I'm included in the 50 Nigerians who made a Difference in 2011

By The Nation Newspaper, Nigeria.

Who would have thunk it? :)

Now I don't know who Our Reporter is, but I'm certainly grateful that they noticed and appreciate my work. When I got the email from Google alerts over the weekend, I couldn't believe it till I checked the website. In a list of notables and celebrities which included Goodluck Jonathan, Chinua Achebe, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Sanusi Lamido, Pastor Adeboye, DonJazzy, Dbanj, Mercy Johnson and Babatunde Fashola, I was tickled pink to see my name and the following citation;

Myne Whitman, Author and Literature Promoter

If there's anyone in recent years that have been vibrantly and unselfishly promoting Nigerian literature, that person has to be Nkem Akinsoto. Akinsoto, the author of two romantic novels 'A Heart To Mend' and 'A Love Rekindled', is however popularly known by her pen name 'Myne Whitman', a transliteration of her maiden name Nkem Okotcha, which she adopted as a secondary school student in Enugu.

Armed with a Masters degree in Public Health, Whitman who describes herself as “friendly, caring and fun-loving”, nowadays prefers to write, blog, and promote literature. A member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, she extends her tentacles to Nigeria via robust posts and criticisms on social media and most especially naijastories.com, a website she founded to promote and support Nigerian literature.

Little wonder she facilitated a session, "Social Media and the Book Publishing Industry", for the Publisher's Forum at the 2010 Garden City Literary Festival, Port Harcourt.

OK, so they have completely listed my full names, but it was never a secret anyway. Though I would've preferred a low profile for my person, I'm just too happy right now :)

Thank you all so much for your consistent support, I couldn't have continued on the road without you guys, and believe me, it is a hard road to making a difference. I have to say though, this is a time of small beginnings. By God's grace, the Myne Whitman brand and NaijaStories.com will be even bigger by the end of 2012.

Let's go there!