Hussani Abdulrahim is a writer from Kano, Nigeria. He won Ibua Journal’s 2023 Bold Call and the 2022 Toyin Falola Prize. He was the first runner-up for the 2023 Kendeka Prize. He has also been longlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and a finalist for the Boston Review Prize, Gerald Kraak Award, Afritondo Prize, and ACT Award. His work has appeared in Boston Review, Wilted Pages, Brittle Paper, Evergreen Review, Solarpunk, and Ibua Journal.
Hussani’s story, “The Library Virus,” originally appeared in Wilted Pages: An Anthology of Dark Academia (Shortwave Publishing) and will appear in BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror Volume Two, available to preorder now
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Give us the elevator pitch of your BNW-nommed story, please.
A virus causes its victims to vomit books in Dangana Memorial Community School. This odd phenomenon with pandemic vibes causes panic within the school and its host community.
What does your writing routine look like? Do you have an office? A preferred coffee shop? The back of the bus? Standing under your neighbor’s eaves, avoiding the rain? Are you one of those true modern Weirdos who write your entire novel on your phone?
I can’t say I have a routine. It’s chaotic for me. I often spend days, weeks and months daydreaming about a story before having the courage to sit and write it down. I thrive better in quiet environs. So, nighttime is when I find the words flowing.
What does “Weird” mean to you, in the context of storytelling? And what creators/experiences/influences helped sculpt this definition for you in your creative journey?
For me, Weird has always existed. In my country, a government official once claimed a mysterious snake swallowed millions of public funds when it was time to give account. That’s outrageous, right? That’s just a tip of the Weirdness we encounter on a daily. So, when I think of Weird, I think of all possibilities, no matter how stupid or unrefined, and try to make it make sense. In this context, I like to think of Lesley Nneka Arimah (Who Will Greet You At Home), Ben Okri (The Famished Road), Wole Talabi (Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon), Umar Abubakar Sidi (The Incredible Dreams of Garba Dakaskus) and Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (When We Were Firefles; Dreams and Assorted Nightmares) as influences because they do so much exciting stuff with language and imagination.
On the Tenebrous Discord, we ask everyone to introduce themselves as a Film-meets-Music Artist (Citizen Kane x Metallica, f’rinstance). It doesn’t have to be your favorite, and don’t spend too much time overthinking it; now GO.
Apocalypto x The Weeknd.
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BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror, Volume Two, is out June 26th.
