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Poetry Column
Itiola Jones, one of the judges for the just concluded Nigerian NewsDirect Poetry Chapbook Award and a great patron of PoetryColumn-NND project has her debut poetry collection published and available for purchase here. Chosen by the guest Judge, Nicole Sealey, Bloodmercy won the 2025 APR/Honickman First Book Prize by The American Poetry Review and is distributed by Copper ...
Poetry Column
By Kede Aihie and Lanre Sonde When you talk about Nigerian poetry that burns with fire yet soothes with softness, one name effortlessly rises to the lips Godson Osarenren. The award-winning poet, novelist, and Convener of Naija Poetry Fest has once again lifted the flag of Nigerian literature high with his latest international exhibition, “I ...
Literature & Arts
By Kede Aihie and Lanre Sonde When you talk about Nigerian poetry that burns with fire yet soothes with softness, one name effortlessly rises to the lips Godson Osarenren. The award-winning poet, novelist, and Convener of Naija Poetry Fest has once again lifted the flag of Nigerian literature high with his latest international exhibition, “I ...
Literature & Arts
I.S. Jones, one of the judges for the just concluded Nigerian NewsDirect Poetry Chapbook Award and a great patron of PoetryColumn-NND project has her debut poetry collection published and available for purchase here. Chosen by the guest Judge, Nicole Sealey, Bloodmercy won the 2025 APR/Honickman First Book Prize by The American Poetry Review and is distributed by Copper ...
Poetry Column
By Izang Alexander Haruna Kwame, Come Home is a rare breed collection intended to spread in four parts, the first volume is subtitled 'Grief' and runs a total of 111 pages and constituted of 23 poems. It is a rare breed because it blends poetry and narrative into a story of loss, waiting, and survival. ...
Poetry Column
We are pleased to announce that Anyanwu David is the new Poetry News Curator of Poetry Column-NND. He is a self-taught visual artist based in Abuja. He is from Imo State and is currently pursuing a degree in History & International Studies at the Federal University of Lafia. As a visual artist, he specializes in ...
Poetry Column
By Rasheed Ayinla Shehu I watch an infantry of ants heavethe cadaver of a roach on their back, and I realise the weight of your legacy on mine—how everything you left behind outsizes me. Atop the baggage, the surname Shehu. I can'trecite my Qur'an without choking on the alphabet, without the semantics beingsomersaulted: the Imam, ...
Poetry Column
Alaga Unwomanumu | after Em Power to all the inconveniences i must bear, like salt on my tongue. to the vacuous interstices of memory, the pearl of remembrance. to the wastelands inside my head and the stinking gullies etched on my chest. to the twitching organism between my legs, the rust-stains that won’t leave my ...
Literature & Arts
Inkspires Kreation has announced another edition of its popular literary series, Poetversation, set to hold on October 5, 2025, with Nigerian poet Samuel A. Betiku as the featured guest. The virtual gathering, scheduled for 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. WAT on Google Meet, promises an immersive evening of poetry, conversation, and community. Attendees will enjoy selected readings from Betiku’s published works, gain ...
Literature & Arts
Emerging Nigerian writer Mustapha Enesi has officially released his debut short story collection, I Cry at the Feet of My Other Body. The highly anticipated book is now available for order in Nigeria and internationally, marking a major milestone in Enesi’s literary career. Readers in Nigeria can purchase the book through Witsprouts, while international readers can find it on Amazon and Barnes ...
Literature & Arts
By Tuoyo Palmer The earth does not end with a thunderclap—it crumbles in silence,like a cathedral whose prayershave been forgotten by its stones. Cities lie open to the wind,iron skeletons bleeding rustinto rivers that once carriedthe laughter of children. In the fields, no harvest waits—only the brittle bones of wheat,the empty mouths of soillong abandoned ...
Literature & Arts
By Alaga Unwomanumu |after Em Power to all the inconveniences i must bear, like salt on my tongue. to the vacuous interstices of memory, the pearl of remembrance. to the wastelands inside my head and the stinking gullies etched on my chest. to the twitching organism between my legs, the rust-stains that won’t leave my ...
Poetry Column
Ondo-based Okiti Literary, a biannual online journal, released its maiden issue in August 2025, marking its entry into Nigeria’s growing literary scene. The debut edition showcases a rich mix of poetic voices from within and beyond the country. Featured poets include Olumide Manuel, Nas Jolaade, Tares Oburumu, Nwatu Oluchukwu, MK Kuol, Emmanuel G. G. Yamba, ...
Literature & Arts
Poet and artist, Ojo Victoria Ilemobayo has been selected for The Rongo Artist Residency, a prestigious program in film-making hosted by Ant-Men Studio of Art in collaboration with Peter Fleming and Benin Arts Books. As part of the residency, Ojo Victoria Ilemobayo will join fellow residents Osayomwanbor Peace and Joseph Kenneth Itchara for an immersive ...
Poetry Column
The INKspiredng Book Reading Series is set to return with its second episode of 2025, featuring poet and author Babatunde Adesokan, whose acclaimed work Canticles for Abeni will take centre stage at the virtual gathering. The event is scheduled for Sunday, 7 September, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM (WAT) and will be hosted live via Google Meet. ...
Poetry Column
A significant moment in Nigerian literature has emerged with the release of Stanzas from the Bronze Capital, a groundbreaking poetry anthology that positions Edo State on the national literary map for the first time. Bringing together a chorus of compelling poetic voices, the collection explores themes of cultural heritage, societal introspection, and enduring reverence for ...
Poetry Column
By Nnamdi Ndiolo I love you like petrichor clinging to scent leaves,like the warm hum of vinyl spinning vintage blues,like Laudates threading the veins of Vespers— like Sunday supper—shoes shed from fatigued feet,knees kissing beneath the table as the casserole cools.This love, a confession in the chapel’s hush. This love, a drunk sky haemorrhaging on ...
Literature & Arts
Nigerian poet Gbenga Adesina has announced a highly anticipated U.S. tour for his latest poetry collection, Death Does Not End at the Sea. The tour, spanning September to November 2025, will see the Lagos-born writer engaging in conversations with some of the most respected voices in contemporary literature. The tour begins on September 1 at ...
Literature & Arts
…Featuring Pamilerin Jacob, Michael Imossan, Adesiyan Pelumi The Poetry Club of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, is preparing to host an exciting three-day poetry festival from Friday, 12 September to Sunday, 14 September 2025, bringing together poets, students, and literary enthusiasts for a celebration of verse and creativity. This year’s event promises a lively mix of ...
Poetry Column
By Dolapo Tajudeen In one of those trips to the Point of no Return in JettyBadagry, in the wet of June, the Chaperone tells the storyabout the water and our people. How we’re a thing for ages and ages, surviving; our men ever sailing, by profession or drowning—living obeying the raft; their wives, staggering to the port ...
Literature & Arts
By Don Kester OshioreamePort Harcourt, Nigeria Published in 2013 by Mindex Publishing in Benin, The Broken Cross is a 122-page novel by Godson Osarenren, a rising literary voice. The book’s cover; a glossy red background pierced by a silver-plated, fractured cross, immediately invites reflection. The image is not merely aesthetic; it is symbolic. In his prologue, Osarenren ...
Poetry Column
Philip Chijioke i begin with a room begging for voice. a hand piningto feel her shadow pinned on a wall. a song squeezingthrough tired guitar strings like a thief foldinghis conscience. i begin with a hole asking for light.i begin with you. there is a street in your bodywhere a boy draws his breath from ...
Literature & Arts
By Michael Olatunbosun The book, If My Country Had a Jury is a legal thriller. It is a futuristic work about the Nigeria of 2050. It is a 13-chapter, 381-page fiction written by Olabisi Ajakaiye and published in 2024 by Winepress. Olabisi Ajakaiye obtained his first, second and third degrees in Urban and Regional Planning. ...
Literature & Arts
Adesiyan Pelumi has emerged winner of the 2025 Gbemisola Adeoti Poetry Prize, with Abdulrazaq Folarin and Flourish Joshua clinching second and third positions respectively. The prestigious award was presented during the ANA-OAU Book and Art Festival, held on June 14 at BOO-C Hall, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) campus, Ile-Ife. Now in its third edition, the ...
Poetry Column
By Chigozie Abraham We name the evening after a child who once danced in the ashof harvest fires. Yelwa, where the roofs bend under smoke -screened prayers. The air, with the aftertaste of yesterday’spromises. The mango tree, still in the distance, cradles a kite in its limbs—torn polythene, red string like a split vein trailing.By ...
Literature & Arts
The atmosphere was electric yet deeply reflective as creatives, performers, students, and art lovers gathered for World Refugee Day: Home Beyond Borders – On Displacement, Resilience, and Rebuilding in Nigeria. Organised by NaijaPoetryFest in collaboration with Alliance Française, the just-concluded event lived up to its promise, delivering a soul-stirring showcase that united poetry, music, dance, ...
Literature & Arts
By James-Ibe Chinaza Powder-blue silk spread, like mother at rest on Sunday evenings. Powder-blue, marvelous blue—brown-hemmedswoosh of bohemian skirt. On the surface of your stomach, pebble-sizedand humbled, you keep us. Flanking you on one side—naked woman, naked childperched on the gentle rise of her breasts. On the other, boys playing throwball in the mire.Naval boats—yawning mouths hidden in short shadows. On ...
Poetry Column
By Raheema Auwal Panti in the shadow of minarets and church bells,we trace the lines of grief carved by fatherswho never returned,prayers spill from cracked lips, soft as the dustthat covers forgotten graves, politicians drapethemselves in agbada and gele,whispering promises that vanish like smokein the harmattan wind,the mosque and the shrine standlike silent witnesses, while ...
Literature & Arts
NaijaPoetryFest, in collaboration with Alliance Française, is hosting a one-of-a-kind event to commemorate World Refugee Day. Titled Home Beyond Borders: Displacement, Resilience, and Rebuilding in Nigeria, the programme is scheduled for the 17th of July 2025 at 2pm and promises a deeply engaging blend of art, poetry, music, and critical discussion. This year’s theme speaks ...
Poetry Column
By Sa'ada Isa that at the end of loss, loss may begin again— Samuel Adeyemi There is something about healing thatloss doesn't agree with.All my dead ones have found a wayto keep dying. I too am learningthat the wound never really closes.It only mutates into something small,beautiful enough to permit the passage of laughter.But the ...