Akeem Balogun

Akeem Balogun spent his early years in Brixton, London, UK. He grew up in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. His fiction has appeared in multiple publications, and he has written stories for artists, projects and festivals. His debut collection of stories, The Storm, won the Society of Authors' Somerset Maugham Award. You can find him @writtengallery.

Credentials

Akeem Balogun in 60 seconds

When did you start writing?

2011 In Sheffield, UK

What do you love about short stories?

Their length, and I find they allow room for more creativity than longer forms. of fiction.

Do you write in other forms?

I write longer stories, reviews and about whatever interests me.

What distracts you from writing?

Food, my phone, the internet, other tasks and people.

Outside of writing, what are your other passions?

Films, food, music and video games.

What is your favourite book?

Rouge Street by Shuang Xueato

Who are your favourite writers?

Tibor Fischer, Ted Chiang and Richard Ford

Where is your dream location?

Jyurakudai Villa in Soulcalibur III

What one item would you put into Room 101?

Ignorance

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Do what you really want to do with your life, no matter how unusual it is, even if it isn't writing.