For over a decade, the African Poetry Book Fund, founded by Ghanaian poet Kwame Dawes and Nigerian writer Chris Abani, has nurtured Africa’s emerging voices through its New Generation African Poets Chapbook Series. Each beautifully designed chapbook spotlights a poet alongside commissioned visual art, creating a vibrant, accessible archive that now spans over 100 poets. The series embraces both diasporic and continental perspectives, highlighting identity, hybridity, and feminist expression, while fostering intergenerational dialogue. From exploring memory, displacement, and queerness to engaging with socio-political critique, the poets push African poetry beyond national boundaries. By combining thoughtful curation, prizes, and digital preservation, the project builds a living archive, affirming poetry’s role as a dynamic, essential expression of African creativity today.
The Conversation
