Gail Nyoka
In residence at Historic Joy Kogawa House in January and February 2022
Gail Nyoka’s favourite art forms are theatre and oral storytelling for adult and young audiences.
Talespinner Children’s Theatre in Cleveland has produced two of her plays: The Oba Asks for a Mountain (2018), based on a folk tale from Nigeria, and King of the Animals (2020), based on folk tales from Cameroon.
A search for more African stories led Gail to Ghana, where she collected stories from the Volta region and published them in an ebook, Voices of the Ancestors.
Quill and Quire called Gail’s children’s novel, Mella and the N’anga: an African Tale, “a tour de force of storytelling.” Nominated for a Governor General’s Award and several other awards in Canada and the United States, the novel expands on the stage play Mella Mella, which was produced at theatres in Ontario and Quebec and won a Chalmers Canadian Play Award: Theatre for Young Audiences. Copy scripts are available through Playwrights Guild of Canada.
Love and Ecstasy is Gail Nyoka’s new radio drama. Listen to it for free here.
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Follow Gail on Twitter at https://twitter.com/StorytellingWan.
In January and February 2022, Gail lived in residence at Historic Joy Kogawa House while engaging in deep writing of a story that weaves together both history and memoir to create a story of a particular time and the convergence of past times and other places. Oceans Carry Us speaks of a legacy of migration and re-migration, of empire and its effects. It brings to life the story of a generation whose stories are passing.
Latest Blog Postings by Gail Nyoka
The Adventures of a Writer on Her Way to Joy Kogawa House…
…Although it is ever-present, I am always shocked when I see racism manifest. It is easy to see Luggage Man being part of a mob waving Confederate flags or brandishing swastikas. It leaves a lingering uneasiness.
Affirming Our Roles as Elders
Affirming Our Roles as Elders: Sharing the Wisdom of Age What knowledge can our elders and ancestors show us as we go through the changes and upheavals of the present? How can elders contribute? What skills are irreplaceable and come only with elderhood? What: A...
Mythology of Aging
Mythology of Aging: a storytelling workshop for older adults with Gail Nyoka. Your story is important. Give it space to breathe and to live in a warm and supportive atmosphere that allows your creativity to flow.