The Arts-Muse Fair

There are no 53 Suns There are 53 landmarks that breach Our brotherhood Stretches of tongues that collude against us We bear the brunt of justified rape jalloping through the desert We whiplash the whips cramming us at the docks We are told that things have changed With the handshake of schools, mosques, odd men Who have displaced our kings. We are baptised new names that bear the signature of Greco-roman tales and Mesopotamian corruption so The world can be one 'civil' whole. A child that loses his name, his language and the Ways of his ancestors is lost Kidnapped to return to rule without a heart Looking down at his minions with a brutal eye Hearing the truth as the voice of dissent. Prisons are filled to the brim, we are trying to salvage Like buckets, Waging war against the flood. As long as men dream They can look at the tropical sun and dance Into the night As long as women tell tales Children will ask those questions that take us b

                                               This                                            weather                                        is an assassin.                                            a wild teen                                      who has caged the                                      frail old air and now                                   bullies me into taking my                           bathtub to be my dearly not beloved                       nanny. This weather is an assassin. It is a                 mountain that urges me to climb her. To climb her.         To climb her. But does not equip me with the climbing tools.   This weather is an assassin. This weather is an assassin. This weather... Dele The stretch marks from My scars Are now what you treasure But I still can't look At them squarely. So, Let me see them through Your eyes And learn to see me As us. Bamidele                     You have, to me

Paul Liam joins The Arts-Muse Fair Editorial team as Associate Editor. He was previously our Guest contributor, pitching in incisive essays and reviews. As Associate Editor, Paul Liam will work closely with the Founding Editor to edit, curate and publish literary works on our site. Paul Liam (Paul T. Liam) is a poet, author, book reviewer, critical writer, editor, literary columnist, polemist, organizer and a creative writing mentor. A 2014 Ebedi fellow, he is the co-editor of  Ebedi Review  (Journal of the Ebedi International Writers’ Residency, Iseyin, Oyo State, Nigeria). A former Assistant Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Niger State Chapter, a former Public Relations Manager of the HilltopArts Centre, Minna. His published works include,  Indefinite Cravings  (2012),  Saint Sha’ade and Other Poems  (2014),  Life is Like a Flower  (anthology),  Fireflies  (anthology). He co-edited,  Dew Drop , a student anthology of poetry. His critical ess

Deadline: 31 st  March, 2020 INTRODUCTION Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) is an initiative of Poets in Nigeria (PIN) aimed at stimulating literary creativity and encouraging critical thinking among Nigerian undergraduates. Since its inception in 2016 at the University of Ibadan, the prize has received about 2500 entries from students representing over 100 tertiary institutions (including universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, schools of nursing and seminary schools). Reputed as the foremost poetry prize for Nigerian students, the NSPP has awarded over a million Naira (1,000,000) to winning entrants and published 400 poems authored by selected student-poets in four anthologies:  The Sun Will Rise Again (2016), Mixed History (2017), Deep Dreams (2018) and Micah (2019). Notably, tertiary institutions such as University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu and Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Yenagoa hosted the NSPP Awards in

Ijegba Forest We are on our way into the forest Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka calls home. And we are 85 finalists for the WSICE essay competition (85 is Prof’s age this year), a few teachers, the WSICE organizers and reporters. We are all here for the competition and series of programs called Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE), held annually to mark the Laureate’s birthday. This is year, it is holding in three states: Lagos, Ogun and Ondo. We are leaving for Ondo today after the meeting with Soyinka. The result of the essay we wrote yesterday at the Cultural Centre would be announced in the presence of Prof. We are all aglow in brand new orange T-shirts. The Ogun sun has just risen but the July clouds makes her look sleepy as they wander in the sky, reaching for each other. We drive deeper and deeper into the labyrinthine Abeokuta rocks and green hills, and bushes until finally: TRESPASSING VEHICLES WILL BE SHOT AND EATEN  TRESPASSING COWS WILL

The team at Ayamba is excited to announce the official unveiling of her website,  www.ayambalitcast.com , on the 31st of December 2019. Spurred by the dire need to cater for the influx of emerging voices, and to celebrate their brilliant works, the platform provides for the promotion of African literature and the introduction of African writers to the world.  In the words of the founder and editor, Halima Aliyu, “Art is our identity. It is for us the banquet for our stories where we listen, drink and dance in their aura. Because they matter. Because we matter."   Halima Aliyu, Founder - Ayamba Litcast By creating and managing their profiles, writers can be accessed and read from anywhere in the world. The site has online literary agents on standby to answer questions and proffer advices on writing and publishing. It is also the home for podcasts, book reviews, interviews, and literary news. To be a part of this adventure, visit  www.ayambalitcast.com  a

Poets in Nigeria (PIN) todays opens activities of the fifth edition of Festival Poetry Calabar (FPC) themed “Poets in the Digital Age: Bytes and Heights”. The annual fiesta of poetry, culture and tourism holds in the city of Calabar from 18 th  to 20 th  December, 2019. The 3-day event will host poets, writers, artists, literary critics, social commentators and lovers of literature from different parts of the country, thereby elevating arts and literature above ethnic and geographical barriers. For the fifth year running, all activities of the festival including poetry reading, writing and performances, Calabar Welcomes, Sights & Sounds of Calabar, Teens Forum, storytelling, music, dance, poetry workshop, book chats, panel discussions and Live Photo Booth will take place at James Ene Henshaw Foundation and Transcorp Hotel, Calabar. Sights and Sounds (Poetourism) and a Walk for Poetry are slated for Day 1 – Wednesday 18 th  December. On the second day, Kolade Ola