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Features

April 27, 2022

Isele Prizes: Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike, Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo Named Winners

Umezurike and Okonkwo won for poetry and fiction, respectively, and Nora Nneka won for nonfiction.
Open Country Mag
Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike.

April 13, 2022

The Seminal Breakout of Gbenga Adesina

The prize-winning Nigerian poet and co-founder of A Long House magazine honed his craft in the quiet, and then we heard his pathbreaking voice.
Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu
Gbenga Adesina by Ladan Osman.

April 13, 2022

At Africa in Dialogue, Gaamangwe Joy Mogami Lures Out Storytelling Truths

For many writers and artists in the continent, the Motswana shaman, poet, scriptwriter, editor, and interviewer is a go-to for deep conversations. What she does is “about consciousness,” going “into the realm of memory.”
Otosirieze
Gaamangwe Joy Mogami.

April 13, 2022

Cheswayo Mphanza on Intertextual Poetry & Zambia’s Moment

The author of the National Book Critics Circle Award-nominated poetry collection The Rinehart Frames wants “an expansion in terms of how we speak of African literature.”
Kanyinsola Olorunnisola
Cheswayo Mphanza.

April 13, 2022

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki’s Curation of African Speculative Fiction

The writer and editor, working from Nigeria, has seen his groundbreaking work with the anthology Dominion earn major acclaim in the US and the UK, including becoming the first Africa-born Black writer to earn a Hugo Award nomination.
Kanyinsola Olorunnisola
Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki.

April 13, 2022

Logan February on Their Becoming

The Future Award Africa Prize-winning Nigerian poet and author of the collection In the Nude on “the book as an interface for the soul” and their literary, musical, and cinematic influences.
Emmanuel Esomnofu
Logan February by Weiji Wang.

April 9, 2022

Nana Nkweti on Writing Cameroonian American Experiences & Crossing Genres

The professor of English and Whiting Award-winning author of the story collection Walking on Cowrie Shells talks her eclectic interests and “containing multitudes.”
Paula Willie-Okafor
Nana Nkweti by Shea Sadulski/Out of Focus Studio.

April 9, 2022

With 20.35 Africa, Ebenezer Agu Is Curating New Voices in Poetry

“It’s not just about developing platforms for African poets. What is the bigger picture?” asks the Nigerian poet and editor of the collective. “We are thinking of training, models that feed capacity, that enhance their craft and careers.”
Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu
Ebenezer Agu for Open Country Mag.

April 9, 2022

Remy Ngamije on Doek! & the New Age of Namibian Literature

The editor of Doek!, author of The Eternal Audience of One, and Commonwealth Prize winner is leading a charge to place his country on the literary map.
Otosirieze
Remy Ngamije by Namafu Amutse.

April 9, 2022

Why Tobi Eyinade Built Rovingheights, Nigeria’s Biggest Literary Bookstore

The Future Award Africa Prize-nominated co-founder on the business of bookselling.
Socrates Mbamalu
Tobi Eyinade for Open Country Mag.

April 9, 2022

Suyi Davies Okungbowa Knows What It Takes

The Nigerian novelist, author of David Mogo, Godhunter and Son of the Storm, on epic fantasy, Black male representation in fiction, and making a literary career as a Nigerian.
Ada Nnadi
Suyi Davies Okungbowa by Manuel Ruiz.

April 9, 2022

Inside The Cheeky Natives, Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane & Alma-Nalisha Cele’s Archive of Intentionality

The lawyer and the doctor on podcasting, documenting South Africa’s Black voices, and getting African literature its own due.
Otosirieze
Alma-Nalisha Cisse (L) and Letlhogonolo Mogkoroane (R) of The Cheeky Natives.

April 6, 2022

Romeo Oriogun Wrested Poetry from Pain

From the streets of Benin City to The New Yorker, a young working-class Nigerian writer scaled obstacles and became a defining voice in African poetry.
Emmanuel Esomnofu
Romeo Oriogun for Open Country Mag.

April 4, 2022

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & Pemi Aguda Win 2022 O. Henry Prizes

Adichie, who guest-edited the 2021 anthology and is winning for the third time, was selected for her story “Zikora.”
Otosirieze
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie by Manny Jefferson.

March 31, 2022

Tsitsi Dangarembga, Emmanuel Iduma, & Siphiwe Ndlovu Win Windham-Campbell Prizes

Each of the 8 winners will receive $165,000.
Uzoma Ihejirika
Tsitsi Dangarembga. By Hannah Mertz in The Guardian

March 31, 2022

22 African Writers, Groundbreaking and Female, Born before the Last 60 Years and Now Gone

For Women’s History Month: global, continental, and national literary icons from the 20th century.
Open Country Mag
20 African Writers, Groundbreaking and Female, Born in the Last 45 Years. Curated by Open Country Mag for Women's History Month, March 2022.

March 29, 2022

I.S. Jones Named Editor-in-Chief of Frontier Poetry

“My mission,” said the Nigerian American poet, “is to continue giving a space for both emerging writers, international writers, and writers negotiating themselves between multiple languages.”
Otosirieze
I.S. Jones by Nicholas Nichols.

March 27, 2022

Mary-Alice Daniel Wins Yale Younger Poets Prize

Her manuscript, Mass for Shut-Ins, was praised for its “potent incantations” and called “Flowers of Evil for the 21st century.”
Emmanuel Esomnofu
Mary Alice-Daniel. Credit: news.yale.edu.

March 27, 2022

Isele Magazine Announces Shortlists for Prizes

Finalists include poets Romeo Oriogun, Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike, and Itiola Jones, and short story writers Troy Onyango and Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo.
Paula Willie-Okafor
Isele Magazine's "The Woman Issue."

March 22, 2022

The Brunel Prize Announces 2022 Shortlist of 7 Poets

The judges praised the finalists as “African voices liberated from prescriptions of form and ideas.”
Emmanuel Esomnofu
Adedayo Agarau, the new editor-in-chief of Agbowo Magazine.

April 27, 2022

Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike.

Isele Prizes: Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike, Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo Named Winners

Umezurike and Okonkwo won for poetry and fiction, respectively, and Nora Nneka won for nonfiction.
Open Country Mag

April 13, 2022

Gbenga Adesina by Ladan Osman.

The Seminal Breakout of Gbenga Adesina

The prize-winning Nigerian poet and co-founder of A Long House magazine honed his craft in the quiet, and then we heard his pathbreaking voice.
Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu

April 13, 2022

Gaamangwe Joy Mogami.

At Africa in Dialogue, Gaamangwe Joy Mogami Lures Out Storytelling Truths

For many writers and artists in the continent, the Motswana shaman, poet, scriptwriter, editor, and interviewer is a go-to for deep conversations. What she does is “about consciousness,” going “into the realm of memory.”
Otosirieze

April 13, 2022

Cheswayo Mphanza.

Cheswayo Mphanza on Intertextual Poetry & Zambia’s Moment

The author of the National Book Critics Circle Award-nominated poetry collection The Rinehart Frames wants “an expansion in terms of how we speak of African literature.”
Kanyinsola Olorunnisola

April 13, 2022

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki.

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki’s Curation of African Speculative Fiction

The writer and editor, working from Nigeria, has seen his groundbreaking work with the anthology Dominion earn major acclaim in the US and the UK, including becoming the first Africa-born Black writer to earn a Hugo Award nomination.
Kanyinsola Olorunnisola

April 13, 2022

Logan February by Weiji Wang.

Logan February on Their Becoming

The Future Award Africa Prize-winning Nigerian poet and author of the collection In the Nude on “the book as an interface for the soul” and their literary, musical, and cinematic influences.
Emmanuel Esomnofu

April 9, 2022

Nana Nkweti by Shea Sadulski/Out of Focus Studio.

Nana Nkweti on Writing Cameroonian American Experiences & Crossing Genres

The professor of English and Whiting Award-winning author of the story collection Walking on Cowrie Shells talks her eclectic interests and “containing multitudes.”
Paula Willie-Okafor

April 9, 2022

Ebenezer Agu for Open Country Mag.

With 20.35 Africa, Ebenezer Agu Is Curating New Voices in Poetry

“It’s not just about developing platforms for African poets. What is the bigger picture?” asks the Nigerian poet and editor of the collective. “We are thinking of training, models that feed capacity, that enhance their craft and careers.”
Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu

April 9, 2022

Remy Ngamije by Namafu Amutse.

Remy Ngamije on Doek! & the New Age of Namibian Literature

The editor of Doek!, author of The Eternal Audience of One, and Commonwealth Prize winner is leading a charge to place his country on the literary map.
Otosirieze

April 9, 2022

Tobi Eyinade for Open Country Mag.

Why Tobi Eyinade Built Rovingheights, Nigeria’s Biggest Literary Bookstore

The Future Award Africa Prize-nominated co-founder on the business of bookselling.
Socrates Mbamalu

April 9, 2022

Suyi Davies Okungbowa by Manuel Ruiz.

Suyi Davies Okungbowa Knows What It Takes

The Nigerian novelist, author of David Mogo, Godhunter and Son of the Storm, on epic fantasy, Black male representation in fiction, and making a literary career as a Nigerian.
Ada Nnadi

April 9, 2022

Alma-Nalisha Cisse (L) and Letlhogonolo Mogkoroane (R) of The Cheeky Natives.

Inside The Cheeky Natives, Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane & Alma-Nalisha Cele’s Archive of Intentionality

The lawyer and the doctor on podcasting, documenting South Africa’s Black voices, and getting African literature its own due.
Otosirieze

April 6, 2022

Romeo Oriogun for Open Country Mag.

Romeo Oriogun Wrested Poetry from Pain

From the streets of Benin City to The New Yorker, a young working-class Nigerian writer scaled obstacles and became a defining voice in African poetry.
Emmanuel Esomnofu

April 4, 2022

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie by Manny Jefferson.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & Pemi Aguda Win 2022 O. Henry Prizes

Adichie, who guest-edited the 2021 anthology and is winning for the third time, was selected for her story “Zikora.”
Otosirieze

March 31, 2022

Tsitsi Dangarembga. By Hannah Mertz in The Guardian

Tsitsi Dangarembga, Emmanuel Iduma, & Siphiwe Ndlovu Win Windham-Campbell Prizes

Each of the 8 winners will receive $165,000.
Uzoma Ihejirika

March 31, 2022

20 African Writers, Groundbreaking and Female, Born in the Last 45 Years. Curated by Open Country Mag for Women's History Month, March 2022.

22 African Writers, Groundbreaking and Female, Born before the Last 60 Years and Now Gone

For Women’s History Month: global, continental, and national literary icons from the 20th century.
Open Country Mag

March 29, 2022

I.S. Jones by Nicholas Nichols.

I.S. Jones Named Editor-in-Chief of Frontier Poetry

“My mission,” said the Nigerian American poet, “is to continue giving a space for both emerging writers, international writers, and writers negotiating themselves between multiple languages.”
Otosirieze

March 27, 2022

Mary Alice-Daniel. Credit: news.yale.edu.

Mary-Alice Daniel Wins Yale Younger Poets Prize

Her manuscript, Mass for Shut-Ins, was praised for its “potent incantations” and called “Flowers of Evil for the 21st century.”
Emmanuel Esomnofu

March 27, 2022

Isele Magazine's "The Woman Issue."

Isele Magazine Announces Shortlists for Prizes

Finalists include poets Romeo Oriogun, Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike, and Itiola Jones, and short story writers Troy Onyango and Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo.
Paula Willie-Okafor

March 22, 2022

Adedayo Agarau, the new editor-in-chief of Agbowo Magazine.

The Brunel Prize Announces 2022 Shortlist of 7 Poets

The judges praised the finalists as “African voices liberated from prescriptions of form and ideas.”
Emmanuel Esomnofu

“An ambitious new magazine committed to African literature”

— Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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