The Roaring Lion Newcastle (TRLN) has announced the addition of three fiction writers — Chukwuemeka Famous, Joseph Nnamdi, and Ikemefuna Umeadi — to its literary family.
The announcement follows the July 2025 release of Home in Motion, a poetry collection by Tolu Akinyemi. The Roaring Newcastle proudly welcomed three fiction writers, whose works transit conventions, exploring the interior and political, the mythic and modern in voices that are bold and invite readers to delve into a realm of vibrant and unrestrained fiction.
Chukwuemeka Famous is a Nigerian writer and academic whose work spans fiction, essay writing, and literary criticism. A recipient of the Ebedi International Writers Residency, his writing has been shortlisted for several awards including the 2025 Moon City Awards, Quramo Writers Prize (2020), and the Bold Call Writing Contest (2022). His debut novel, We Will Live Again, was named one of the top sisty notable African books of 2023 by Open Country Mag, marking him as a disctinct voice in African literature.
Joseph Nnamdi is a writer of fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction. Drawing from African folklore and the haunting beauty of everyday life in contemporary urban Nigeria, Joseph loves to build intricate worlds with words where spirits walk among men, and the supernatural feels untterly human. Through richly textured storytelling, Joseph explores themes of power, memory, and transformation.
Ikemefuna Umeadi is a storyteller and visual artist whose work inhabits the quiet spaces between science and soul. Born and raised in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, he enjoys translating the complexity of human anatomy into the textures of prose and image.
Gabrielina Maryanne, Editorial Lead at TRLN, says:
“The voices at the heart of these books are urgent, alive, and necessary, a vivid reminder of what fiction can do when it’s not trying to behave.”
The three authors are preparing the following works: Many Ways to Die by Chukwuemeka Famous, For the Condemned by Joseph Nnamdi, and School Teacher by Ikemefuna Umeadi. The books are scheduled for publication in spring 2026.
Founded in 2012, The Roaring Lion Newcastle is an independent publishing house dedicated to amplifying new and necessary voices. Guided by the belief that “talent isn’t rare, but opportunity is,” the press focuses on publishing writers whose works echo and resonate across diverse audiences.
Congratulations, Famous, Nnamdi, and Umeadi.
Sarah Adeyemo
Sarah Adeyemo is a poet, writer, editor, and spoken word artiste from Nigeria. She is a fellow of the SprinNG Writing Fellowship. Sarah has work published or forthcoming work in ANMLY Lit, D’Iit Review, The Fiery Scribe Review, Con-Scio Magazine, Sevhage Review, Okiti Literary, Synchronized Chaos Magazine, Pepper Coast Magazine, The Weeds Review, Akpata Magazine, The Shallow Tales Review, The Muse Journal, The Weganda Review, Everscribe Magazine, Afrillhill Press, TV-63 Magazine, Poems for Persons Interest, Northern Writers Forum Journal, Eboquills, Rinna Lit. Anthologies, and elsewhere. Her works have been shortlisted for the 2025 Labari Prize for Poetry and longlisted for the 2025 Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize. She serves as the Managing Editor at Words-Empire Magazine, a Poetry Editor at Yarnz Magazine, PFPOI, and a News & Feature writer at the Journal of African Youth Literature (JAY Lit). She was a writing resident of the Rongo Artist Residency in 2026 and is currently a writing resident at the Ebedi International Writers Residency. She is a member of The Swan Collective. A dramatic poet who tweets @sarahinkspires.
