The Arts-Muse Fair

  By Paul Liam Jamila Abbas’ Between the Lines of a Photograph explores the intricate intersection between memory and loss. It x-rays the subliminal emotions of love, pain, and loss symbolically represented by the metaphor of a photograph. A photograph is a mirror into the past, present, and future, it is a representation of our happy and sad moments as we journey through life in search of meaning and purpose. The collection forges an evocative metaphor of nostalgic narratives embodying its subject's memories through a photograph's prism. Thus, between the lines of a photograph lies a rich repertoire of memories discernible only through a careful examination and recollection of past experiences. Abbas presupposes that poetry is akin to a photograph with multiple layers of meaning and interpretation. Consequently, it suffices to posit that, nostalgia, love, and loss constitute the larger leitmotif of the collection, in each poem, we encounter a strand of one of these themes thro...

On the 4th of December 2024,  Inkspiredng  will be releasing A Cult of Fireflies  by Naimah Abdullahi Sabo and Iliya Kambai Dennis. The digital version of the book will be available for less than a dollar.  A Cult of Fireflies is a poetry chapbook of evocative love poems.  Here is what the poets Jide Badmus and Taofeek "Aswagaawy" Ayeyemi have to say about the book: "There are many ways to read “A Cult of Fireflies”— the best, in the company of a lover, a private picnic in a lush garden under the sun. Because each poem is a box of sweet, each stanza, a smile unwrapped, each line, a glass of wine. The beauty of this collection is in the seamless synergy between the authors—the harmony of voice & the intersection of style. It is a textbook of devotion—one all lovers should read." —Jide Badmus Author, What Do I Call My Love For Your Body? "Naimah and Iliya paint love as it is, and not as it ought to be. They make their readers inculcate the spirits...

  ~ Paul Liam  Love is a relatively less explored subject in Nigerian critical discourse, literary critics and scholars over the years seemed to have focused their analyses on the so-called ‘serious poetry’ of political lamentation and social criticism of the governance and leadership failure in the land. The focus on the socio-political milieu led to the fostering of a national poetic ethos vested in the existential exigencies, socio-economic strife and the repressive political climates in which the people found themselves. The preponderance of the national agenda of angst negated the core of the matter—the absence of love. Love is the nexus between life and death and the bedrock for the expression of humanity. A society devoid of love and empathy cannot manifest harmony that can be translated to the formation of a hegemonic national anchored on development and the prosperity of the common welfare of the people. Thus, the relegation of love to the margins of critical literar...

The Vivian Ihaza [SEVHAGE] Teen Poetry Prize As part of the SEVHAGE Literary Prizes, this memorial poetry prize honours Vivian’s memory by empowering young writers, specifically teenagers aged 12 to 17 with a focus on Nigeria in its inaugural edition (2024). This annual poetry prize seeks to foster creativity, cultural appreciation, and self-expression among the next generation of poets. Through this initiative, SEVHAGE aims to give young voices a platform to share their stories and ideas with the world. Key Dates and Timelines • Submission Window : October 1st – November 20th, 2024 • Winners Announcement : By February 2025 • All winners will be contacted via email by February 2025, with an awards ceremony or virtual event to follow. Submission Guidelines To ensure fair participation and a wide reach, all entries must adhere to the following guidelines: Eligibility : The competition is open to Nigerian writers aged 17 and below. Submission Format : Attach a poem as an MS W...

 by Paul Liam Nasiba Babale’s emergence on the poetry literary scene is not by accident, she has in the last decade remained a constant voice strutting the digital space with her whimsical poetry.  Before the publication of her debut collection, she had already established an impressionable reputation as an emerging poet of significant talent. She writes with the consciousness of a bard who is aware of the shuddering threats to humanity's collective future and prosperity. Born and raised in the ancient city of Kano, and trained as a medical lab scientist at the Bayero University, Kano, Babale is a literary administrator and brain behind the first Kano International Poetry Festival in northern Nigeria held in July 2024 at the BUK. The festival reinforced Kano’s leading role as the epicenter of world knowledge production and Hausa civilization.  Recently, in 2024, Konya Shamsurumi published Babale's debut collection of poetry, Pickled Moments to critical acclaim. The collec...

by Sirajo Abdulazeez Illo (Bá Sabouke) Nigerian poet, D. M. Aderibigbe, has been announced as a winner of the National Poetry Series 2024 for his manuscript titled The 82nd Division.  Among other honors, his debut book of poems How the End First Showed (University of Wisconsin Press, 2018) won the Brittingham Prize in Poetry. In a social media post, the poet expressed; "I'm happy to share that my manuscript, The 82nd Division, has been chosen as a winner of the 2024 National Poetry Series and will be published by Akashic Books next fall. I'm a big dreamer, but not even in my wildest dream did I think I would win an award as significant and prestigious as this." He added that, " All I ever want to do is write unapologetically about my Nigeria." D. M. Aderibigbe  is from Lagos, Nigeria. Currently, he is an assistant professor of Creative Writing at the University of Southern Mississippi.  He has received fellowships from the Sewanee Writers’ Confe...

Masobe Books announced the acquisition of Nana Sule's debut book, Not So Terrible People, a collection of 11 stories about rebellious angels, jinns, and humans in their attempt to aid Shaitan in his scheme to be reborn as a human being. According to Masobe, “Each story in Nana Sule's debut collection is intricately linked and skillfully crafted. Grand themes, ideas and concepts are deftly explored, creating a prism effect where every story is like tilting the angle to catch a different wavelength, or perspective of life.” Nana Sule is a writer, journalist, and communications strategist with a deep passion for African literature. She co-hosts Conversations with Nana, a podcast promoting African poetry and storytelling. She is co-owner of The Third Space, a vibrant bookstore and workstation in Kano. Nana also curates literary events that foster creativity and community. Alongside her work, she volunteers as the communications lead for the Poetic Wednesdays Initiativ...