Chigozie Obioma has announced the launch of a new annual literary initiative, the Best of the Year book selection, beginning with Adedayo Agarau’s poetry collection The Years of Blood as its 2025 pick.
The initiative will focus on debut books of poetry or fiction, with personal essay collections also eligible for consideration. Each year, one book will be selected as the standout title read within the period.
As part of the programme, 20 to 30 copies of the selected book will be purchased and distributed to readers across the United States. The project is designed to increase access to debut works and introduce amazing writers to a wider readership.
In addition to book distribution, the initiative includes plans to bring selected authors to Athens, Georgia, for a public reading each fall at the University of Georgia. The readings are designed to foster direct engagement among writers, students, and the literary community.
About “The Years of Blood“
The Years of Blood is the debut full-length poetry collection by Nigerian poet Adedayo Agarau, published by Fordham University Press in September 2025. It was the winner of the 2023–24 Poetic Justice Institute Editors Prize for a BIPOC Writer and was named among the most anticipated books of 2025 by several magazines.
Publisher descriptions state:
“In this unflinching debut collection, Adedayo Agarau confronts the harrowing reality of ritual killings and child abductions that have terrorised Nigeria from the turbulent pre-democratic era to the present day.”
The poems are set against the backdrop of rural Ibadan and explore collective trauma and memory through dreamlike landscapes and surreal imagery.
The language of the collection is described as “at once rich and broken,” capturing both violence witnessed and the enduring impact of survival. As both survivor and émigré to the United States, the poet interrogates “the weight of disappearance [that] hangs heavy over memory,” and the search for healing across continents.
Congratulations, Adedayo Agarau, on yet another win!
