I reach Chiedozié Dike through my friend Joj, who has worked, as long as I’ve known them, to provide a space for writers who don’t always get the attention they deserve. Within a hot minute, I know I’m in the presence of someone whose own mission is to spread the possibilities of writing out to as many people as possible.
Dike, who is from Nigeria and now lives in London, is a writer and lawyer. He has also written for television and radio. His short stories have been published in three anthologies and in online publications, including The Write Launch and Afreada. He is working on several novels.
The Writer: You’re a copywriter and a lawyer. How does all of that fold into the writing you’re doing now, which is more literary in nature?
Storytelling was the first thing. Everything else was a detail which led me to writing. I remember being a kid. I had all these imaginary friends and the curtains had names, the flask had the name, the nail clippers had names, all of those. I constantly was creating stories. I
