The Unserious Collective has announced its 2024 Fellows, following a rigorous selection process that involved blind reading of submissions from emerging poets across the country.
The chosen poets for this year’s fellowship are:
- Timi Sanni
- Chiwenite Onyekwelu
- Samuel A. Adeyemi
- Adesiyan Oluwapelumi
About The Fellows
Timi Sanni:
A writer, editor, and multidisciplinary artist from Lagos, Nigeria, Timi is the founder of The Muslim Write Initiative and a member of The Deadliners. His chapbook, The Ordinary Affair of Being Human (Akashic Books, 2025), was selected as part of the African Poetry Book Fund’s New-Generation African Poets box set. Timi is also a contributor to JAY Lit Issue 7.
Chiwenite Onyekwelu:
Chiwenite Onyekwelu is a Nigerian poet and essayist whose works have appeared in The Adroit Journal, Chestnut Review, America Magazine, and Prairie Fire. He was the runner-up for the 2022 Foley Poetry Prize and the Anita McAndrews Poetry Award, and a finalist for the Gregory Djanikian Scholars Program. In 2020, he won the Jack Grapes Poetry Prize, and his chapbook EXILED was released by Red Bird Chapbooks in 2023. Onyekwelu’s poem Lute Man won first prize in The Hudson Review’s Poetry Competition in 2023.
Samuel A. Adeyemi:
A writer and editor from Nigeria, Samuel is a Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominee. He won the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize in 2021. His chapbook, Rose Ash, was selected by Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani for the New-Generation African Poets chapbook box set in 2023. Samuel’s works have appeared in Palette Poetry, Frontier Poetry, Strange Horizons, and Chestnut Review.
Adesiyan Oluwapelumi:
A Nigerian medical student, poet, and essayist, Adesiyan serves as Assistant Editor at Fiery Scribe Review. He won the 2022 Cheshire White Ribbon Day Creative Contest and was the first runner-up for the 2023 Fidelis Okoro Prize for Poetry. His works have appeared in Fantasy Magazine, Poet Lore, Tab Journal, and Poetry Wales.
The Unserious Collective Fellowship, which aims to recognize and support outstanding literary talent, has also received a financial boost. Originally set at N400,000, the Fellowship Prize has been increased to N500,000, thanks to generous donations from Ruth Zakari and Ope Adedeji.
This fellowship provides not only financial support but also an opportunity for the selected poets to showcase their work to a wider audience. Their poems will be featured in a Microchap, set for release in March 2024, further cementing their place in the literary world.
Congratulations Timi Sanni, Chiwenite Onyekwelu, Samuel A. Adeyemi and Adesiyan Oluwapelumi on this great win!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
