacy and creativity in young people are two issues that are very close to Hadiza's heart. In 2013, Hadiza and her husband Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, founded the Yasmin El-Rufai Foundation, in memory of their daughter Yasmin, who died from an epileptic seizure in 2011. The non-profit literary organisation encourages reading and Creative Writing among young people.
To find out more about Hadiza follow her on Twitter @hadizel. For further information about the Yasmin El-Rufai Foundation, visit: www.yasminfoundation.org.
Interested in studying an MA in Creative Writing?
Bath Spa University delivers one of the most successful Creative Writing courses in the UK. Bath Spa graduates have won prestigious awards and secured multiple international publishing deals. Many graduates often come back to the University to teach and share their successes with aspiring novelists.
Visit the MA Creative Writing course page to find out more, or read what our Creative Writing graduates have to say about the course.