Gbenga Adesina embarks on U.S. tour for 'Death Does Not End at the Sea'

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 the Furious Flower Poetry Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where Adesina will be in dialogue with Lauren Alleyne and Joanne Gabbin. From there, he will appear at Brooklyn Poets on September 5, followed by an event on September 12 at Dear Friend Books, also in Brooklyn, where he will converse with Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King.

Washington, D.C. features prominently on the itinerary, with Adesina scheduled to read and discuss his work at the Folger Shakespeare Library on September 18, before an October 3 stop at Creative Grounds DC, where he will join Nigerian-American writer Tope Folarin for a wide-ranging conversation.

Charlottesville’s New Dominion Books will host the poet on September 20 in dialogue with Spanish poet Fernando Valverde, and the tour concludes on November 6 at Midtown Readers in Tallahassee, Florida, where Adesina will appear with James Kimbrell.

Death Does Not End at the Sea has been praised for its evocative language and emotional depth. According to Aracelis Girmay, the poems "carry us into startlingly capacious configurations of time and grief and kinship."

Chris Abani notes, "Every line quivers with music. In this breathtaking work we encounter a poet who carries tradition with an easy grace. Beautiful."

Adesina’s work often examines the intimate cost of displacement, and this tour promises to deepen his engagement with audiences who have embraced his lyrical storytelling.