by Ugo Ugboh
Book lovers are waiting with bated breath for the public presentation of Soul and Spirit, a collection of motivational and educational poems written by Joe-Blaise Nnaemeka Akanazu.
Soul and Spirit will be unveiled to the reading public on January 8, 2025 at an event where the Imo State Commissioner for Education, Professor Johncliff Nwadike, is expected as the Special Guest of Honour.
The public presentation will be held at the Jubilee Hall of Maria Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri.
As a mark of acceptance even ahead of its public presentation, some of the poems in Soul and Spirit are already being used by a number of secondary schools for their morning assembly and devotions as well as for class competitions.
The author, a Germany-based international development expert, writer and insurance guru, told Nigeria News Source in a chat that some of the schools currently using the poems include Bethel Seminary, Nekede, Imo State, True Vine International Academy, and St Brigid’s Girls’ Grammar School, Asaba, Delta State.
He said more secondary schools were also indicating interest to adopt Soul and Spirit, expressing the hope that the book would contribute significantly to reviving the reading culture among secondary school students in the country.
Soul and Spirit, Akanazu said, is a collection of 120 poems from over 500 poems written by him over a number of years.
“I started writing a poem every Sunday. It was a weekly ritual for me. I would write and share to my contacts on WhatsApp,” said Akanazu.
“Over time, with good reviews and commendations from several poets and institutions around the globe, I thought it wise to expose some of the poems to an audience beyond my WhatsApp contacts. These 120 poems contained in Soul and Spirit have been analyzed and packaged for educational purposes,” he said.
He further said his brand of poems has the ability to strike the reader with emotions that take one away from one’s immediate environment to an abstract world of new thinking, reflections and discoveries.
The author also informed that renowned artist Paddy Obinna will be the book reviewer at the unveiling of Soul and Spirit. Also, United States-based pharmacist and philanthropist, Dr Uche Perry Ekwunazu, will chair the event, while a former Director of Police Affairs Abuja, Prof. Mazi Ojiaku, will be the special guest.
The event will be moderated by the Director of Entrepreneurial Skills Development Centre and the former registrar, Gregory University Uturu, Dr Okey Onukah, assisted by Dr Chisimdi Udoka Ihentuge.
