How I Stopped Being a Closet Poet
The first time I stood before an audience to share a poem was October 2016. I remember it like yesterday. It was the grand finale of the Scribble the Future Poetry Competition for all-female student poets at the University of Ibadan. I was wearing a…
How to Enter Issue III of the 20.35 African Poetry Series
The 20.35 Africa was launched in 2018. It is an anthology of contemporary poetry targeted at pushing institutional boundaries in the African literary scene by advocating for “multiple conversations on the sensibilities of being African in a modern, global system.” Its first volume, guest-edited by Gbenga…
Sickle Cell Is the New Tribe
Written By: Jeremy T. Karn for bijoux you’ve heard about flowers thatgrow in the dirt. there are flowers with thorns that grow in thebones & some that grow in your aunt’sbackyard garden every morning as you fix yourbones in your body & dress for the…
The Songbirds Sing, My Ears Hear a Dirge
Written By: Adejuwon Gbalajobi You’re heavy upon me heart, sorrow.You’re a ravenous beast inside of me.A thousand Psalms I’ve sung to silence you,my throat burns with prayers to still your madness– still you ravish me. How do I wheel myself into joy when it is…
Josh Effiong: Diaries, Dreams & Dues
When we were born, happiness was without a price tag and we felt our heart bubbling with joy every time the cloud gathered. For the sound of raindrops was tinkling cymbals to our spirits as we ran with a little piece of clothing on our…
The “Maybe” of Writers and Their Art
Maybe writers don’t write at night just to enjoy the silence and how it lets thoughts flow unhindered and allows imaginations to run wild without fear of being hunted down and tamed by society. Maybe writers crawl the night to know why the stars never…
English