Warri Literary Society - WLS

04/09/2025

PIN 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY: 1st to 25th October, 2025

FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH underscores the calibre of poets being featured.

Special thanks to our hosts - Iquo Diana Abasi, Anote Ajeluorou, Soonest Nathaniel, Ekaette george, Abdulmalik Yahaya and Tomini Bee Cheng Dew; our own Naijanese. Other details coming.

Keep a date in advance of the formal unveiling of featiured poets.

Eriata Oribhabor
For: PIN Initiative

04/09/2025

I am...

I am Esan, I am Edo
I am Warri, I am Delta
I am Delta, I am Edo
I am Pidgin, I am Naija
A Poet, writing poetry

I am Edo, I am Esan
I row and flow the Delta
Of bamboos and palm grooves
I am Rivers of poetry
I am Red earth poetry

I am Esan, I am Edo
I bleed deep poetry
Poems in my blood run
I am a Rotarian...lovely face
A humanitarian...simply human

Every board, a craft land
Poetic rafts, homely wands
I am poetry, I am floetry
I am your brother
I am Nigerian.

Eriata Oribhabor
President, Poets in Nigeria Initiative

30/05/2025

CCPC 2025 IS UPCOMING

Having concluded plans for the announcement of the 2025 CCPC, we are excitedly looking out for new hosts, men and women who are passionate about poetry as a tool for impacting people and communities.

Down the street lives a poet who will be excited connecting with fellow poets and literary minds. Guided by the philosophy of poetry for service, we connect for greater endeavours.

Get ready to say YES to CCPC 2025.

Eriata Oribhabor
Lagos, Nigeria

08/01/2025

*ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY CHALLENGES: CALL FOR SUBMISSION OF POEMS*

Guided by its philosophy of poetry for service and eternally interested in supporting/showcasing the works of poets and poets' undying love for poetry challenges, we have over the years, monitored the growing culture of self-propelled poetry challenges by poets in Nigeria and across the globe. Accordingly, Poets in Nigeria Initiative desires to curate the production of a pioneer compendium of Anthology of Poetry Challenges as part activities marking PIN @10 later this year. In this regard, we are excited to invite poets who have over the past 10yrs engaged in a form of challenge or the other to submit their best works under the following guidelines.

*Submission Guidelines:*

- Submit your top 5 poetry entries from a particular challenge
- Mention nature/number of days of the challenge
- Social media proof of date challenge started and ended
- Entries must be original works of poets
- Submitted poems should not have been featured in any other anthology
- Add Poet's bio, photo and telephone contact
- Minimum of two (2) entries per poet-entrant/per challenge will be selected for publication
- This call is open to poets from all over the world
- Poets of selected poems will be entitled to e-version of the anthology
- The anthology of poetry challenges is part of activities marking PIN @10 Anniversary celebration.

*Submission Details:*

Email your entries alongside above evidences to: [email protected]

Deadline: February 15th
_________________________________
MODERATING JUDGES

All submissions will be critically appraised by a team of judges comprising:

Blessed-Chinatu Orji, Asst Secretary Poets in Nigeria Initiative

Awele Ilusanmi, author of Comforting Arms, a compilation of poems published in 2004, multiple award-winner, extremely passionate literacy advocate,
celebrated for her invaluable support and contributions to the Nigerian literary landscape.



Eriata Oribhabor, author of Crossroads & The Rubicon and President Poets in Nigeria Initiative

Blessed-Chinatu Orji,
Asst Secretary, PIN
For: PIN Anthology of Poetry Challenges

31/10/2024

LABAF 2024: FEATURING PIN ARTHUB LIVE

Under the aegis of PIN ARTHUB, Nigeria's leading spoken word poet, Sage Hassan is set to lead a team of A-list performance/spoken word poets to the 26th edition of Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF). In the team are foremost Comrade Poet and curator of Aj House of Poetry, Lagos Dagga Tolar, award winning storyteller and poet Toby Abiodun, artist/performance poet, Evelyn D'Poet, winner of several performance and spoken word poetry contests, Kemi Bakare (aka Kemistree), Adigun Olushola (Solaspeaks) and renowned performance/spoken word poets, Bold Seth, Tirwister Tiwistar, Solutionist Clementina and Jacob Sukpa respectively. I am Indomitable, Gabriel, Favour, Marvel and Treasure Obi are rising spoken word poets that are bound to establish their feet on the acclaimed LABAF stage.

Further details of the entire PIN Arthub will be shared subsequently.

Date: 12th November, 2024
Time: 5pm

Endeavour to be part of this all-important event.

RSVP:
1) Funke Awodiya - 07034815063
2) Shola Phebian - 0703816 7920
3) Clementina Owumi - 08076500936
4) Emma Abiodun Dada - 0806 672 0940

09/08/2024

To promote poets and poetry, Poets in Nigeria Initiative (PIN) is calling on all interested poets/literary minds across Nigeria and beyond to join our team in hosting a poetry event in diverse locations tagged Cross-Country Poetry Celebration.

The theme for this edition is: Power and Pleasure of Poetry.

3RD EDITION OF CROSS-COUNTRY POETRY CELEBRATION (CCPC): CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Keynote speaker:
Prof. Niyi Osundare

Date: 26th October, 2024

Indication of interest to host the CCPC anywhere in Nigeria and beyond should be forwarded to the moderator via:
07068828488 (WhatsApp only).

Call for indication of interest closes: 31st August, 2024

Basira Rabiu Idris
Moderator, CCPC 2024

15/06/2024

CCPC 2024: ONGOING HOSTS' SIGN UP

CCPC stands for Cross Country Poetry Celebration, an initiative of Poets in Nigeria that headlines poets during a simultaneous reading and performance of poetry across the country. This edition, is scheduled to hold on Saturday 26th October, 2024. It promises to be bigger and more impactful.

So far, we have hosts in the following 18 states; Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kaduna, Oyo, Bauchi, Taraba, Lagos, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Anambra, Ekiti, Jigawa, Niger, Osun and Benue. You can be part of this.

To host the CCPC, please click this link: https://bit.ly/Host-CCPC.

Please, feel free to ask questions on the way forward.

Eriata Oribhabor
For: PIN Initiative

To promote poets and poetry, Poets in Nigeria Initiative (PIN) is calling on all interested poets/literary minds across Nigeria and beyond to join our team in hosting a poetry event in diverse locations tagged Cross-Country Poetry Celebration. The theme for this edition is: Power and Pleasure of Poe...

21/04/2024

WARRI HOSTS Ebidenyefa Tarila Nikade , PhD.

Please join us at today's literary fellowship.
You would love you did.

Time: 4pm
Venue: Oduah Hotel and Suites
IFFIE ESTATE, off Refinery Rd., Warri.

18/04/2024

POETS IN NIGERIA INITIATIVE TO CELEBRATE PROF. WOLE SOYINKA@90

(A call for submission of poems for an anthology of carefully crafted poems in honor of the global literary Icon)

Poets In Nigeria Initiative is inviting poets across the globe to send in carefully crafted poems to be featured in an anthology titled: *Decades of Nine Hills and Thrills (Poems in honour of Prof. Wole Soyinka @90).

*THEMED - "The gift of grey wits and socio-cultural strength", this literary offering celebrates Prof. Wole Soyinka's decades of multidimensional conscientisation of people for socio-cultural development globally.

*A brief on our Literary Icon:*
Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká; born 13 July 1934, known as Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, cultural icon, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "wide cultural perspective and poetic overtones fashioning the drama of existence", the first sub-Saharan African to be honoured in that category.

*SUBMISSION GUIDELINES*

* Poems should reflect the thematic thrusts bordering on the Icon's overall lifestyle encompassed in the stated theme.

*Poems should not exceed 35 lines.

* Each entrant is entitled to a poem Only.

*The title of this call must not be used as the title of the entry.

* Entries must be the original intellectual property of the entrants (never previously published in any form).

*Entries should be submitted in the body of the mail to:* [email protected]

• Attached emails would be overlooked

•Exceptional entries will have slots for physical performance at celebratory events in honor of Prof. Wole Soyinka.

*Submission Deadline:* 20th April - 20th May, 2024.

Shola Phebian Oguntoyinbo Adekunle
For: POETS IN NIGERIA INITIATIVE