Elias Udo-Ochi

Fellowship Work

“FLOWERBOYS”

Elias Udo-Ochi is a queer Nigerian poet and literary critic of Igbo descent. He graduated from the University of Benin, majoring in English & Literature. Most of his writing explores where the body is sacred, individual, and accompanied by a trauma of place. His work has appeared in Fifth Wheel Press, The Woodward Review, FERAL, Heroin Chic Mag, and elsewhere. He is a member of The Deadliners, a collective of Nigerian creatives.

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About the Fellow

Elias Udo-Ochi is a queer Nigerian poet and literary critic of Igbo descent whose work fearlessly explores where the body is sacred, individual, and accompanied by a trauma of place. A graduate of the University of Benin with a degree in English & Literature, he brings both academic rigor and raw emotional honesty to his craft.

His manuscript FLOWERBOYS was a finalist for the Kissing Dynamite 2021 Micro Chapbook Contest, and his poetry has earned recognition including 2nd place at the 2022 Penrose Poetry Prize and a longlisting for the Black Warrior Review Poetry Contest judged by Diane Seuss.

Beyond his own writing, Udo-Ochi is a member of The Deadliners, a collective of Nigerian creatives, and volunteers as an outreach worker for a Global Fund-sponsored nonprofit focused on the sexual health of Key Populations, demonstrating his commitment to community both within and beyond the literary world.

Fellowship Statement

Elias Udo-Ochi's work explores where the body is sacred, individual, and accompanied by a trauma of place. His fearless approach to identity, queerness, and belonging in Nigerian society represents the kind of daring and experimental poetry that the Unserious Collective Fellowship seeks to celebrate.

Achievements & Awards