Akashic Books has announced Kumi: New-Generation African Poets, edited by Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani. This 10 piece, limited-edition box set features the work of nine new African poets: Nurain Ọládèjì, Sarpong Osei Asamoah, Claudia Owusu, Nome Emeka Patrick, Qhali, Connor Cogill, Feranmi Ariyo, Dare Tunmise, and Adams Adeosun. The box set comes out on December 3, 2024 and is available to pre-order now!

This is the 10-year anniversary of the New-Generation African Poets series, an annual project started by Akashic Books and the African Poetry Book Fund to promote and support talented African poets, particularly those who have yet to publish their first full-length book of poetry. This series has helped many little-known poets get their start and showcase their work to a large audience.

The series has received much praise, including from The Washington Post, which describes it as:

An ambitious, vital project that delivers exactly what it promises . . . As a group, the chapbooks dispel stereotypes about African writing. They also illustrate what editors Dawes and Abani note about the many ways poets can understand or redefine their ties to Africa. These insights are poignant and valuable, especially at a time when millions around the globe find themselves somewhere between new countries and ancestral lands they’ve left behind.

Check out an excerpt of editor Kwame Dawes’ introduction to Kumi:

The African Poetry Book Fund has also shared excerpts from the poems included in this box set on their Instagram.

Congrats to all of the poets included in this exciting new collection!

Preorder on Bookshop
Preorder on Barnes & Noble
Preorder on Amazon