Images of three Nigerian writers, from the left: Hussain Ahmed, Frances Ogamba, and Kanyin Olorunnisola

Managing Editor Lisa Ampleman: Over the past few years, we’ve noticed more and more Nigerian and Nigerian American writers among our submitters and contributors. In our forthcoming fall issue, for example, we have poetry by Saddiq Dzukogi and Olatunde Osinaike, and we’re lucky enough to be working at the CR with fiction writer Blessing Christopher. From my perspective, Nigerian writers are enriching the fabric of the US’s literary community.

In fact, it’s been enough time that we’ve seen the development of their careers. One of the first Nigerian writers we featured was Hussain Ahmed, whose poem “Child-Witch” appeared in our miCRo series in 2018. Now he’s published three full-length books and is a doctoral candidate here at the University of Cincinnati, having started as a student a few years after that publication. He’s working with our colleagues at Acre Books this year.

At Acre Books, our spring poetry release is Ara’luebo: The Immigrant Monologues by KÁNYIN Olorunnisola. It’s a vibrant, multilayered piece with five speakers representing the range of identities for Nigerian Americans.

Wanting to hear a little more about the larger context of their writing lives, I reached out to Hussain, KÁNYIN, and Frances Ogamba, a fiction writer, for their take on Nigerian literary culture, broadly. What follows are their answers, often abridged. (I hope that the conversation started here continues in other venues!)

What is the literary scene like in Nigeria?

Hussain: The literary scene in Nigeria is vibrant and blooming; this is mostly through the dedication of lit mags, literary festivals, and book clubs in the country. Until 2019, I was part of a reading group in Kaduna, one of the northern states of Nigeria, called the Purple Art Silver, where many of us gathered to read new poems and stories to our circle of friends. Those Sunday events included fantastic poets and writers like Okwudili Nebeolisa, Saddiq Dzukogi, Sada Malumfashi, Ifeanyichukwu Eze, Hauwa Saleh, and many others. Currently, Sada Malumfashi is championing a new wave of art enthusiasts through an interdisciplinary creative space he created, Open Arts. There is also a vibrant scene in the Nigeria’s south, especially on campuses, where literary events are hosted by student-led associations. Even though many of us have moved out of Kaduna, new creative spaces are sprouting throughout the region and across the country. 

Frances: Nigeria’s literary scene has always been. Long before indigenous nations were carved into countries, we spoke through poetry and structured our understanding of the world through stories. We conversed in proverbs and explained phenomena through riddles.

Nigeria’s current literary scene reminds me of the country’s spirited literary festivals: the presence of a vast diversity of languages and philosophies, the colourful display of regalia made from Ankara fabrics, the energy of attendees, and panels that entrance their listeners. Our storytelling, our way of speaking, and our political realities are all laid bare. You will find this same blend in the literature itself, from poetry that reveals ethno-philosophies and contemporariness to prose that mirrors the sociopolitical climate, showcasing the grim and exciting horizons of the Nigerian life.

The literary scene of the present is a synergy of tradition and innovation, where established publishing houses exist alongside social media storytelling platforms, podcasts, and live sessions on Instagram and Facebook. The output is incredibly diverse, encompassing poetry collections, spoken word performances, a myriad of personal essays and short stories, as well as novels and drama.

African writing genres and styles are ever-expanding beyond the typical finds in the global literary canon. Books written in Nigerian languages by both earlier and contemporary authors like Akinwunmi Isola, Ogbonnaya Mark Okoro, Alhaji Abubakar Imam, and Nkebem Nkebem Ebong sit on shelves next to newer, English titles that incorporate Nigerian languages, with the Nigerian words left unitalicized. There is also a surge in genres like African realism, Nigerian realism, African futurism, and African surrealism. All of these represent a wayfinding. We are naming ourselves on our terms and shifting the gaze to where we are.

. . . When readers express surprise at aspects of Nigerian or African writing, when they praise its evocative style and lyrical cadences, I say it is nothing new. The world has only begun to listen.

Why do you think more Nigerian writers have been coming to the US for education, etc.?

KÁNYIN: Well, the predominant belief, and I don’t necessarily (dis)agree with it, is that one’s career prospects as a writer are limited in Nigeria. There are no true institutions that foster craft development, save for nonprofits like Sprinng Inc. So writers come here to get their MFAs and, hopefully, establish worthwhile careers here.

Hussain: Because of the institutional support that comes with being enrolled in the programs here. The US seems to have a complete creative ecosystem, which includes editorial experiences, publishing, awards, fellowships, and readership. To study in the US provides Nigeria writers with a unique support to grow, without the pressure of survival. 

Frances: The literary ecosystem in Nigeria grapples with inconsistent or sparse support from the country’s public institutions. The earlier generation of writers, spearheaded by Chinua Achebe, responded to this loophole by founding Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), a government-affiliated organization that promotes Nigerian writing. Other major sources of funding for Nigerian writers, like the Nigeria Prize for Literature sponsored by Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Prine Claus SEED Awards, and the Miles Morland Foundation, often come from private or foreign institutions. On a yearly basis, these scholarships and awards fund about five to ten Nigerians out of hundreds of young writers producing magnificent work. This leaves most writers with the sole option of getting full-time employment for sustenance, which in many cases stifles creative time and energy.

This reprehensible attitude toward the arts is rooted in colonial education, which boosts the sciences as a befitting career and presents any branch of the arts as a pastime. For a culture pulsing with artistry and creative talent, it is dismal that Nigeria’s creative economy thrives mostly through the efforts of the practitioners themselves.

The US offers an attractive alternative: fully funded MFA programs and literary representation, which draws in writers from Nigeria and across the globe. As a country that leverages its creative sectors to boost economic growth, the US also attracts writers and teachers for other ventures. Writers like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, and the recently deceased Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, have lived in the US as well, where they received institutional support, which availed them of the ample time and devotion that creative practice requires.

Nigerian writers . . . bring a distinctive outlook to the world of storytelling. They replicate the fully funded literary support they find abroad by organizing free writing workshops across Africa and educating young writers on both the creative and business aspects of creative writing, initiatives like Idembeka Creative Writing Workshop, Writivism Literary Initiative, Sprinng Writing Fellowship, Ubwali Masterclass, and Kwani Trust. The Nigerian writers who pursue their education in the US continue to nourish the soil of home. Their academic undertakings benefit the writing practices of emerging writers on the continent through mentorship, publishing, and creative collaborations.

If someone wants to know more about the literary scene in Nigeria, do you have any lit mags or presses to recommend?

KÁNYIN: If you want to read up on what’s happening on the scene, I would suggest subscribing to Open Country Mag, a culture magazine that covers arts and literature on the continent. Nigerian presses are criminally underrated, but Masobe Books is doing amazing work, pushing electrifying literature with creative promotional campaigns. As for magazines, a few come to mind: Isele Magazine, Agbowó, Olongo Africa, and Omenana Magazine.

Hussain: I would suggest lit mags such as Agbowó,edited by the brilliant Adedayo Agarau, a Stegner fellow who currently lives in the US. Another mag is Olumo Review, a biannual literary journal focused on poetry. The masthead includes terrific poets such as Pamilerin Jacob and Rahma O. Jimoh.

One of the oldest lit mags that is still around, African Writer Magazine, was one of the earliest spaces to publish my poems.

The presses tend to be more focused on prose because there is more of a market for fiction than there is for poetry. Some of the leading presses include Narrative Landscape, which published the Nigerian edition of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dream Count and will publish Jide Salawu’s debut poetry collection, Contraband Bodies. There is also the Cassava Republic, Farafina Books, Masobe Books, and Iskanchi Press.

Frances: Nigeria has many independent presses and literary magazines that shape cultural, literary, and political discourse through their publications. While many excellent platforms exist, I will mention a few: Masobe Books, Griots Lounge Publishing, Narrative Landscape, Parrésia Publishers Limited, Iskanchi Press, Cassava Republic, Farafina Books, and Ouida Books are consistent in bringing compelling Nigerian writing to the forefront.

The online literary platforms are equally vibrant, with journals such as Isele Magazine, Open Country Mag, Afreecan Read, Agbowó, Omenana Magazine, Brittle Paper, Efiko Magazine, The Republic, Yaba Left Review, The Shallow Tales Review, and Obindo Magazine creating spaces for African storytelling and social commentary.

It is important to note that Nigerian publishing is not always distinct from African publishing. The blurred lines are often intentional. I explicate this by circling back to our state of coloniality, which didn’t establish clear boundaries between one African country and another. Therefore, we must produce work as a collective, not just to restore the continent’s fragmented memory but also to create a powerful vibration. As the Igbo proverb says, “gidigidi bu ugwu eze,” meaning “the prestige of a king is evaluated by the density of the surrounding crowd.” African writing is indeed prestigious, and it is the “surrounding crowd”—publishers, editors, and critics, and readers—that makes this possible.

Alongside Nigerian-owned presses and journals, there are other prestigious publishers on the continent, like Jacana Media, Storymoja, Moran Publishers, and Spotlight Publishers. Our sibling journals include Ubwali Literary Magazine, Jalada Africa, Lolwe, Doek!, Kikwetu, Qwani, and many others.

Some of their recommended books by Nigerian writers living in the US or UK:

Fiction:

Poetry:

KÁNYIN Olorunnisola is the founder of SPRINNG and former nonfiction editor of the Black Warrior Review. His debut short film, Chiaroscuro, premiered at the 2024 Rising Tide Film Festival. His writing appears in Al Jazeera, FIYAH, The Georgia Review, Harvard’s Transition, and elsewhere. His work has been supported or recognized by the Levitetz Leadership Program, Speculative Literature Foundation, Miles Morland Foundation, and the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP). His full-length poetry collection, ARA’LUEBO: The Immigrant Monologues,is forthcoming in spring 2026, courtesy of Acre Books. He has an MFA from the University of Alabama.

Hussain Ahmed is the author of three books of poetry: the forthcoming Crossroad Mirror (Northwestern University Press, 2025); Soliloquy with the Ghosts in Nile (Black Ocean Press), a 2023 poetry award honoree by the Society of Midland Authors; and Blue Exodus (Orison Books), which won the 2022 Orison poetry prize. Ahmed’s poems have been featured or forthcoming in the 2025 Best American Poetry anthology, Poetry, The Nation, American Poetry Review, A Public Space, and elsewhere. A Nigerian poet and environmentalist, he holds an MFA from the University of Mississippi and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Cincinnati.

Frances Ogamba is a 2025 Mercatus Center’s Don Lavoie Fellow at George Mason University, a 2024 Jacobson Scholar at the Hawkinson Foundation for Peace & Justice, and a 2024 Miles Morland Writing Scholar. She received the 2024 Walter H. Judd Travel fellowship, the 2024 COGS Research grant, and the 2022 College of Liberal Arts fellowship from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Her awards include the 2022 Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction, the 2020 Kalahari Short Story Competition, and the 2019 Koffi Addo Prize for Creative Nonfiction. Her work is forthcoming or appears in The Hopkins Review, Ambit, Ninth Letter, Channel, Chestnut Review, CRAFT, New Orleans Review, and elsewhere.

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