Lights Out by Chiamaka Nwangwu (1st Position – Poetry Category)

Lights Out by Chiamaka Nwangwu (1st Position – Poetry Category)

by | Mar 17, 2018 | CONTESTS, POEMS

Lights Out by Chiamaka Nwangwu (Winner – Poetry Category)

Poetry Category

1st Position –  Lights Out by Chiamaka Nwangwu

I wish that I could capture brilliantly the art that was 21 road yesterday
Of the lone fueling station surrounded at all angles by hundreds of cars waiting for fuel.
The sweat trickling down the brows of the tired fueling station workers
Hands cramped up from hours of injecting fuel into cars and jerry cans
I wish I could capture the ebony coloured face
Of the little child still scurrying along the streets of Festac at night
Jerry can in her hand and determination on her face
Desperate for ten litres to last her madam’s family the night
I wish I could capture the sigh of the tired single mother
Gazing at the empty fuel sign in her car
Thoughts on the absent father who won’t provide
And on the children for whom she can give so little
I wish I could capture the controlled expression of the middle class worker
Foreseeing another night of darkness
Of rumpled clothes and hot pure water to drink
Another day the children have to take a public bus to school
I wish I could capture the worried look of the bus driver
The frustration in his eyes and slight crease of his brow
Unsure of his tomorrow
Of the empty seats that will greet his now empty fuel tank
I wish I could capture the teary eyes of the little boy
Riding shotgun in his father’s car
Thinking no cartoons for the night
No excited squeal when his father draws the rope that pulls the generator
I wish I could capture the determined gait of the market woman
Wrapper half undone, trailing along on the dirt road
Making her way along the zigzag route of long car lines
Hand absently on her bra, stuffed full with crumpled Naira notes.
I wish I could capture the graceful strike of the match
Of the teenage girl lighting a candle from the flat across the street
Younger siblings clustered around her
Resigning to the fate of another day without light
I wish I could capture the tired smile of the grandfather
Entertaining his grandchildren with stories on the veranda
With just the moonlight to shield them
From the darkness of this night

LIGHTS OUT (1st Position - Poetry)

by Chiamaka Nwangwu | Creative Writing Contest

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chiamaka Chukwudire Nwangwu is a contemporary Igbo-Lagosian. She is currently in her fourth year of a romantic relationship with the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan. She is a budding public speaker. She loves to read but particularly enjoys reading contemporary Nigerian fiction, history, and poetry.

Her poem, “Defiance in Death” was published in the 1st edition of the top 100 poems of the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize Anthology, “The sun will rise again” in the year 2016. She won 1st place in the Kreative Diadem Poetry Prize for her poem “Lights Out” in December 2017. Her essay, “Savior” was published in the “My Book Affair” section of the literary blog, theafroreader.com

Chiamaka is absolutely certain that she is supposed to write.

Isolation

Our third issue ever, "Isolation" is out. We had thought-provoking conversations with Alexis Teyie and Tobi Nifesi. It's a collection of works from some of the finest minds out there -- poetry, short stories, interviews, and creative essays.

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Breast Cancer by Omobashorun Agbalagba (2nd Position – Poetry Category)

Breast Cancer by Omobashorun Agbalagba (2nd Position – Poetry Category)

by | Mar 17, 2018 | CONTESTS, POEMS

Breast Cancer by Omobashorun Agbalagba (2nd Position – Poetry Category)

Poetry Category

2nd Position –  Breast Cancer by Omobashorun Agbalagba

My pride.
Prominent beauties.
Soft areola tissues.
Recipe for sanity.
Smooth contour.
Like a thief in the night;
It was just a lump.
Cyclical pains.
Irritating melanin.
Tainted redness.
Defacing beauties;
Life threatening.
Seizing breath.
Radical mastectomy;
No left over.
Frigid fraternity.
A beautiful man.
My breast cancer story.
Ayanfe

BREAST CANCER (2nd Position - Poetry)

by Omobashorun Agbalagba | Creative Writing Contest

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My name is Ayanfe and I’m a writer; a poet, songwriter, scriptwriter, and I also do spoken words. In a nutshell, I’m sentenced to form a sentence. I’m  African by ancestral lineage; a Nigerian to be precise. I’m 21 years of age,  I hail from Kwara state.
I’m a graduate of Anatomy, faculty of basic medical sciences, college of health sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin Nigeria.
I love arts in various presentations. From the written to the visuals. I do a lot of writing, from poems, short stories, to seasonal stories, which I post daily on ayanfepens.com.

 

Isolation

Our third issue ever, "Isolation" is out. We had thought-provoking conversations with Alexis Teyie and Tobi Nifesi. It's a collection of works from some of the finest minds out there -- poetry, short stories, interviews, and creative essays.

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Do you love our published works?

You can add your literary work to an endless list of poems, short stories, flash fiction, and essays.

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Things Your Uncle Left Inside You by Stephen Ogunfoworin (3rd Position – Poetry Category)

Things Your Uncle Left Inside You by Stephen Ogunfoworin (3rd Position – Poetry Category)

by | Mar 17, 2018 | CONTESTS, POEMS

Things Your Uncle Left Inside You by Stephen Ogunfoworin (3rd Position – Poetry Category)

3rd Position – Things Your Uncle Left Inside You by Stephen Ogunfoworin

Your uncles touch you while you sleep
And the walls wail as they mangle your innocence
You are eight
Olatunji sneaks in at midnight
He pulls down your underwear
And thrusts two fingers into the flesh between your thighs
You listen as his breaths quicken and thicken
And pretend that the sound is your mother scrubbing the kitchen floor
You are twelve
Olarinde comes in the early hours of the mornings
While the Imam calls out to Muslims to say their prayers
He gently spreads you open
And you hold your breath, quietly awaiting his entry
Olarinde never lasts more than seven thrusts
You know this because you count them.
One. Two. Three. Four. Faster. Five. Six. Seven.
When he climaxes, he cries into your hair and begs God for forgiveness
He closes you up again and scurries off into the darkness
You are fifteen
Adebola visits on Thursday nights
While everyone is watching Super Story in the living room
Bola uses his tongue
Or his tongues perhaps, it never feels like one
Sometimes your body betrays you and a moan escapes your lips
Sometimes he shoves himself into your mouth
When he finishes he whispers into your ear
‘Don’t pretend you don’t like this’
This confuses you
Because you almost believe that you do
And when you finally tell Mother, you tell her everything
You do not spare any detail
But you soon realize that this is a mistake
Mother, who is a deaconess and a spiritual leader
While you talk, she holds her head in her hands
And bellows like an animal in agony
She takes you to church, where the evil spirits are flogged out of you
Your uncles touched you while you slept
It has been seventeen years now
And you still have nightmares about the things they left inside you.

THINGS YOUR UNCLE LEFT INSIDE YOU (3rd Position - Poetry)

by Stephen Ogunfoworin | Creative Writing Contest

Isolation

Our third issue ever, "Isolation" is out. We had thought-provoking conversations with Alexis Teyie and Tobi Nifesi. It's a collection of works from some of the finest minds out there -- poetry, short stories, interviews, and creative essays.

Download Issue

Do you love our published works?

You can add your literary work to an endless list of poems, short stories, flash fiction, and essays.

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Winners of the 2017 Kreative Diadem Annual Creative Writing Contest

Winners of the 2017 Kreative Diadem Annual Creative Writing Contest

by | Dec 26, 2017 | CONTESTS

Winners of the 2017 Kreative Diadem Annual Creative Writing Contest

With barely five days to the end of 2017, the maiden edition of the Kreative Diadem Annual Creative Writing Contest gradually comes to a close. We organized the competition with the sole aim of inspiring originality and ingenuity in the creation of literary works. We focused on the emerging clan of young Nigerian writers because of their peculiar spot in the future of literature. Of course, we got more than we bargained for.
At the beginning, we were expecting a sprinkle of entries but we were handsomely rewarded with a massive shower of excellent pieces. Looking at the numbers, we received a total of 98 poems and 73 flash fiction stories. For the judges, it was a tough battle to sift the tares from the wheat. According to the judges, they were on the lookout for originality in the entries and they never settled until they found the spark.
We are here to keep our promise. This is the unveiling of the winners of the contest – the top three in each category.

Poetry Category

  1. Lights Out by Chiamaka Nwangwu
  2. Breast Cancer by Omobashorun Agbalagba
  3. Things Your Uncle Left Inside You by Stephen Ogunfoworin

Flash Fiction Category

  1. Imole by Olakunle Ologunro
  2. Racing Stars by Okhuosami Umar
  3. Let the Day Break by Chukwuebuka Ibeh
Only the winners will be contacted. Congratulations to all the winners!

We want to use this opportunity to sincerely appreciate all those who took time to craft wonderful literary pieces and submitted towards the contest. You are all winners!

Our profound gratitude goes out to our highly esteemed judges for the maiden edition of this contest: Okwudili Nebeolisa and Su’eddie Vershima Agema. We are grateful for the immense gift of your time.

We would also like to appreciate our sponsor for this contest – Engr. Johnson Aina. Thank you for your invaluable contributions to making sure that the rare talent of young Nigerian writers is constantly celebrated.

Isolation

Our third issue ever, "Isolation" is out. We had thought-provoking conversations with Alexis Teyie and Tobi Nifesi. It's a collection of works from some of the finest minds out there -- poetry, short stories, interviews, and creative essays.

Download Issue

Do you love our published works?

You can add your literary work to an endless list of poems, short stories, flash fiction, and essays.

Submit

Finalists of the 2017 Kreative Diadem Annual Creative Writing Contest

Finalists of the 2017 Kreative Diadem Annual Creative Writing Contest

by | Dec 23, 2017 | CONTESTS

Finalists of the 2017 Kreative Diadem Annual Creative Writing Contest

With the tranquil ending of 2017, the maiden edition of the Kreative Diadem Annual Creative Writing Contest gradually comes to a close. We organized the competition with the sole aim of inspiring originality and ingenuity in the creation of literary works. We focused on the emerging clan of young Nigerian writers because of their peculiar spot in the future of literature. Of course, we got more than we bargained for.

 

At the beginning, we were expecting a sprinkle of entries but we were handsomely rewarded with a massive shower of excellent pieces. Looking at the numbers, we received a total of 98 poems and 73 flash fiction stories. For the judges, it was a tough battle to sift the tares from the wheat. According to the judges, they were on the lookout for originality in the entries and they never settled until they found the spark.

 

As we anticipate the announcement of the top three winners that will be going home with cash prizes, we would like to unveil the list of the finalists for each of the categories. The finalists include the top 10 in no particular order. The name of the winners (top 3) will be released on Boxing Day, December 26, 2017.

Poetry Category

  1. Breast Cancer by Omobashorun Agbalagba
  2. A Bonfire on a Midsummer Night by Oluebube Ubah
  3. A Letter to Nabeelah by Abdurrahman Adedokun
  4. Little Boys are Large Exit Doors by Wale Ayinla
  5. Only a Child by Ikhenoba Deborah
  6. Lights Out by Chiamaka Nwangwu
  7. Black Woo Man by Olawale Ibiyemi
  8. An Installation of Memory by Anifowoshe Ibrahim
  9. Things Your Uncle Left Inside You by Stephen Ogunfoworin
  10. Adedamola by Saliu Fathia

 

Flash Fiction Category

  1. Charlotte by Jayeola Abdulhakeem
  2. A Thousand Words for Maggie by Paul Akaogu
  3. Stretched Silence by Okechi Okeke
  4. Imole by Olakunle Ologunro
  5. Let the Day Break by Chukwuebuka Ibeh
  6. No Peace for the Wicked by Ada Nnadi
  7. Possessed by Okoronkwo Ijeoma
  8. Racing Stars by Okhuosami Umar
  9. Innocent Justice by Atere Oluwatimilehin
  10. In Memory of Chris by Ene Ogaba

 

The top three winners will be contacted on December 26, 2017.

We want to use this opportunity to sincerely appreciate all those who took time to craft wonderful literary pieces and submitted towards the contest. You are all winners!

Our profound gratitude goes out to our highly esteemed judges for the maiden edition of this contest: Okwudili Nebeolisa and Su’eddie Vershima Agema. We are grateful for the immense gift of your time.

We would also like to appreciate our sponsor for this contest – Engr. Johnson Aina. Thank you for your invaluable contributions to making sure that the rare talent of young Nigerian writers is constantly celebrated.

 
Isolation

Our third issue ever, "Isolation" is out. We had thought-provoking conversations with Alexis Teyie and Tobi Nifesi. It's a collection of works from some of the finest minds out there -- poetry, short stories, interviews, and creative essays.

Download Issue

Do you love our published works?

You can add your literary work to an endless list of poems, short stories, flash fiction, and essays.

Submit

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