Following the release of a longlist and shortlist, The Unserious Collective, an annual fellowship that is awarded to four Nigerian emerging poets, unveils their 2023 fellows:

  • Elias Udo-Ochi
  • Iheoma J. Uzomba
  • Micheal Imossan
  • Sodïq Oyèkànmí

In an official announcement on Twitter, the collective spoke highly of their new fellows:  “Your writing represents the best Nigerian poetry that has come under our radar.”

Founded in 2022 by seven excellent Nigerian poets, the collective is dedicated to highlighting and celebrating “bold, immediate, and limitless poetry” in the bustling Nigerian Poetry community. Their goal is to  provide a thriving community to foster the growth of younger creatives. This year,  they received over 600 entries, all which were read blind in a tradition of fairness. From a longlist of 21, nine poets were selected for the  shortlist. Finally, four fellows were choosen to be awarded fellowship.

Unserious Collective Fellows will receive N50,000 each and publication of their portfolios of poems on their website.

Finalists will also have their works published on their website too.

Last year’s fellows included: Njoku Nonso, Haneefah Bello, Olúwatamílọ́re Ọ̀shọ́, Jesuferanmi Lewis igbinigie.