AWARD–winning Ghanaian poet and novelist Parkes Nii Ayikwei will this weekend conduct a free prose writing workshop targeting Rwandan aspiring writers and secondary school English teachers. The workshop will be held at the grand studio of the Goethe-Institut in Kacyiru, Kigali on Saturday from 9:30 am to midday. He will also be reading his writings at Shokola Lite in Kacyiru at 4pm – same day. The session will be interactive and provide participants with a chance to develop and share their own writing skills. According to the organisers, it is billed as a unique opportunity for writers and aspiring ones to get inspiration and advice from one of the most exciting new voices in contemporary African literature.  The workshop is sponsored by British Council and hosted by Material Books in partnership with Spoken Word Rwanda.This free event is aimed at anyone interested in literature and the arts. It offers the opportunity to hear the author read from and discuss his work, and for the audience to ask questions.Parkes holds an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck (University of London) and serves on the boards of the Poetry Book Society, the Arvon Foundation and the Caine Prize.As a poet, Parkes has published several pamphlets and some of his latest poetry books include the Michael Marks Award-short-listed Ballast: a remix (2009), described in the Guardian newspaper as, "An astonishing, powerful remix of history and language” and The Makings of You (Peepal Tree Press).This initiative will help the country to spread its rich and diverse cultural heritage through literature.