Nigerian Poet, Soonest Nathaniel, Selected For Prestigious Iowa Writing Program

Soonest Nathaniel, a Poet, Journalist, and spoken word artiste, has been selected to participate in the esteemed International Writing Program (IWP) Fall Residency at the University of Iowa, United States. Nathaniel is joining an exclusive group of authors that include several winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature, including Turkey’s Orhan Pamuk and China’s Mo […]

Soonest Nathaniel, a Poet, Journalist, and spoken word artiste, has been selected to participate in the esteemed International Writing Program (IWP) Fall Residency at the University of Iowa, United States.

Nathaniel is joining an exclusive group of authors that include several winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature, including Turkey’s Orhan Pamuk and China’s Mo Yan. These acclaimed authors started their journey towards global recognition at the IWP.

Known for his potent and evocative verse, Nathaniel is the author of two amazing poetry collections, they are – “Teaching Father how to impregnate women and Burying the Ghosts of Dead Narratives” .

Nathaniel’s writings, whether poetry, journalism, or spoken word performances, are celebrated for their lyrical beauty and spectacular insight into historic and contemporary issues.

Enthusiast of a meld genre loosely-called speculative realism, Nathaniel won the RL Poetry Award in 2017, he was also named Langston Hughes Fellow at the Palm Beach Festival and served as Poet Laureate for the Korea Nigeria Poetry Festival.

His poems have been highly anthologised, appearing in Nigerian, U. S and British literary magazines. Nathaniel is an active voice on various platforms that focus on social issues.

Nathaniel’s unique style and powerful poetry makes him a great addition to this year’s program. He’ll be joining 34 other writers selected from various countries for this three-month residency which celebrates it’s 56th year at the University of Iowa, having began in 1967.