Nigerian poet and playwright, Othuke Umukoro has been announced as the winner of the 2024 X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize for his collection, Fenestration.
Selected by the acclaimed poet Diane Seuss serving as the final judge for the 2024 competition, Umukoro, a Nigerian poet and playwright, has garnered recognition both locally and internationally. A graduate of the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he previously won the Academy of American Poets University Poetry Prize during his time at the institution. In 2021, Umukoro received the Brunel International African Poetry Prize, solidifying his status as one of Africa’s leading poetic voices.
Umukoro’s work continues to resonate across borders, appearing in esteemed publications such as Ploughshares, POETRY, The Hudson Review, and The Poetry Review (UK).
Established in 1998, the X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize is an esteemed annual award presented by Texas Review Press, recognizing outstanding full-length poetry collections. In 2024, the prize was enhanced to include a $10,000 advance, a standard royalty contract, and a three-week residency at the Vermont Studio Center, known as TRP’s X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize Fellowship.
Named after the amazing poet X. J. Kennedy, the award continues to honor his legacy by fostering and celebrating poetic excellence.
Congratulations Othuke Umukoro!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
