Hussain Ahmed’s poem, ‘Talking Drums’ has won the top prize in the poetry category of Gulf Coast‘s 2024 literary contests.
Monica Youn, one of the judges, had this to say on the winner:
“‘Talking Drums’ weaves a gorgeously sophisticated polyrhythm out of the textures of dailiness and of deeper histories. Slabs and snippets, riffs and depth charges – each element sounds its separate inimitable song, retaining its distinctiveness even as the juxtapositions and quick changes, the silences and sequences create new and glorious combinations.”
Hussain Ahmed is a Nigerian poet, the author of Soliloquy with the Ghosts in Nile (Black Ocean Press), and Blue Exodus (Orison Book), winner of the Orison poetry prize. He holds an MFA from the University of Mississippi and currently a PhD student at the University of Cincinnati. His poems have been featured in Kenyon Review, POETRY, A Public Space, American Poetry Review and elsewhere.
The winners in the categories of Fiction and Nonfiction as well as honourable mentions are as follows:
Poetry:
Honourable mentions:
- ‘Naïve‘ by Loisa Fenichell
- ‘Hand Down‘ by Christian Paulisich
Fiction winner:
Before You Dance by Michelle Ajodah
Honourable Mentions:
- The Missing by Megan Baxter
- Couple’s Therapy by Dylan Fisher
Non-Fiction Winner:
Qualifying Exams by Elda María Román
Honorable Mentions:
- Boy Friends by Kurt David and Isaiah Yonah Back-Gaal
- In Search of Higher Ground by Danielle Batalion Ola
Begun by Donald Barthelme and Phillip Lopate, Gulf Coast is the nationally-distributed journal housed within the University of Houston’s English Department, home to one of the US’s top ranked creative writing programs. The journal spent its nascent years (1982-1985) as Domestic Crude, a name that nodded to the major industry of the Houston area. It was a 64-page (magazine-formatted) student-run publication, with editorial advising coming from Mr. Lopate, who also contributed work to the first issues.
Congratulations to Hussain and all the winners as well as the impactful collections mentioned in each category!
To read more on the writers as well as their stories, click here.
Bongiwe T. Maphosa
Bongiwe Maphosa is a writer whose fiction and poetry offers fresh, imaginative perspectives on the human condition. Her work has been published in prominent literary spaces, including Isele Magazine, Akowdee Magazine, the AVBOB Poetry Anthology, Journal of African Youth in Literature (JAY Lit), and more. She was also nominated for the 2025 Best of the Net Anthology. Bongiwe is one of six writers selected for the inaugural Caine Prize Online Editing program and serves as a content writer, peer reviewer, and tier three awards judge for JAYLit. Bridging inner reflection with speculative worlds, she continues to carve out a distinctive voice within contemporary African literature for a growing global audience.
