The UnSerious Collective started with a group of people, bound by passion and talent, teaming to read for Memento: An Anthology of Contemporary Nigerian Poetry. Then they moved to the idea of writing together during National Poetry Month. It’s important at this point to confess that only O-Jeremiah Agbaakin and Nome Patrick saw the writing challenge through. Adebayo Kolawole Samuel was busy writing sales copy and interviewing world tech giants. Adedayo Agarau was taken by love. Wale Ayinla was busy freelancing. Pamilerin Jacob spent his evening reading, editing, and brainstorming, and his daytime, doing whatever comes up. Michael, oh Michael Akuchie, was busy rounding up his Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Benin.

This is getting long…

No one foresaw what exemplary unseriousness we had going on, but we were sure that we loved and respected one another. A few months later, we celebrated Patrick and Agbaakin too many times and since then decided to stick to being serious. Well, Adebayo’s chapbook was selected by Chris Abani and Kwame Dawes for the African Poetry Book Fund. Wale Ayinla’s chapbook, To Cast a Dream, won the 2020 Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize. Adedayo Agarau started working as the Editor-in-Chief at Agbowo. Michael Akuchie to judge the next RoadRunner Poetry Prize. Pamilerin Jacob founded Eremite Poetry among other exciting innovations. Nome Patrick has work forthcoming in Granta, and currently studying for his MFA at Brown University. Professor O-Jeremiah, well, is currently celebrated in Oxford, Mississippi.

The idea is that we like to...Uhm, actually, the idea is that we will let you know later what we think!