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...

The Hellebore Press has selected Nigerian poet, Michael Imossan, as one of the scholars for their Summer 2024 HUES Foundation Scholar program.  Michael Imossan is a poet, playwright and editor of Ibibio origin. He is the author of the award-winning chapbook For the Love of Country and Memory (poetrycolumnnd, 2022) as well as the pamphlet A Prelude to Caving (Konya Shamsrumi, 2023).  Imossan’s full length manuscript, Broken in Three places, was named semi-finalist for the Sillerman Prize for African Poetry, 2023 and his full length manuscript “All that Refuses to Die” was named winner of the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry, 2024.  His chapbook, The Smell of Absence, was selected by Kwame Dawes & Chris Abani for inclusion in the New-Generation African Poets Chapbook Boxset. He is a recipient of the PEN International writers grant. The HUES Foundation is an educational non-profit organization that is committed to creative expression and innovat...

By Paul Liam Sandra Rofem Hitarh’s debut collection of poems, The Voice of Your Village, is a promising debut that problematizes the social injustice, and dystopian aura in the land. It is rooted in the socialist vision that views poetry as an instrument for engineering social change, a rather strange obsession for a military officer. Hitarh’s aesthetics align with the Nigerian poetry tradition known for its romanization of utopia, characterized by the quest for social justice, harmony, and economic prosperity. The poems reecho the wailing anguish of voiceless citizens caught in the mesh of strife and misgovernance.    The Voice of Your Village, published by Sevhage Publisher, Makurdi in 2024, contains forty-three poems and a foreword by the renowned poet and scholar, Ismail Bala. Bala describes the collection as “fresh and unique” for ditching the “American idiom” and shunning “...the seeming convention of confessionalism so rampant in recent Nigerian poetry. Bala’s app...

Heiress is set to release Carl Terver’s Glory to the Sky on August 25, 2024. Carl Terver is one of Nigeria’s best contemporary writers, mostly of the essay form, and a well-rounded critic. In Glory to the Sky — described as “short personal essays on photography” — Terver examines our ways of seeing, celebrates the beauty of the accidental and coincident, and discusses man’s propensity for wastefulness. This kind of writing follows the tradition of writers like Emmanuel Iduma and Teju Cole, in investigating life through photography. It is a pleasure to read and a masterful hand at work. Carl Terver’s first photography writing “ The Lessons of Hue Editing ” was published in 2021 in Afapinen. In this new photobook — which he claims was a discovery even to him — he has expanded his vision of writing about images, further stretching his boundaries. And he has so much to say. Glory to the Sky contains 35 original photographs accompanied by micro personal essays and photography writing. Carl...

Poetic Wednesdays is thrilled to announce the inaugural Kano International Poetry Festival (KAPFEST)! Mark your calendars for July 11th-14th, 2024, as Kano will come alive with a celebration of the city's rich poetic heritage and culture. Festivals weave the threads that unite hearts. They gather people from the dawn in the East to the embrace in the West, from Southern songs to Northern winds, bringing together a diverse populace for a sole purpose: a unifying love. In this case, poetry. This July, we witness the birth of an unprecedented gathering in Kano. Where HIBAF and FLP have graced us before, now arises "Kalamai: A Festival of Words and Expression," to celebrate the rich poetic legacy and literary history of Kano ta Dabo, Tumbin Giwa. This festival promises to be a unique platform for established and emerging poets, not just from Kano but from across the globe. Imagine a choir of voices from the East to the West, from the South to the North, all orchestrating the ...

Kaduna called and we answered!  The sound of it was everywhere! And of course, it was already anticipated.  In 2023, we waited for the Kaduna Book and Arts Festival. When it didn't happen, we tucked our pens in disappointment and prayed to the literary gods for its return.  Fun fact: They answered!!! You can imagine the excitement when KABAFEST returned and was held from the 1st to the 4th of May 2024.  From the streets to social media, Kaduna pulsed with a creative throb as the festival unfolded like a bibliophile's wonderland. I couldn’t resist immersing myself in this celebration of books, arts, and friends. The festival kicked off with a bang, honoring Helon Habila with the KABAFEST lifetime achievement award, a well-deserved recognition for his literary contributions.  The opening ceremony was a vibrant tapestry of poetry and music performances, book reading, and a rousing speech by the governor. This energy continued with a book chat featuring the beloved ...

Idumaese Alao Foundation, instituted in memory of Idumaese Alao who passed on 13 February 2024 due to Breast Cancer at the age of 35, is hereby calling for entries (poetry) to the Idumaese Alao Prize for Literature, 2024, with a prize of 100,000 naira. Submission Guidelines 1. The theme is Terminal Frailties. We are on the look out for a variety of creative, brave, experimental interpretations of the theme. 2. Entries should not be longer than 40 lines. 3. Only Nigerian writers, 18 years and above, residing anywhere in the world are eligible. 4. Entries should be sent as word documents, Times New Roman, double line spacing. 5. There should be no identifying information on the entry. 6. Entry should be accompanied by a cover letter that comprises author’s third-person brief biography and location. 7. All entries should be sent to idumaesealaofoundation@gmail.com with the subject, 2024 Idumaese Alao Prize for Literature. 8. Deadline is 10 May, 2024. 9. Plagiarism and use of A...