New African Poetry: A Reading by Romeo Oriogun

Join the Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University for a reading by Romeo Oriogun, winner of the 2017 Brunel University Prize for African Poetry. Oriogun’s work claims space for innovative queer writing in contemporary Nigeria.

Oriogun has been described as “a hugely talented, outstanding, and urgent new voice in African poetry. His poetry is wide ranging but at its heart are deeply passionate, shocking, imaginative, complex and ultimately beautiful explorations of masculinity, sexuality and desire in a country that does not recognise LGBT rights.” His writing appears in the African Poetry Book Fund’s New Generation African Poets series, a project led by Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani. The reading will be preceded by a conversation about recent developments in African poetry with Duke faculty member, Tsitsi Jaji. A reception follows the reading and conversation.

Romeo Oriogun is the author of the chapbooks “Burnt Men” (Praxis) and “The Origin of Butterflies” (APBF and Akashic Books) and he is also the winner of the 2017 Brunel International African Prize for Poetry. His manuscript “My Body Is No Miracle” was shortlisted for the 2017 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets. He is currently an IIE- Artist Protection Fund Fellow in residence at Harvard University, a Harvard Scholars at Risk Fellow, and a W.E.B. DuBois Research Institute Fellow for Spring 2019.

Tsitsi Jaji is an Associate Professor of English and AAAS. She is the author of “Beating the Graves” (African Poetry Book Fund), and “Mother Tongues”, awarded the 2018 Cave Canem Northwestern Book Award.