Nonconformist Nigerian poetry group, Unserious Collective, is currently accepting works from emerging Nigerian poets—for it’s inaugural Unserious Collective Fellowship.
The poetry fellowship is an initiative in line with the collective’s goal: to recognize talents and celebrate hard work in the bustling Nigerian poetry community.
The Unserious Collective seeks and seeks to award “works of poetry that are commendable, experimental, brilliant, and daring.” Selected Nigerian poets will receive #50,000 each and the portfolios of their poems published on the website of the Unserious group.
The eccentric Unserious Collective was formed by four [+3] horsemen-not-horsemen: O-Jeremiah Agbaakin, Nome Patrick, Adebayo Kolawale Samuel, Pamilerin Jacob, Michael Akuchie, Wale Ayinla, Adedayo Agarau, author of The Origin of Name and editor-in-chief of Agbowó Literary Magazine.
Regarding the group’s formation, their website reads: The UnSerious Collective started with a group of people, bound by passion and talent, teaming to read for Memento: An Anthology of Contemporary Nigerian Poetry. Then they moved to the idea of writing together during National Poetry Month. No one foresaw what exemplary unseriousness we had going on, but we were sure that we loved and respected one another.
Submission Guidelines For the Unserious Collective Poetry Fellowship
- The fellowship is open to only Nigerian poets called Emerging, or whose art/poetic endeavors can be described as such
- Send in up to SIX (previously published or unpublished) poems of any length in a .doc or .docx file—Single-spaced. Font: 12, Garamond or Times New Roman (Note: Ensure that publication history of published poems are clearly acknowledged in your submission).
- No guiding theme or style, submit your best works.
- The submission title should read, “UCPS 2021”.
Click here to submit and participate. Here are additional places writers, poets and artists can submit their works and get paid.
