The African Poetry Book Fund at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln received a $343,750 grant from the Poetry Foundation to study poetry book distribution in Africa on July 13, 2022. The African Poetry Book Distribution Project, led by Kwame Dawes, George W. Holmes University Professor of English, will improve the understanding of poetry book distribution — […]
Kwame Dawes, Boris Boubacar Diop are the writers of African descent on the finalists list of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature 2022 revealed on June 15, 2021. The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is a biennial award sponsored by the United States’ University of Oklahoma and its international literary publication, World Literature Today. The […]
Kwame Dawes, alongside seven other writers, was announced as a recipient of the Windham-Campbell Prize 2019 on March 13, 2019. The Windham-Campbell Prize, established in 2013 with a gift from the late Donald Windham in memory of his partner of 40 years, Sandy M. Campbell. At US$165,000, it is one of the richest and most […]
The Lagos International Poetry Festival 2018 kicks off on October 31 and ends on November 4, 2018 at Freedom Park, Lagos Island. Founded in 2015, the Lagos International Poetry Festival has brought poets, writers, artists, and thinkers from across the world to Lagos for a week of conversations, readings, performances, workshops and adventure, establishing itself […]
The Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Awards 2018 nominees have been announced and feature writers and poets with African roots. They include Lesley Nneka Arimah, Peter Kimani, Alain Mabanckou, Zinzi Clemmons, Yewande Omotoso, and Kwame Dawes. The Hurston/Wright Foundation is named for US African American literary geniuses Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright. The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award […]
Momtaza Mehri, Theresa Lola, and Hiwot Adilow are the joint Brunel African Poetry Prize 2018 winners. The three share the 3,000 UK pounds prize money. The Brunel African Poetry Prize was founded in 2012 by British-Nigerian writer, Bernardine Evaristo, Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London to revitalise African poetry, which at that time […]
The Brunel University African Poetry Prize is a poetry prize of £3000 aimed at the development, celebration and promotion of poetry from Africa. The prize is open to African poets worldwide and each poet has to submit 10 poems to be eligible. It is sponsored by Brunel University London and Commonwealth Writers. Previous winner of the […]
We all know the Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation which ensures that poetry gets its space at the literature table on the African continent. They have been doing this with first a poetry prize as well as a festival at their Kampala, Uganda base. Now the team at Babishai Niwe is set to launch their pilot […]
The Sillerman First Book Prize has started to become one of the best prizes for African poets to show their chops in world poetry. Past winners of the prize include 2014 winner Ladan Osman and 2013 winner Clifton Gachagua, whose collection Madman at Kilifi was released as part of this year’s African Poetry Book series. […]
The winners of this years Brunel University African Poetry Prize 2015 with £3000 on offer were announced yesterday. The joint winners are Safia Elhillo and Nick Makoha, poets who judges thought exemplify the quality and diversity of emerging African poetry. Sudan’s Elhillo lives in New York and is currently pursuing an MFA in poetry at […]
